Baselworld 2016: For watch-lovers, this is the greatest show on Earth

Editor’s Note: This is part of a series dedicated to Baselworld 2016. Josh Sims is a freelance writer, watch expert and author of “Icons of Style”.

Baselworld may sound like a particularly uninspiring theme park, but is in fact the global shopping event for watches - at least if you’re a retailer.

In Basel, Switzerland, once a year, the owners of watch and jewelery brands – together with the press and a few big time collectors – congregate to see what the horological world has to offer and, if tempted, to sign on the dotted line. A whopping 80% of global watch sales for the year ahead are generated at the fair.

Baselworld, 1973

Wear comfortable shoes

Baselworld is big – literally as well as figuratively. And it is strictly for those in comfortable shoes: the show covers some 141,000 square meters of aircraft hanger-sized exhibition halls, each structured according to different sectors and markets, with room for some 1800 exhibitors along their 30km of corridors. There is, for the 150,000 footsore visitors, a lot of walking to be done.

And a lot of spectacle to enjoy. When it comes to their booths, many of the best known brands seek to replicate the sophistication and plushness of their flagship stores; often the same level of security too.

Visiting Baselworld does not mean you get to see every brands’ wares. Although day one of the show coincides with the release of a barrage of press material unveiling the latest watches, access to the stands can be by invitation only, which can be frustrating to watch mad members of the public who – unusually for an industry show – can also buy a ticket.

Blancpain and les Métiers d'Art, Shakudō —

Talk about international: this Swiss-made watch incorporates shakudō, a copper and gold alloy created in Japan, and features the Hindu god Ganesha in the center.

Ulysse Nardin Hannibal Minute Repeater —

Here, Ulysse Nardin shows General Hannibal Barca's famous journey from Iberia, across the Pyrenees and Alps, into Italy during the Second Punic War in 218 BC. (The scene is even mounted on granite sourced from the Alps.)

Zenith Academy Christophe Colomb Hurricane Grand Voyage —

Zenith's Academy Christophe Colomb Hurricane Grand Voyage timepiece depicts the Italian explorer's adventures in the so-called New World.

Saint Honoré Tour Eiffel —

The bezel of this Tour Eiffel watch from Saint Honoré is made of a medal girder from its namesake.

Breguet Tradition Automatique Seconde Rétrograde 7097 —

Breguet Tradition Automatique Seconde Rétrograde 7097, which was announced last year, made its formal debut at Baselworld. The inside-out design allows the wearer -- or admirer -- to see the watch's inner mechanisms in action.

H. Moser & Cie Endeavour Perpetual Calendar Funky Blue —

In a nod to today's new technology, H. Moser & Cie branded Funky Blue the ultimate "smart" watch, extolling its virtues of not needing to be charged after 18 hours like Apple's.

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Yacht-Master —

Rolex introduced a new Oysterflex strap, which comprises a flexible metal blade covered with a rubber-like polymer.

Cuervo y Sobrinos Tropicana —

Cuervo y Sobrinos's Tropicana uses an Art Deco motif to evoke to glamor of 1950s Havana.

Highlights from Baselworld 2015

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Spectacle and space

Not that these stands are unspectacular from the outside. When, in 1999, a new watch hall was opened, it allowed for three-story stands – which consequently many companies built.

Breitling’s is known for its giant fish tank, Tag Heuer for suspending Formula One racing cars over the deal-making below. Model-esque hosts and flowing champagne are the norm. Small wonder some 20,000 workers and 7,000 lorries pass through Basel to make the eight-day event happen.

Bulgari stand at Baselworld 2015

Indeed, spectacle is part of the deal. While Baselworld is where fresh ideas in watchmaking and materials are mooted – with competing shows the likes of Geneva’s Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie and London’s Salon QP equally important – the event does not typically offer a plethora of innovation.

Why it matters

“For many of the major players that dominate the show Baselworld is, a few instances aside, more an exercise in marketing,” explains Benoit Mintiens, the founder of boutique brand Ressence and a regular exhibitor.

“That’s important when the entire watch world comes to the show. Even as a small brand that needs to get itself known, there’s no better way than to be at Baselworld. Of course, distributors typically want to note a rookie’s presence at the show for a few years before they will consider buying. Like all trade shows, it’s a bit of a game.”

Schweizer Mustermesse, Basel 1941

A centenary of watches

It’s an old game too. Next year Basel will celebrate the centenary of a watch show in the city. A special section for watches and jewelery was first unveiled at the Scnweizer Mustermesse Basel in 1917, although it wasn’t until 1973 that the first dedicated European Watch and Jewellery Show was inaugurated in the city. In 1986 exhibitors from outside Europe were admitted for the first time, making it a global event, and in 2003 this position was underscored by its re-branding as ‘Baselworld’. Remarkably, some agency was no doubt paid a small fortune to come up with that.

2015 saw the embrace of wearable tech and smartwatches in the fashion industry. In 2016, will this mean the end of the classic mechanical-watch in favor of new technologies? Experts say no.

