Saturday, September 26, 2020

Lac de Joux, Switzerland and Watches, Part II

 This is a continuation of cycling around Lac de Joux looking for businesses in the watch industry.

In Part 1 pictures were shown of the various buildings comprising Audemars Piguet's head office/factory complex. Cycling a few blocks away I came upon this newish very large Audermars Piguet building.
This white building belongs to Meylan Freres, which manufactures micro-mechanical components for the watch industry. 
This is the front of Blancpain's factory complex in Le Brassus. Part of the Swatch Group, this luxury watch brand goes way, way back. Matter of fact, it dates back to 1735--making it the world's oldest surviving watch brand in the world. I visited their head office in Paudex, less than a mile away where I live in Lausanne. 
Here's the backside to Blancpain's factory. 
Here's the front side of Jaeger-LeCoultre's head office/factory complex in Le Sentier. This watch company dates back to 1833 and since 2000 has been part of Richemont. Had a very disappointing reception back here in 2003.
This monument stands directly on the other side of the road from the entrance to Jaeger-LeCoultre's main building. Who has their face embedded on the wall? (Don't forget you can click on the image and it'll enlarge). That would be Antoine LeCoultre, who founded the business here back in 1833. 
So, in the previous photo showing the monument--to the right under the tree is a bench where you can sit and evidently do some reflection. However, see this photo. Those are bee hives right above the bench! 
This is the backside to Jaeger-LeCoultre's headquarters/factory.
Cycling along the only road that circles the lake I spot this new Dubois Depraz building in the distant. The company makes complication watch mechanisms. I paid them a visit back in 2003. Like their head office, this building is in Le Lieu (population 800).  
Remember the fogged-in photo at the beginning of Part 1? Well, here's the same place (Le Pont) later in the day.
Arriving back in Le Pont (where I started the day) I come across one of those small visitor billboards on the side of the road. It's in French and points out historical sights to see in this village. My French is very poor and from what I can decipher, a mysterious wealthy family arrived here back in 1910 and proceeded to have a fabulous home built way up on a hill. Whoa, look up on the hill in this photo--that's the same home that's on the billboard! So of course I gotta go check it out. 
It was a pain in the rear cycling up to the home and what do I find? A spiffy well-kept historical mansion? Nope, a rundown falling apart place that looks like it needs to be torn down. 
However, the view from crumbling house is spectacular. 


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