Armed with strong legacies, new innovations, and emotional appeal, it seems the watch industry sees no reason to panic—yet.
“We’ve certainly had a challenging few years, but we’re seeing some positive upward trends and it’s important we don’t get caught in the trap of comparing current sales against boom years, as that’s not realistic,” said Aeschlimann. “In terms of the market in general, I think we’ll see modest but steady growth.”
However, Baselworld’s shrinkage has certainly not been overlooked. The industry is recognizing the shift for what it is: a sign of the times, and an indication the ability to adapt will be critical going forward.
“The dust of this most recent change has not settled yet,” said Williams. “People still want to go out, they want to be engaged, but they’re demanding more when they go shopping. If you’re not going to give me some other dimension of understanding your brand or your product when I go to see it, I’ll just order you online. Why should I go out?”
As for Baselworld itself, optimism persists the show will survive its downsizing and continue to stand as a keystone event for the watch industry. Although many visitors have dropped out due to the absence of their regular suppliers, Wenger, for instance, says he will continue to attend.
“It doesn’t make total sense because they can, with their extra time, go see newer suppliers—they don’t always have to go to the same places and meet the same people,” he says. “That’s the nice thing about trade shows. It’s a good meet and greet for seeing new products.”
Baselworld will return again next year, running March 21 to 26.
