Baselworld 2015: The Ultimate Round-up

Text by Sitanshi Talati-Parikh. Images by Falguni Kapadia, Sitanshi Talati-Parikh and courtesy BaselWorld. Post assistance by Simone Louis

Verve gives you the low-down on all the hautest happenings at Baselworld 2015, straight from the heart of the watch expo

There is a buzz about BaselWorld that disproves the theory that smart watches will overturn the watch industry. As Atsushi Kaneko San, the president of Seiko said, “The importance of the watch can only grow in a market like this. After all, a watch is a mechanical object — not an electronic gadget.” While some brands decided to take the smart watch head on by introducing a version of their own, others concentrated on their core object — an eye-catching piece of art that performs it’s traditional function. The robust long-time president of Longines, Walter von Kanel, regaled us with his views (with a dollop of deadpan humour) on Indian politics, bureaucracy and the watch market. On the latter, he left us with the thought that, “There is no revolution, there is an evolution.” As he points out: “I’m happy companies like Apple and Samsung are coming into the business. It is additional business for me! They will help us put a watch on the wrist of the younger generation. And one day this generation will be tired of these electronic watches and they will be looking at an analog watch, at a status symbol.”

Take some time out and sit back with Verve’s curation of the top sights and experiences, straight from the heart of Basel. (Click on any of the images to toggle gallery view.) View the watch trends here.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

The BaselWorld premium watch and jewellery fair has an incredible expanse of space in quaint Basel, Switzerland — a three-storey building dedicated to watch brands and another for jewellery. With options for a sit-down Japanese meal (where you may bump into Sheetal and Biren Vaidya from The Rose Group) or a quick sandwich or pizza, the fair opens up to live music and good spirits in the courtyard every evening.

SHOWSTOPPER BOOTHS

Each booth represents the focus, design and ideology of the brand, from the architectural meshes of Hermes to the quiet sophistication of Rolex, from the iconic sports-inspirations of TAG Heuer to the serpentine facade of Bulgari. Breguet offered a chance to work on the engraving of the watch live at their booth.

As we wait for our turn wherever we may be, champagne and coffee flow freely, and chocolate replaces lunch, unless it’s at the Carl F. Bucherer booth, where the Indian press are greeted with dal-chawal or the TAG Heuer booth, where svelte women carry towering platters of cheese and carpaccio.

LUNCH UNDER THE SUN

What could be more fabulous than jetting to the Louis Vuitton Mansion off BaselWorld? Tastefully done with old-world charm, the cherry on the top was the spectacular course meal in their conservatory, chatting with Kehkashan Merchant, communications head for Louis Vuitton India.