As 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 inherent to a mega luxury show is not exactly within my comfort zone. While I’ll briefly attend, I know after a few hours I’ll start longing for a very different kind of horological environment, my favorite of all: a watch museum. A place where calm reigns over frenzy, history over hype and observation over acquisition. So I thought today would be a good time to share a selection, based on my experience and in slight order of preference, of the best watch museums you can visit in Switzerland.
While I tried to collect the most accurate information I could, please check out the museum website (indicated for each below) before planning any visit in case of any changes, public holidays, etc.
Patek Philippe Museum
Perhaps the best known of all watch brand museums. It hosts both an antique collection – tracing pre-Patek watchmaking history – and a very extensive collection of the brand. The density of high horology pieces on display is hugely impressive – potentially even overwhelming at times.
Location
Rue des Vieux Grenadiers, 7 – 1205 Geneva (Google Maps)
Open Hours
Tuesday – Friday from 2 pm to 6 pm; Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm.
How much? Adults: 10 CHF; Reduced: 7. Children under 18: free.
Public guided tours on Saturdays at 2 pm (French) and 2.30 pm (English).
Private tours available upon request.
Tip: No need to bring your best camera! Photos are not allowed inside the museum.
Another tip: As mentioned above, the number of majestic timepieces on display (around 2,500) is huge, and it can be frustrating if not enough time is planned to admire them.
Link: Patek Museum Website
Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet
Reservation only – book in advance – Inaugurated in June 2020, the Audemars Piguet experience combines a visit of the brand’s museum and its manufacture. The audaciously design building somehow perfectly blends into the old school Vallée-de-Joux environment.
The visit offers both a front row seat to the brand’s productions over the decades, and to the work of watchmakers in their see-through ateliers.
Beyond the regular experience, designed for adults, there is a separate kids experience (which needs to be booked separately). It’s pretty incredible, with children age 6 to 10 being treated as absolute VIPs, taken through a dedicated sequence of museum and atelier visits, (basic) hands-on watchmaking work and being greeted with high-end snacks and homemade hot chocolate. I often describe it as the cheapest babysitting in Switzerland! (at least until your kids come back asking you for an AP)
Location
Route de France, 18 – 1348 Le Brassus (Google Maps)
Open Hours
Monday – Friday: 2 pm and 3 pm. Each visit lasts 2 hours.
Closed on bank holidays
How it works
Guided visits only. Available in English, French, or German, with language determined by the first person to book the tour. Up to 6 people per tour (and 8 for the kids experience). Booking required.
How much?
Adult Experience
30 CHF per adult, 25 CHF reduced, 20 CHF for teenagers. Kids are admitted as of the age of 6, and it’s free up to 11 years old. Ideally, if you can book both simultaneously, kids will be much better off with the dedicated Kids Experience.
Kids Experience
15 CHF per child.
Tip: The Hotel des Horlogers right next door was inaugurated at the same time as the Musée Atelier, and is owned by the brand. It’s a great hotel that blends really well in the local decorum. It can be a good idea to book lunch there, or go to the bar to chill out before and / or after your visit. Of course you can also book a stay there for a longer, more immersive time, especially if you combine with other visits such as the Jaeger-LeCoultre manufacture.
Link: AP Museum Website
Omega Museum
Inaugurated in 2019, the revamped Omega museum is in a brand new building signed by the renowned Japanese architect Shigeru Ban. You’ll find watches that went in space, at record depth underwater, or that belonged to Elvis and even JFK.
Combined with fun activities such as sprinting with Omega Olympic photo-finish, it’s one of the best watch museums in the world, and one of the most kid-friendly. Great bonus, it is one floor below the Swatch museum. The brand’s HQ boutique is also just a few meters away.
Location
Nicolas G. Hayek Strasse, 2 – 2502 Biel/Bienne (Google Maps)
Open Hours
Tuesday – Friday: 11:00 – 18:00
Saturday & Sunday: 10:00 – 17:00
Tip: There is a min gift shop at the museum desk entrance, on the first floor (second floor, in American terms). The prices are very reasonable, eg 10 CHF for a branded mug, or 15 CHF for an Omega loupe. Considering the price range of Omega watches, those will feel like a bargain for fans of the brand!
