Bienne is globally renowned for its watches. As a place to live though, its image in Switzerland is uneven. A bad reputation developed during the quartz crisis era, when the city was at its lowest. It oddly seems to persist in some minds, despite how beautifully the city has developed. Even the bilingualism at the […]
View MoreA little hammer hits a ring at a ridiculously fast speed, resonating through the caseback. To wind it, there’s usually a dedicated crown – on Vulcain, it’s a bit different: you wind the main crown in a different direction. For it to go off at the chosen time, you either press or pull out the […]
View MoreI wrote last month about the pleasure of purchasing affordable watches in Bienne. Some of you have since asked for my go-to places. While there are a few, none come close in their abundance of choice – and frequency of my visits – to the local Cash Converters. Despite what some people think, Cash Converters […]
View MoreAs Watches & Wonders kicks off on Tuesday, professionals and enthusiasts from around the world will converge around the industry’s latest novelties. Living in a city where thousands of folks depend on the global watch market to make ends meet, I certainly respect the importance of such an event. But personally, the sparkles and buzz […]
View MoreAs regular readers of this blog know, I try to modestly support an NGO close to my heart, Terre des hommes, the leading Swiss organization for children’s rights. If you remember the charity watch sale a few of us organized at the end of last year, they are the ones for whom we raised the […]
View MoreWatches are like human faces. They all share the same basic features and yet come in an infinity of variations. From the enthusiast’s perspective, that makes them both wonderful and equally frustrating. You can love them all but not own them all. And even if you do, you can only wear one – two if […]
View MoreA selection of the best local watchmaking sites you can visit.
Themed itineraries for those who love one brand in particular or watches in general.