Celebrating Watch Journalism: Europa Star turns a century old

Well, we are safe to say that 2020 didn’t start the right way but it is slowly shifting to the positive side, which is a good sign. However, this is a very important year for the watchmaking industry as it marks the 100th anniversary of Europa Star, the leading Swiss watch magazine. Founded during a period of intense social, cultural, and artistic activity like the Twenties, by Hugo Buscher who laid the foundations, Europa Star has been through quite an adventurous editorial adventure that now is reaching its 100th year.

Source: Europastar

Long before there was the internet, the love for watches and watchmaking was already born so you might be wondering how the watch enthusiasts would get to learn more about the latest collections and horology in general. This is how Europa Star was born as the main hub of valuable information regarding the horology driven by pure passion and dedication to the industry.

 

In the 1920s, Hugo Buscher was a young Swiss entrepreneur who had just created his own watch brand named Transmarine. He would travel all around the world to trade and sell his timepieces, a routine that helped him realize a very important fact. He realized the lack of a directory that would eventually address the players in the watchmaking industry. That is why in 1927 Hugo founded his first publishing house specialised in watchmaking, jewellery, and the precision industry. All his traveling across the world made him establish several publications in South America, the Middle East, Asia and Europe when there was no internet, only printed magazines. This network, grouped under the name Europa Star from the late-1950s, is still strong today in the four corners of the world.

Source: Europastar

 

Over the decades, the magazine gradually expanded its appeal to become a publication intended to appeal to both the business, and to consumers, and along the way, the magazine has chronicled just about every major event you can imagine, as well as a lot of minor ones. Last year at Baselworld, Europa Star announced the completion of the first stage of scanning, archiving, and publishing online all of its print publications, going all the way back to 1959.

 

It is impressive to be introduced to old advertisements in black and white of prestigious watch brands and manufacturers like Rolex, Bulova, Patek Philippe, Leonard, IWC, etc. Advertising is very important for every industry and just like every other, even the watchmaking one has adapted to important events in the past and the present to communicate their brands like it used to be back in the 60s-70s paying tribute to various space programs, science fiction or space flight.

 

This year, the publications’ edition will be very special featuring the theme of the 100th anniversary, The Resilience. Between the challenges that the COVID-19 brought to light through its unprecedented global outbreak, and the threat of recession, the watch industry must now demonstrate resilience to that just like it previously has when faced with major crises in the past.

 

Normally, we would be looking forward to seeing what Baselworld would introduce us in honor of this important anniversary for Europa Star. Unfortunately, Baselworld won’t be held this year because many of the leading watch brands have officially left the fair and the current sanitary restrictions forced the organisers to push the event to 2021. But for all of the watchmaking enthusiasts out there, don’t worry as there is another great solution that will kind of “replace” Baselworld and trust us, you will love it as much. We are talking about the digitalization of the Watches & Wonders concept by the Foundation de la Haute Horlogerie which emerged during April 2020. This is likely to be the first step in the new era that watchmakers have entered and it is looking very interesting. Go ahead and check the official website to learn more about the most important launches and events in the universe of watches.

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