The Baselworld fair will be shifted from late March to early May from 2020 onwards

The never-ending updates to the world’s largest watch and jewellery fair, Baselworld, has culminated in an interesting year-end. Announced just last night through a press release, Baselworld will be synchronising its calendar with the Geneva-based Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) come 2020.

SIHH will be held from 26 to 29 April in Geneva, followed immediately by Baselworld from 30 April to 5 May in Basel. The calendars have been synchronised until 2024. This is a return to the pre-2009 schedule where the fairs were held back to back. The current arrangement of SIHH in January and Baselworld in March has meant that industry professionals have had to travel twice in the span of three months to Switzerland.

Richard Mille and Audemars Piguet both announced earlier this year that it will not be joining the SIHH in 2020. However, this was before the latest update and it remains to be seen if things will change

From the end-consumer’s perspective however, nothing will change given the release to market for timepieces has always been staggered throughout the year. What will change however, is coverage of the fairs and where one might have read extensive coverage for SIHH in February and then April for Baselworld, it seems that May will now be the month of the year to plan ahead for the timepieces you’d like.

Both World of Watches and LUXUO teams will be heading up for this new, greatly expanded season of watchmaking and horology.