Trying to explain what Baselworld is like to a person who has never attended it is about as easy as trying to get my eight-year-old to understand the Pythagorean theorem, and I am genuinely not trying to be hyperbolic here. Baselworld is, for lack of a more eloquent term, insane. It is the only place on earth where jewelry and watch brands spend millions of dollars to set up shop for a week and then, at the end of seven days, pack up and go home. Imagine that for a moment. Millions. On their booths. Which are sometimes decorated with waterfalls, sea life, or both. But there is nowhere else in the universe I’d rather be in March, because at the end of the day, my friends are there, my colleagues are there, and frankly, I walk away every single year with a handful of extraordinary stories. Baselworld can be a writer’s dream come true, as long as that writer is in the right place at the right time.

With that said, here are five standout moments for me from the Baselworld editions I’ve attended in the past.

My “Moment” with Depeche Mode

At last year’s fair, Hublot introduced their Hublot Big Bang Unico Depeche Mode watch, a collaboration that was not the first for the watch brand and the electronic music group. To kick off the new watch and to talk about the charity for which the band are spokespeople called “Charity: Water” (a non-profit organization that helps to provide clean drinking water to developing countries), the brand and the band organized a press conference. When I was a teenager in the eighties, Depeche Mode albums such as Construction Time Again and Violator were ones I listened to on cassettes (yes, cassettes… Google it) daily, so I knew there was no way I was going to miss an opportunity to see and hear one of the greatest bands of my youth.

As I tried desperately but unsuccessfully to squeeze my way anywhere near where the conference was going to happen, I found a standing place near a random door in the room and decided just to plant myself there and hope for the best. What I didn’t realize is that the door would open minutes later and out would walk lead vocalists Dave Gahan and Martin Gore, close enough for me to touch, which is when my inner-fourteen-year-old took over and excitedly declared, “I LOVE YOU, MARTIN! I LOVE YOU, DAVE!” It wasn’t pretty, but both men laughed and waved to me before they made their way to their seats.

Under the Table with MB&F and Black Badger

As if seeing and speaking to the Maximilian Büsser (of Maximilian Büsser & Friends, otherwise known as MB&F) for the first time in person wasn’t enough of a Basel moment for me, I was also lucky enough to get an appointment with the MB&F Chief Communications Officer, Charris Yadigaroglou, who eventually brought James “Black Badger” Thompson into our meeting. James was responsible for the glow-in-the-dark lume that was used on the 2016 MB&F HMX “Black Badger” and in order to get proper footage and images of the brightly-colored material, we had to find a place that was dark enough for it to show up, which we eventually realized would have to be underneath the meeting table.

It’s hard to describe exactly what this was like, but let’s just say that I stand roughly 5’10” in stockinged feet and that James looks like the lovechild of the Brawny paper towel guy and your favorite hipster bartender at that circus-themed bar in your neighborhood. Regardless, we had some good laughs under that table, and the images I grabbed were pretty darn rad.

Morning Champagne with Fabergé  

I nearly passed out from shock when Fabergé agreed to give me an appointment with them at my first ever Baselworld. I was relatively unknown in the watch world and yet this brand treated me with kindness, respect, and patience, and for that reason they remain one of my favorite brands to work with to this day. But on the morning I was to have my appointment, I showed up roughly thirty-minutes early so that I could meet with my jewelry industry buddy, Craig. As Craig and I chilled out in the amazingly comfortable waiting area, we were offered a glass of champagne by one of the hosts who were working the booth. “It’s 9:30 in the morning” I said to Craig, to which he replied to me, “Yes. It is.” Before turning back to the extraordinarily attractive Frenchman and stating, “We’ll have two glasses please.” Two eventually turned into four and when it came time for our appointment to start, let’s just say we thought everything from jewelry to watches was “FAAAAAAAAABUUUULOUS!”

My Selfie with Famed Watchmaker and “Living Legend” Philippe Dufour

Even though I hadn’t been writing about watches for very long, I knew exactly who Philippe Dufour was, and I knew what he looked like, so when I saw him across the room from me in a section of Baselworld known as The Palace, I decided to walk over and introduce myself.

To my surprise, Mr. Dufour was more than welcoming. We had a pleasant conversation, and when I asked if he would selfie with me, he not only obliged, but he also put one of his sought-after baseball caps on my head for the shot. It’s a moment I treasure to this day.

The First Les Trois Rois Experience

With a limited budget for my inaugural Baselworld, I had little choice but to stay at a hotel in Zurich, a decision that meant I’d be riding the train for roughly four hours total every day. It also meant that I wouldn’t be able to take part in the nightly shenanigans that go down at the bar at the Hotel Les Trois Rois, the place that has become the staple for any and every attendee of Baselworld. But last year, I knew better. I found a four-floor walkup in the city within walking distance to both the fair and the world-famous bar and made sure it was the place I wound up no matter what dinners or events came before it. If you ever get the chance to visit Baselworld and love a mediocre $35 martini that you have to wait twenty minutes for, then the bar at Les Trois Rois is right up your alley!

Looking forward to seeing what memories this year’s Baselworld will make. Stay tuned!