BaselWorld 2011 Live Report: Day 1 by Z3

Z3's live reporting from BaselWorld 2011 offers a unique, unvarnished look at the watch industry's largest annual gathering. His commitment to providing un-Photoshopped, real-time photos and impressions captures the authentic atmosphere of the event, a stark contrast to polished press releases. This retrospective provides valuable context for understanding how major watch fairs were experienced by enthusiasts a decade ago.

PuristSPro BaselWorld 2011 Live Reporting by Z3

Dear friends and fellow Purists,

    It is that time of the year for the largest gathering in the watch and jewelry industry in this nice Swiss city on the Swiss-German-French border , and this year I have the pleasure of doing the Live Reporting for PuristPro. The format would be very similar to PuristSPro's live reporting for SIHH during 2010, where everyday I would post photos of the novelties that I observed on that day. 

    The goal is to give the audience a just-in-time feel for the ambiance, as well as real "live photos" of selected brands under natural lighting, un-Photoshoped, instead of the perfectly processed press release photos

    This is actually my very first time in BaselWorld. Whereas SIHH in Geneve has 18 brands in one exhibition hall (I tried to cover almost every brand during my 3 day visit), BaselWorld has a bewildering hundreds of watch brands around the world (and even more brands if you count jewelry and suppliers) spanning 7 different exhibition halls, with brands ranging from the Patek, Rolex, to Juicy Couture, Skagen and companies that I have never heard of. Even given the large exhibition space, the halls are crowded with an estimated number of visitors exceeding 100,000.

    So for my limited time and in my capacity as a "live reporter" I attempt to cover 16 to 20 brands. Other Purists who attend Basel will chime in with more brands at a later time.

    Without further ado, I present to you BaselWorld 2011.

Day 1 - 3/24/2011

This is the first day of the fair, I am blessed with temperate spring weather here in Basel (sunny, 60 degrees F). Got there around noon time from Zurich, and the fair is bustling with activity.

Shots of the outside of the main exhibit hall. Concession stands and tables are set up to sell drinks and food. The entrance is flanked by glass panels with waterfalls.

Checking in.

Photos of brand booths. The designs of the many booths are tasteful and are quite reflective of their respective brand elements and are consistent with their boutique store designs. The elaborateness and the size of the booths can show-off the brand's strength and resources.

A big attraction from The Breitling booth is its large fish tank.

Chanel showcases it's new silver-colored J12 Chromatic, which uses a combination of titanium and ceramic. It seems to be a big hit, Unfortunately, I did not make an appointment so I was not allowed in the booth.

The Festina group of watch companies.

The sparkling curtains of Swarovski drew the attention of many cameras.

Cuervo y Sobrinos, with its storied origin in Habana, Cuba, designed a booth reminiscent of the Spanish-Caribbean style from the bygone era. I could almost feel the salty sea-breeze, the sound of Salsa, and the smoke of the cigars.

With that, I bring you to my first appointment of the day - Seiko

Yours Truly,

Jon (Z3)