As for watches, Imgrüth declined to say if Basilia was hoping to draw in Swatch Group as an exhibitor. Swatch brands, once the anchor of the Baselworld watch fair, abandoned the show in 2018, a move that hastened the demise of the event. Breitling and its new House of Brands structure, which includes Universal Geneve and Gallet, is also a potential major watch partner for the new fair, as are Asia-based powerhouse brands such as Citizen and Casio.
“Without disclosing any individual discussions, we talked to important players in the industry, not to convince them, but to get their opinion, and just for them to be aware, because you know, we don’t do platforms for our own sake, we do it for industry,” Imgruth says.
“We want to prove that Basilia is a place for all of these stakeholders and a gathering of the industry that celebrates the cultural differences and uniqueness and that showcases products that you don’t typically see somewhere else,” he adds.
Basilia organizers say they don’t expect to compete with the haute horology and high-end luxury brands at Watches and Wonders and say participating brands and exhibitors at Basilia will be announced in the coming months ahead of the inaugural edition of the fair, which will follow the Geneva watch event in April, 2027.
