Ulysse Nardin Maxi Marine Automatic Chronograph Men's Watch 8003-102-3-92

I once had a social studies teacher in middle school who spent many class hours hammering home the idea that the only things in life that remain the same - always the same - are death and taxes. At the age of 12, I found that idea hard to grasp. As I progressed through school and then life, I began to fully comprehend what he meant.
The only real constant in our lives is change. This is nowhere more visible than in a vibrant, living industry like the luxury mechanical watch world. Change has accompanied me since the start of my career in watches in 1991, but only this year has become apparent just how much things the current era is pushing forward.

Last Basel in this constellation
As Baselworld was drawing to a close, Worldtempus editor-in-chief Louis Nardin said to me, not without a touch of regret, "This will be the last Basel in this constellation." Naturally, he was referring to the obvious, visual changes going on around us at the fair, but he was also talking about our own situation here at Worldtempus. Louis will be leaving on a personal ten-month journey in a few weeks and thus leaving this position. I see this as a big loss for the industry: his fresh and exciting voice has lent the French-language watch media a decidedly new and eager attitude.
Looking around Baselworld with nostalgic eyes on my final day of the fair, the day after Louis had already departed for Geneva, I couldn't help but think back over the last 22 years since I had first arrived in Basel a fresh-eyed, eager student of things to come. Only a few years out of college in my early twenties, I had literally never seen anything like it before. Even visitors to Baselworld today would have a hard time visualizing what I am about to describe thanks to a major overhaul of the fair that took place in 2000 after the departure of the LMH brands (IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre and A. Lange & Söhne) to join their Richemont sisters at the SIHH.
Back in the day, entering Hall 1.0 was like going through the doors to suddenly find yourself on the world's ritziest street, one solely lined with jewelers housed in marble stores, their "storefronts" displaying the world's most collectible and expensive watches. Each booth didn't have much in the way of personality as I recall, and Patek Philippe put on an annual cocktail party back then, which allowed a degree of networking as one perused the new products - out in the open, mind you, with much less thought to security or exclusivity than is practiced today. The halls were definitely arranged with hierarchy in mind, with the "most important" brands in front, trailing down toward the "lesser" brands toward the back. This hierarchy was dictated by the fair in conjunction with the Swiss exhibitors' committee.

Near where the Swatch Group pavilion has been situated for the last twelve years was the spot where the original escalator to the upper floor was located. And alongside the escalator ranged a three-story marble booth: Tiffany held court here, and the usual Friday morning "Breakfast at Tiffany" was always a much-anticipated press event.
With the renewed halls of 2000 something else arrived: a decidedly corporate feel to the fair. What was previously a jovial gathering (or so it felt to me), had definitely now become big business. Gone was the Birrabella fast-food lunch spot, where one saw Patek Philippe's then-president Philippe Stern eating his noon sausage alongside the likes of me. Gone were the cute little nooks and crannies that the gradual additions to the fair buildings created (why should this building be any different than any other oft-annexed Swiss factory?). The cool thing about that was you never knew what you were going to encounter when you turned one of those corners. It might have been Armin Strom standing next to a glass case filled with his latest hand-skeletonized and engraved pocket watches and the odd wristwatch. It might have been a little raclette restaurant where you spied Daniel Roth having lunch with a collector. Or it might have been Nomos or Sinn tucked away in little rooms that passed for booths in the "Centre Commercial" next to a dial supplier. Hall 1 seemed absolutely magic back then, and much of that impression came from the unknown - what or who you were going to run into next was often a bit of a mystery.
Change of guard
If it hasn't been apparent up to now, it should be with this statement: a changing of the guard has taken place in the watch industry. The "corporatization" of Baselworld is only one of the outward signs - and make no mistake, Baselworld has become big business for all involved.
This first Baselworld without Rolf Schnyder seemed a little empty too. Rolf, who bought Ulysse Nardin in 1982, passed away last April at the age of 75. He was one of the proponents of some of the biggest technological changes in our industry - occurring within the deep recess of the mechanical movement's heart, almost imperceptibly to the consumer - it was somehow comforting to see him sailing the UN booth tucked back in the corner of Hall 1.0 as the captain. If you listened hard, you could hear his booming laughter wafting down from the top floor of the booth overlooking much of the busy hall. Naturally, Patrik Hoffmann has stepped up to take control the way that Rolf had probably foreseen, and by the end of Baselworld 2012 he was reporting a record year for sales.
Jack Heuer also announced his retirement from the company that bears his name, and nostalgically I stared after him every time he crossed my path at the fair this year. What will TAG Heuer do with that futuristic new booth next year when it is part of the LVMH pavilion that is in planning for Hall 1.0? And whose soul will maintain the equilibrium needed to maintain b ties to its industry proponents?
Another cornerstone of Baselworld has also bid adieu after the 2012 edition of the fair: Jean-François Meyer, head of the promotional affairs department of the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (FH) and secretary of the Baselworld Swiss Exhibitors Committee. Baselworld is just not going to seem like Baselworld without seeing Jean-François' friendly face flitting around the press center and helping journalists find press releases and making sure all is running smoothly. He told me this would be his last Baselworld and he is looking forward to retirement at the end of the year.
This is also the first year I have visited Baselworld without having seen Armin Strom. Mr. Strom retired several months ago, leaving the company that bears his name in the capable hands of CEO Serge Michel and technical director Claude Greisler.

And next year?
We shall see what next year's fair looks like when the end of April 2013 comes around. In all the years I have been attending Basel, it has never been this late in the year. It already seems strange now, but then so did the extremely early date of the 2012 edition. Until I got there and things started rolling, that is. And that is precisely how we are going to feel next year too. Instead of heavier early spring clothes, we'll be looking out summery clothing to wear over the course of the fair. The white asparagus will be of the local variety instead of the imported-from-Peru quality. For certain, the outside surroundings will be beautifully decorated with fresh spring flowers and we will all marvel at the completed addition that will connect Hall 1 with Hall 3. I can't even begin to predict what the inside will look like, but I do know that it will be a time of discovery, for I won't have the layout of the fair mapped out in my head anymore and will finally have to download and consult the Baselworld app to find my way to my appointments. Did I just say app? Yep, I guess change really is a constant.
But perhaps the biggest change at Baselworld will be the new show of "forces," as Louis puts it. We think that the main halls will have less space dedicated to the "little guys" and more space dedicated to the group "pavilions": Swatch Group, LVMH (which includes Hermes and Bulgari, the latter moving over from Hall 4.0) and the Gucci/PPR Group (including Girard-Perregaux's return to Baselworld). The less known brands will be stepping aside to allow the decided spotlight to shine on the very powerful.
Well, the one thing that never stays the same is change, I guess. Welcome to the beginning of a new era in many, many ways. Welcome to a big, new corporate future for luxury watches.