The Chi town IBG show added several new features

The 2012 edition of WatchTime's popular "Inside Basel-Geneva" collectors' events opened up in grand fashion a week ago, with the firstly this year's series taking place at the luxurious Union Little league Club of Chi town. Click here for additional information and a slideshow of photos from the evening.

Now in its seventh year, the "Inside Basel-Geneva" series is a collaboration between WatchTime and noted watch collector Jeff Kingston. Each event begins with a two-hour beverage reception and watch exposure where guests can see and put on new watches introduced at the two major Switzerland watch gatherings — Geneva's SIHH and Basel's Baselworld — while enjoying Sparkling wine and hors d'oeuvres. Following the reception, guests enjoy a three-course dinner with sommelier-selected wine pairings, along with Kingston's multimedia presentation within the highlights from the Switzerland gatherings.

The Chi town IBG show added several new features to the previous years' programs: Kingston's presentation included new videos focusing on specific horological techniques rather than brand-specific job interviews; a new event sponsor, BMW automobiles, held a drawing in which guests could win luxurious dishes in area restaurants; the Dalmore, a prestigious single-malt Scotch whisky brand, provided an after-dinner drink; and Kingston and WatchTime editor-in-chief Joe Thompson held a friendly, audience- interactive discussion on watch-industry issues after dinner. The list of sponsoring brands was a "who's who" of prestigious watch manufactures large and small: Vacheron Constantin, Panerai, Omega, A. Lange & Söhne, Audemars Piguet, Breguet, Blancpain, Jaquet Droz, Glashütte Original, Parmigiani, Piaget, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Carl F. Bucherer, Montblanc, Zenith, Antoine Martin, Urban Jürgensen, RGM, and Badollet.

Case was the first of five such events in five major cities. The next will be held in Philadelphia tomorrow, September 16, and in New york city on Thursday, September 20. The new York event is sold out, but you can still order tickets for the Philadelphia event by clicking here. For a slideshow of images from the Chi town event, click below.