Link: Omega Museum Website
Musée International d’Horlogerie
The Musée International d’Horlogerie is at the heart of La Chaux-de-Fonds, one of the cradles of Swiss watchmaking’s past and present. A short walk from the train station, it hosts one of the most remarkable collections in the world of clocks and watches, taking you through the history of the trade. It even hosts an exhibition space dedicated to the femtosecond, a quadrillionth of the second. You can also see some resident watchmakers at work.
Location
Rue Louis-J.-Chevrolet 6A – 2300 La Chaux-de-Fonds (Google Maps)
Open Hours
Tuesday – Sunday, from 10 am to 5 pm. It is also open on Easter and Whit Mondays.
How much? Adults: 15 CHF; Reduced: 7.50. For more special rates visit the website.
Tip: The museum has a really neat gift shop, that includes some hard to find and highly interesting books about the technicality and / or history of watchmaking.
Another tip: Once a year, usually on the first Sunday of November, there’s a large vintage watch fair, hosted in the underground hall of the museum: some very interesting finds can be made. Finally, just around the corner from the museum is Juval Horlogerie, a renowned vintage watch boutique.
Link: MIH Website
Longines Museum
By reservation only – Renovated in 2012, the Longines museum takes you through the history of the brand with watches and memorabilia from around the globe. It’s located in the brand’s Saint-Imier headquarters occupied since 1854. All visits are with a dedicated guide, and are available in French, English or German. It’s open to anyone and you’re treated like a VIP!
The museum is almost hidden, between offices. The guide opens it with a key, and then a magical world opens. Watches and clocks, of course, but also incredibly well preserved archives. The dedicated guide makes a huge difference, it is a truly privileged experience, accessible to anyone.
Location
Rue des Noyettes, 8 – 2610 St-Imier (Google Maps)
Open Hours
Monday – Friday: 9:00 – 12:00 and 2 pm – 5 pm
Closed on bank holidays
How much? Free but Booking Required
Tip: The museum is particularly easy to access by train: the Longines manufcature is located just under the Saint-Imier train station. The train journey to Saint-Imier is itself almost worth the trip, with beautiful valley views of the Swiss Jura, at the heart of watchland. When you get out of the train, be sure to take the direct path to Longines (litterally, straight down), and not walk around as some map applications may suggest (you will waste time and the path is not pedestrian-friendly).
Another tip: The staff is super welcoming with kids, but if the child has no interest in watches they may be bored – no interactive content like at Swatch and Omega museums
Link: Longines Museum Website
Planet Swatch
Over 5,000 watches are on display in this new museum opened in 2019. It offers a journey into the unique engineering prowess and creativity that made plastic cool, and saved the Swiss watch industry during the quartz crisis. You can combine the visit with the Swatch “Drive Thru” boutique just outside. The museum is very kid-friendly.
Part of the “Cité du Temps”, it shares the building with the the Omega Museum one floor above, making the visit even more worthwhile. Finally, it’s all hosted in a brand new construction by renowned Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, worth checking out in its own right.
Location
Nicolas G. Hayek Strasse, 2 – 2502 Biel/Bienne (Google Maps)
Open Hours
Tuesday – Friday: 11:00 – 18:00
Saturday & Sunday: 10:00 – 17:00
How much? Free
Fun fact: it used to be that all near 7,000 watches (they had more on display back then) were exactly on time… A nightmare for the staff, who had to change batteries and adjust all watches with DST. For sustainability reasons, it was later decided to leave all watches set at 10:10. Good for the planet, and perhaps even more so for the team!
Link: Planet Swatch Website
IWC Museum
Opened in 1993, this was the first Swiss watch museum operated by a major brand. It’s housed in an elegant building that used to be part of the IWC manufacture, now located a 10 minute drive away. The museum visit is full of interactive technology that make the 230 pieces on display come to life. The staff have a reputation for being particularly friendly and helpful.
