Inside Basel/Geneva 2009 Debuts in San Francisco
Inside Basel/Geneva 2009 got off to a great start in San Francisco Tuesday night June 23. A sell-out crowd of almost 150 watch collectors and enthusiasts from as far away as Illinois, Oregon and Washington gathered at the upscale City Club for an evening of shared passion and enjoyment. Guests began arriving ahead of the 6 p.m. start time for an opportunity to see the latest creations from San Francisco sponsors Lange, IWC, Vacheron Constantin, Piaget, Carl F. Bucherer and Montblanc. Guests were also able to meet Antiquorum’s Charles Tearle and to view watches that will be offered in upcoming auctions. Several attendees brought pieces from their personal collections to share.
The evening started with a cocktail reception during which guests sipped wine and champagne, met old friends and made new ones, and tried on the newest watches from the Swiss shows. Many of these timepieces are not yet at the retail stores, so this event is the first opportunity to see them on your wrist.
Following the reception, guests adjourned to the dining room for dinner and evening’s highlight – Jeff Kingston’s multimedia presentation that transports us to Basel and Geneva for behind-the-scenes looks at the world’s most important wristwatch shows. Jeff covers more than 40 brands using video and professional photography to showcase the latest and greatest timepieces.
I’ll be posting an extended story about the San Francisco IBG show soon. For now, we present a few photos from the evening to give you a taste of the event. You may click these images to view larger versions. If you have not yet registered for Inside Basel/Geneva 2009, we have shows coming up in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and Dallas. You can click here for more information, and to sign up.
We’re at the right place…
Guests enjoy cocktails and fine timepieces…
WatchTime’s publishing director Wolfgang Blum (center) and editor in chief Joe Thompson (left) met with guests…
The real stars of the show…
Jeff’s presentation gets under way…
You can register for any of the upcoming shows in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and Dallas by clicking here.
We’ll see you there!
About the Author: My name is Mike Disher and I am WatchTime's online editor. My interest in watches dates to 1972 and I caught the internet bug in 1997. In 1999 I combined these interests by joining TimeZone.com as its first full-time employee, and later that year I attended my first Basel Fair. I managed TZ from 2000-2007, and in 2008 I joined WatchTime. My other interests include cycling, cars, building custom turntables, painting, and inventing.
