Last month, I was invited to join jewellery and watch extraordinaire Bering on a one-day trip to Basel in Switzerland as part of their showcase at the global watch convention – Baselworld. Although I’m not much of a watch veteran (I think I’ve only ever owned two), I accepted the invitation in an instant – viewing it as an opportunity to keep to one of my new year’s resolutions – to see more of the world (and explore places I hadn’t visited before), as well as meeting the lovely ladies working with Bering after months of emails.
Along with a whole host of incredible fashion bloggers, we set off from London Gatwick at a rather ungodly hour and made our way to Switzerland. Upon arrival at the all-glass, business-like airport, we hopped onto the shuttle bus and made for Baselworld – with our expectations of an entire convention for watches hanging rather low.
Admittedly, when we did arrive – our expectations were far surpassed, with a glittering ‘BASELWORLD’ sign lighting up the entrance, a swarm of beautiful hostesses handing out leaflets and Cara Delevinge emblazoned on the walls (there really is no getting away from her & her eyebrows!). We met with the founder of Bering – Lars, before being whisked through the massive exhibition space (gawping at the Dior stalls on our way) to their presentation on the top floor.
Over nibbles and prosecco, we were then talked through the brand – which has an amazing and varied history (the collections are actually inspired by polar bears and the arctic, believe it or not) and given the opportunity to try some of the beautiful watches on for ourselves.
For someone who has never taken a huge interest in watches, I actually thoroughly enjoyed wiling away the next two hours perusing Bering’s collection – and came back with a whole host of accessory inspiration.
We were each kindly given the option of choosing a watch to have fitted to our wrists – and to take home, which was really exciting – although it gave us all huge decision to make in among so many incredible designs. Eventually, I settled on a pretty large quartz faced design, with rose gold details and an iridescent purple strap. It’s so stunning and a real showpiece, however surprisingly – it’s really wearable (even if you’re not partnering it with a flashy outfit).
With our flight home at 9pm and our Bering activities over for the day, we realised that we had quite awhile to explore the city – and so made for the one, probably least cultural place in existence – Starbucks. It was at this point of the day that I had the chance to chat to the other blogger girls on the trip – Sarah, Megan, Hannah, Sheree, Ella & Kate. A highlight for me in any blogging related event, it was so lovely to chat all things blog and social media related (usually when I talk about it with family & friends, it’s met with confusion or a yawn) and spend the afternoon together.
After an early start and just a small snack in between, we decided to make base in what I can only describe as Switzerland’s version of Wagamamas, ordering wine, dumplings, tofu, edamame and ramen. We somehow whittled away several hours chatting – before stepping back onto our shuttle and making for the late journey home.
Overall, it was a lovely trip – and I felt really flattered to have been invited alongside a fabulous brand and a number of hugely successful blogger girlies! Basel seemed to be quite business-like rather than a tourist trap, which was actually quite nice as it gave us the chance to explore a part of Switzerland we probably would have never have had the chance to visit. It’s great to have another flag on my world map – and I can’t wait to wear my beautiful new watch!
Have you ever visited Basel in Switzerland – or have you browsed Bering’s collection before?