Location
Baumgartenstrasse 15 – 8201 Schaffhausen (Google Maps)
Open Hours
Tuesday – Friday: 9:00 – 17:30
Saturday: 9:00 – 3:30
How much? Adults: 6 CHF; Reduced: 3 CHF
Tip: The museum is in the Schaffhausen city center, meaning you can easily combine visiting the museum with a tour of the beautiful capital of Swiss German watchmaking. The old town and the Rhine banks are definitely worth checking out. You can also take a train to the Rhine falls nearby.
Beyer Museum
Beyer is a famous Zurich authorized retailer of major Swiss brands. Located on the city’s high end shopping street connecting the main train station to the lake, Banhofstrasse, it also hosts, downstairs, a very high quality watch museum.
The permanent exhibit ranges from antique star and water-based time measurement instruments to more recent masterpieces from Patek Philippe, IWC, Rolex and Omega, to name a few. There are also temporary exhibits. Last one I checked out, in 2023, was “Travel Through Time”, on how watches and clocks were used as critical instruments for travel over the centuries.
Location
Banhofstrasse 31 – 8001 Zurich (Google Maps)
Open Hours
Monday to Friday, 2 pm to 6 pm
How much? Adult: 11 CHF – Reduced: 7 CHF. Kids under 12: free.
Booking required? No, but you can book and pay here. Groups of 8 or more are requested to book in advance.
How much? Adults: 6 CHF; Reduced: 3 CHF
Tip: While of course nothing beats a real life visit, the museum does offer a pretty good virtual experience if you can’t make it out there.
Link: Beyer Museum Website
TAG Heuer Museum
By request only – The TAG Heuer museum, inside the brand’s HQ, is great. While quite compact compared to some other brand museums, it cleverly takes you through the journey of the brand around a 360 concept that reproduces the structure of a watch.
There are some very neat pieces there, including one of the Monaco watches used by Steve McQueen on the shooting of Le Mans.
However, it is important to note the museum is not open to the public by default: you have to contact the brand directly (details below) and request a visit, which is typically reserved for TAG Heuer collectors / customers.
Location
Rue Louis-J.-Chevrolet 6A – 2300 La Chaux-de-Fonds (Google Maps)
Open Hours
Weekdays only, by request. Best way to channel the request is probably via your local TAG Heuer retailer if you have one, or by calling them directly on +4132 919 9000.
How much? Free
Fun fact: The museum is almost hidden behind an automated door right behind the reception desk. It’s very impressive when they let you in, and feels almost James Bond-esque (yes, wrong brand, but still!).
Rolex Collection at NMB
Bienne’s main history museum, the Nouveau Musée de Bienne, is not limited to watches, but it has a neat, permanent section dedicated to the city’s horological past. There is a dedicated Rolex section, with about 50 watches, and as many separate movements. While the collection is not so large compared to the Omega collection at the Omega Museum nearby, this is considered to be the most significant Rolex collection open to the public, considering that brand itself does not have its own Museum.
Combined with a visit to the place where the very first Rolex watches were made, about a 10 minute walk away, this visit will please any fan of Rolex interested in its history.
You can read more about the exhibit in this blog post.
Location
Faubourg du Lac, 52 – 2501 Bienne (Google Maps)
Open Hours
Tuesday to Sunday, from 11 am to 5 pm
How much?
Adult: 11 CHF. Kids under 16: free.
Tip: While the Rolex collection is very good, it is not very large: you will likely be disappointed if you travel all the way to Bienne just for this exhibit. It’s worth combining with either other parts of the museum (which is about the city and region’s past, back to prehistorical eras) or with other watch-related visits nearby. For instance, the Omega and Swatch museums are a 10 minute bus ride away.
Link: NMB website
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That’s about it, at least based on my personal experience. Did I forget anything major? The list isn’t meant to be exhaustive but if you feel something is missing from the selection, please let me know in the comments!
Most pictures are taken directly from the museum websites
