TAG Heuer, Bulgari, Hublot and Zenith says they cannot preserve their brand image at a Baselworld shorn of its biggest brands.
BASELWORLD
Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie will promote fine watchmaking across events and digital platforms, a so-called "phygical" outreach program.
Mark and Candy loved arriving with four generations of the Udell family to Baselworld. Now they want that to bring that excitement to Geneva.
Show's owner MCH Group says it will decide on the future of the show in the next few weeks.
Watch retailers and reporters from around the world welcome brands rallying to a single show in Geneva, but pine for the glory days of Baselworld
"Swiss solidarity" is a concept that we will see over and over again in the months to come as the luxury houses start to feel like it is them against the world, suggests aBlogtoWatch founder Ariel Adams.
The departure of Rolex and Patek Philippe will be remembered as the death knell for Baselworld, but the seeds of its failure go back much further.
If the show does not offer full refunds on deposits for this year's exhibition, it will not survive into 2021.
Michel Loris-Melikoff says exhibitors and the show's owners face a common challenge and need to work towards a shared goal.
Hubert du Plessix, president of Baselworld exhibitors' committee, fears that without change, "this will be the end, pure and simple, of Baselworld".
