Bremont, too, a regular exhibitor, left. Instead of joining a fair, it invited journalists to a private viewing in London.

Most of the complaints that swirled around earlier this year among exhibitors was the high cost of showing at Baselworld. According to Forbes, however, the price for exhibitors to showcase will be slashed by 10 per cent.

Forbes also notes that the physical space of the fair will also be reduced: Hall 1.2, 4 and 5 will no longer be used, while only half of Hall 2 will be occupied.

Meanwhile, Baselworld’s organisers are remaining positive.

“Baselworld 2018 will be more coherent and more concentrated,” says Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, co-president of Chopard. “I look forward to participating in 2018, and I think Baselworld’s management has made the right decision to initiate change.”

François Thiébaud, president of the Swiss Exhibitors’ Committee, says, “All these measures are positive for Swiss exhibitors. We now focus on the essence of what constitutes our industry.”

Despite the dreary news, a silver lining does exist: Baselworld will be stepping up its digital game. “From 2018, new forms of real-time digital communication will be offered,” the fair’s organisers said.