In the announcement signed by the representatives of all five brands, these brands that are about to leave the Basel International Watch and Jewelry Fair cite "unilateral decisions made by the management of the Basel International Watch and Jewelry Fair, including postponing the exhibition in 2020 to 202 1 and 1, and the inability of the Basel International Watch and Jewelry Fair to meet brand expectations and needs". As a reason for their withdrawal.
After the withdrawal of major brands, the future of Basel Exhibition, which has a history of 100 years, is uncertain.
Due to the epidemic situation, the Organizing Committee of Basel Exhibition postponed the exhibition originally scheduled for the end of April 2020 to 202 1 1, which triggered a series of refund storms. Previously, the Organizing Committee of Basel Exhibition announced two schemes to refund the exhibition fees to the participating brands: no refund at all, 202 1 exhibition 85%, exhibition15%; 40% will be used for 202 1 exhibition, 30% will be returned and 30% will not be returned. This move made the major brands that remained in the Basel exhibition extremely dissatisfied, and jointly sent an official letter to the Basel Organizing Committee, informing them that they would collectively withdraw from the Basel exhibition in 20021year if they did not get a full refund.
Today, Rolex, Tudor, Patek Philippe, Chanel and Chopin issued a joint statement on 4. 14, which defined the future direction.
FHH official statement
This brand-new exhibition will be held in Palexpo, Geneva, together with Watches & Wonders Geneva in early April, 20021. Organizer FHH issued an official statement today, but the official statement did not mention the name of this brand-new exhibition. FHH said that this brand-new exhibition will be dedicated to meeting the professional platform of cooperative brands and contributing to the future development of the watch industry. There may be more other brands joining this brand-new exhibition in the future.
Jean-Fré dé ric dufour, CEO of Rolex, said, "Rolex has participated in the Basel International Watch and Jewelry Fair since 1939. Unfortunately, in view of the development mode of the event and the organizer's recent decision, we decided to quit despite our great nostalgia for the Basel exhibition. After the discussion of Rolex brand, it seems natural to launch a new exhibition mode with our partners * * * (who will share our vision and our firm support for the Swiss watchmaking industry). This will enable us to showcase our new products according to our needs and expectations and work together to better defend this industry. "
Patek Philippe stands at the Basel International Watch and Jewelry Fair.
Thierry Stern, global president of Patek Philippe, said: "The decision to leave the Basel International Watch and Jewelry Fair is not easy for me, because as the fourth generation of the Stern family, I attend this traditional annual event every year. But life is developing, things are changing and people are changing. Whether standing on the level of exhibition organizers, brands or customers, we should constantly adapt ourselves and question our work, because what was done correctly yesterday may not be effective today. Today, Patek Philippe's vision is not the same as that of Basel International Watch and Jewellery Expo. The two sides discussed it many times, but the problem was not solved and the trust no longer existed. Now we need to meet the needs of global distributors, customers and media. They must be able to learn Swiss watch manufacturing professionally in one place once a year. Therefore, after many discussions with Rolex and reaching agreements with other participating brands, we decided to hold a unique event in Geneva to show our superb skills. "
Frederic Grangier, President of Chanel Watch Division, and Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, Co-President of Chopin, also said that they left Basel International Watch & Jewellery Company to better take care of the needs of their partners and customers. Obviously, the organizers of the Basel International Watch and Jewelry Fair have not changed, because the watch industry has changed according to the changes of the times. Swatch Group announced its collective withdrawal on 20 18, and there was no improvement. At the beginning of this year, Bulgari, Breitling and other brands also chose to quit. Due to the global epidemic, the glory of Basel International Watch and Jewelry Fair is hard to find.