Breitling's brand new Exospace B55 Connected is a hybrid, using Bluetooth rather than wifi and an upgraded quartz movement, for those who want both the functionality of a smartwatch and the look and feel of a traditional timepiece. But that doesn't mean the brand is abandoning mechanical watches like its classic Navitimer (pictured). "In 2016 we will also continue to develop in-house movements in our watches," Breitling USA President Thierry Prissert tells CNN. "And we will have have plenty of new, exciting watches being released this year at Baselworld in March that I am looking forward to."

"Moving into the future, Breitling will continue to value tradition and quality while balancing a growing need for technological integration," Breitling USA President Thierry Prissert tells CNN. "The Exospace B55 Connected is a perfect example of this [because] it places the smartphone at the service of the watch. You can use your smartphone to adjust various functions on the watch including setting the time zone, an alarm or measuring calculations important to pilots such as flight times, block time and mission elapsed time. You can even receive notifications on the watch when you receive text messages, calendar notification, phone calls and e-mails."

Expect even more mainstream fashion brands to get in on the smartwatch action this year, but don't bet on them to ever entirely replace mechanical watches, especially for those who espouse effortless elegance. A smartwatch is simply too techy, though the Apple Watch Hermès has plenty of panache. Spanish-Italian style stalwart Massimo Dutti recently collaborated with Sony on an alternative version (pictured) with ambient light sensors, accelerometer, compass, gyroscopic system, GPS, voice control, touch control, writing with gestures and a dapper saddle leather strap.

According to "The Watch Book," the 18 watch brands that matter in the world right now are: Audemars Piguet, Breguet, Breitling, Cartier, Chopard, Glashütte Original, Hublot, IWC Schaffhausen, Jaeger-LeCoultre, A. Lange & Sohne, Montblanc, Omega, Panerai, Patek Philippe, Piaget, Rolex, Vacheron Constantin and Zenith. Mechanical watches dominate, smartwatches need not apply. We would add TAG Heuer, Tudor, Hermès, Bell & Ross and Blancpain to the list for starters.

"The Watch Book" delves deep into its favored brands like Glashütte Original (pictured) in the form of illustrated-biographies of the most important names in top-end timekeeping. It traces the progressive development from their earliest days right up to the latest innovations and current models and features nearly 750 photographs.

Mechanical watches evoke an emotional connection with consumers that electronics cannot and will not ever achieve, James Lamdin, founder of Analog/Shift tells CNN. "At a time when more and more consumers demand a lasting and meaningful experience from the goods they purchase, the mechanical timepiece industry will continue to thrive in 2016 and beyond," opines Lamdin. Analog/Shift is a highly-regarded online watch boutique which specializes in vintage timepieces like the 1958 Rolex Submariner pictured above.

"The vintage watch market has exploded in recent years, with consumers from all walks of life drawn towards the concept of re-discovering the past, finding a timepiece with a story, and adding their own chapter to it," Lamdin says. "In 2016, the vintage market will continue to blossom at all levels -- entry, mid and high-end." Pictured is a motorsports-inspired 1970s Heuer Autavia from Analog/Shift's collection, a model that has seen prices rise steadily.

Customization of high-end timepieces is a growing popular as well, and we expect many innovative designs in 2016. The newest player, with the unlikely name Huckleberry, specializes in intricately engraved Rolex timepieces, like this green dial Submariner -- which took 140 hours of labor to complete and costs $37,500. Others like Project X and Bamford Watch Department have begun to offer blacked-out stealth versions of Rolex sports models and are branching out with different designs and a wide palette of custom color options.

The annual SIHH luxury watch fair in Geneva is organized by Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH) and was originally created to showcase luxury watch brands -- including Cartier, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre and A. Lange & Söhne -- owned by the blue-chip Richemont Group. Prestigious brands outside the group such as Audemars Piguet and Parmigiani Fleurier were added to the mix later on, as well as Ralph Lauren Watches, a collaboration between the legendary designer and Richemont launched in 2007.

This year Ralph Lauren will be absent from SIHH in order to focus more on the U.S. market, while nine new and/or independent watch brands will be exhibited at the high-end event for the first time. The new exhibitors are Christophe Claret, De Bethune, H. Moser & Cie, Hautelence, HYT, Kari Voutilainen, Laurent Ferrier, MB&F, and Urwerk, whose fanciful timepieces resemble machinery fit for a Star Wars set. Some of them are literally changing the way we tell time, though not everyone would consider them objects of beauty. Urwerk has exhibited at Baselworld in the past.

More recently established watch brands Antwerp-based Ressence and New York-based Autodromo, have both succeeded with an emphasis on world class design. While Autodromo's timepieces, which are inspired by vintage sports car gauges, are relatively affordable, Ressence is built on the expertise of yesterday -- crafted with today's technology, but designed for tomorrow. It has relied on the backing of men's style powerhouse Mr. Porter to sell watches for up to $37,000 apiece. We expect to see more offerings from them both in 2016.

2016 will be an interesting year for watches, Julien Schaerer, Managing Director of auction powerhouse Antiquorum in Geneva tells CNN. The market continues to grow for exceptional and undervalued [vintage] pieces; there has been tremendous growth on brands such as Heuer, Universal Gene and diving watches in general. "Where sales of conspicuously expensive luxury goods have slowed, the market for Rolex sport models in excellent condition like this iconic Daytona will continue to grow no matter what," says Schaerer, noting the influence of consumers in China and the Middle East.

What to Watch for in 2016: The Year in Horology

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