Bringing Rolex Retail (and More) Back to Bienne: A Conversation with Cédric Schiess, Founder of Art du Temps

August 29, 2024

parked outside the museum that hosts, almost secretly, the largest public Rolex collection in the world. A few hundred meters away from where the first ever Rolex watches were made, I crossed the road and walked into Art du Temps, the brand new

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Branding Bienne: Interview with the City’s Vice-Chancellor Julien Steiner

November 27, 2023

As the city’s Vice-Chancellor, Julien Steiner has among his prerogatives Bienne’s image as a place to live. Considering how radically the perception of Bienne has evolved over the years, and the role of watchmaking in the city’s reputation, there was a lot to

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A Day at La Montre Hermès in Bienne, Part I

October 25, 2023

When you first visit Bienne, some watch brands are impossible to miss. They are so to speak “in your face”, and that is a great part of the city’s charm. But it’s at least as charming, if not more, when some brands are

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The Watch Customer Experience in Bienne: Small Things Make a Big Difference

October 19, 2023

As you may know if you've been here before, I love buying pre-owned watches. The variety, the serendipity, and the story behind each piece are a lot more magical to me than a thick carpet, engineered lighting and unscratched, shiny cases. For that

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The Good Vibes at the Swatch Boutique in Bienne

September 17, 2023

The Swatch HQ boutique in Bienne is officially a Drive-Thru. You can come with your car, order via an intercom and collect your watch at the window a few meters away without leaving your seat. Some special boutique watches are even delivered in

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One Watch at a Time, Bienne Secretly Shines Around the World

July 4, 2023

What do Martin Luther King, JFK, the Dalai Lama, Meryl Streep and Neil Armstrong have in common? They notoriously spent some of the most important moments in their life with a watch made in Bienne around their wrist. Like millions of people over

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