Baselworld

As an initial aside, a Unilocal search for previous Baselworld reviews directs you to an inquiry for «Bagel world.» Unfortunately, the search for bagel world also comes up empty, which leads me to believe that Basel is in need of a good bagel place.
If you’re reading Unilocal reviews for Baselworld, I’m assuming that you have a casual or passing interest in watches or jewelry and contemplating whether it’s worth the time and cost to visit the event, rather than someone who necessarily has legitimate business reasons to be there.
I traveled from Geneva to Basel on a Saturday to attend the prominent trade show. Make no mistake, this isn’t really a tourist attraction or event; the emphasis is definitely more on «trade» than on «show.» Unwittingly, I was expecting the watch show to be akin to motor shows, and that there would be extravagant displays of the newest trends and technology in the world of horology. Rather, the displays were large structures with watches displayed outside, and meeting rooms for watch traders and dealers inside that were not accessible to the general public. As a layman with no particular knowledge of the industry, the sprawling convention center was little more than a huge mall of watch stores, with the exception that you can’t try on the watches or ask anyone about them.
Prompted by the enthusiasm of my watch aficionado boyfriend who was unable to accompany me, I was excited to see the unveiling of the brand-​new Rolex Sky-​Dweller at Baselworld 2012. Unfortunately, I was a bit surprised and disappointed at the lack of fanfare surrounding the new addition to the Rolex family. The exhibit was neither displayed nor labeled any differently from the rest of the watches, and I nearly passed it by without notice. How anti-​climactic.
Of the six exhibition halls, only the first floor of the first one was particularly interesting, with all of the big names in watchmaking. The other floors and halls were predominantly fashion watches that weren’t displayed in any interesting manner. I found my eyes wandering off to the Fendi bags and Coach trench coats on background display rather than the showcased watches. The jewelry section was particularly disappointing, as none of the major brands were present, and the target audience seemed to be solely buyers. We found mostly semi-​precious jewels and costume-​ish jewelry that didn’t seem to be focused on creative design, but rather just general stock purchasing.
Food-​wise, there are little delis on the sides or ends of pretty much each floor, where you can purchase overpriced salads or sandwiches. We chose to have lunch outdoors in the pavilion at a café catered by Ramada Hotel. Not wanting to spend CHF21 on pasta that basically looked like spaghetti and tomato sauce, we both had the goulash with bread (CHF8). As it turns out, Ramada’s version of goulash was little more than a small cup of campbell’s beef and vegetable soup. Still hungry, we ordered an apple tart-​pie and a brownie. The apple tart (CHF6) was pretty good except for the dry crust, but the super dry and crusty brownie (CHF4.50) went back into its package and into my bag for emergency consumption at a later time. Shame on you, Ramada!
Again, I was most definitely not Baselworld’s target audience. If you have a strong interest in watches and don’t need someone to guide you through the different brands, I think it’s worth the CHF60 to participate in such a global watch event. The visitor’s center also has a large display of watch magazines from all over the world that you’re free to take, as long as you have the arm strength to carry it all back (I noticed a lot of people with rolling suitcases and realized these must be people who have been here before and know the drill). I didn’t regret the CHF70 train ride (with half-​price card from Geneva), the entrance fee, or even the approx. CHF45 we spent on bad food and coffee. Overall, it turned out to be a very enjoyable day. However, come watch-​season next year, I’m sure I will be perfectly happy to recount my visit to Basel by taking a trip to the local shopping mall.