Almost every trade and profession has its “most important annual event”. The watch and jewellery trades have held theirs in the ancient university city of Basel since 1917. Dubbed Baselworld in 2003, thousands of visitors flock to it towards the end of March or the beginning of April.
About 20 years ago, however, a mood grew among the CEOs of a handful of luxury watch brands that a separate, smaller, more discreet, and, most vital of all, invited trade only, “important annual event” might suit their purposes better. The Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (the SIHH) was conceived to take place in Geneva, the acknowledged home of watchmaking. Until this year, the SIHH always opened its doors a few days after the start of Baselworld for the convenience of international trade visitors and journalists.
