The special video by Tina Drolc takes stock of the trade show that was, and a looks forward to where the Swiss watch industry can go from here.

In an exclusive video presented by Tina Drolc, M.Sc., and Editor in Chief of The Slovenia Times, we take a look back at Baselworld 2017 and what to expect moving forward.

Europa Star’s very own Serge Maillard kicks things off and provides his assessment of the climate in the watch industry today.

While it’s true that exports of Swiss timepieces dropped since last year, not all brands have been affected equally. What we see, in effect, is a split market. That is, brands that have tended to do well in the past thanks to robust and diverse distribution networks continue to do well.

Brands that have relied heavily on the Asian market as their primary outlet, on the other hand, have struggled. In part that’s due to the ongoing anti-corruption measures in China as well as an unfavorable exchange rate with the Swiss franc.

But, it’s not all so bleak and there is reason to be optimistic. It was inevitable that after years of double digit growth the Swiss watch industry would cool off. It’s simply regression to the mean.

So it’s all about balance and not putting all of a brand’s eggs in the China basket. Brands should target the US and European markets to have healthier and more stable operations. One thing the Swiss do well in general is balance, and brands will probably get the mix right sooner rather than later.

You can discover that analysis and much more from Baselworld 2017 here.