Carré On Watchmakers
To appreciate the game-changer that was SIHH 2018, and the role of the Carré des Horlogers, one needs to consider that other show: Baselworld. The Carré, a special hall created for bijou/specialist brands, is filled with refugees from Basel’s gigantic watch fair, which one of the transposed exhibitors told me is now: “Simply too expensive for an independent brand to attend.” Considering that a Big Mac costs £12 in Switzerland, I’m not surprised.
Most, however, simply dislike the thought of being lost among 600 or more other exhibitors, especially giants like Rolex, the whole of the Swatch Group, Patek Philippe, Breitling and any other major brand that isn’t at SIHH. For those attendees, however, who are as
