Baselworld 2015 tour: our pick of the best pavilions at the world’s biggest watch and jewellery fair

Watches & jewellery | 17 Mar 2015 | By Caragh McKay

This week, 1,500 watch and jewellery brands from 40 countries will decamp to Switzerland's third largest city, bringing a spectacular 141,000 metre's worth of temporary architecture with them. As the world's grandest trade fair swings into motion, 150,000 visitors are expected to walk through the Herzog & de Meuron-designed Messeplatz. Inside, visitors are greeted by the world's most glamorous pop-up village. How best to navigate street upon luminous street of luxury boutiques? Here's our pick of the best in show…

Hermès: Drawing on traditional Japanese teahouse structures, architect Toyo Ito took an organic approach that also embodies Hermès values of natural materials and handworked craft. His main drive was to suggest different eras and forms; a fusion of heritage and modernity. Ito's two-storey 'box' sprawls over 1,040 sq m and, like the other pavilions, has had to adhere to the rigours of a design that can be dismantled and reassembled every year

Hermès: The metallic framework is clad with 624 interlocking wooden strips that form a shell over the inner structure made of wood, glass and metal. Between the two 'skins', 167 plants form a corridor of green

Rolex: Appearing in the distance like a home away from home, Rolex's 1,230 sq m of beige, green and bronze dominates Hall 1 of Baselworld village like no other. The world's most instantly recogniseable watch brand has drawn elements from its best recognised watch design - the Rolex Oyster - to define its architectural presence

Rolex: The waterproof nature of the watch is represented by aquatic motifs, such as the walnut wood relief that defines the exterior, reminiscent of ripples of sand. Inside, three storeys are joined together by a feature staircase, with wide glass-sided walkway bridges bridging the upper levels, one of which is dominated by a 40-seat restaurant

Boucheron: Created by the house's in-house design team, the interiors of Boucheron's on-site boutiques , such as the one at Harrods and this pop-up Basel space, are deliberately ethereal. Their light feel is directly drawn from the fact that its flagship Paris boutique occupies the most-light filled corner on the Place Vendôme - a godsend to those dedicated to the business of jewellery and watch making

Boucheron: This pavilion design inverts the heavier natural wood interiors of that building, delivering a more contemporary take, where chalk-white walls are accented by champagne-gold details and expansive mirrors

Chanel: Peter Marino's geometrically precise black-and-white monolith housing 1580 sq m worth of haute horlogerie is perfectly in tune with Chanel's house codes: no matter that you can't see in - like all things Chanel, you get the picture at first glance. While the three-storey exterior, mounted on an aluminum structure, remains, each year the interior is revived with a new theme. As yet that is unrevealed but key design ticks from Mademoiselle's apartment, such as tweeds, rock crystal and Chinoiserie, will be adhered to throughout

Dior: The house palette of Dior grey is realised in super-sleek form via a considered exterior of textured finishes incorporating a gloss black frame, mirrored accents and a mesh 'veil' designed to emulate the netting that was a typically used in original Dior dresses and headpieces. The interior emulates the classic wood panelling of the couture salon at the Avenue Montaigne, with a new theme adding to the story each year. This year, Raf Simons' influence on Dior's current colour and form is sure to be reflected

Graff: Peter Marino was the original designer in chief of the Graff store concept. Now, the London diamond-house’s Monaco design team has picked up the baton, using Marino’s concept as the basis for their Basel pavilion. Their creation is a fantasy golden palace warm with opulent tones and fabrics to the point that its sheer glamour almost overshadows the spectacular jewels on show

Graff: The single-elevation 503 sq m space is clad in walnut wall panelling, hung with crystal chandeliers and a hand-blown glass sculpture of bronze, copper and gold. A sizeable Anselm Reyle sculpture presides over the walnut-wood panelled bar

HERMÈS BASELWORLD DIOR HERZOG & DE MEURON BOUCHERON CHANEL ROLEX GRAFF GLOBAL FAIR GUIDE 2015

Baselworld 2015 tour: our pick of the best pavilions at the world’s biggest watch and jewellery fair

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