Nestled in the Jura Mountains lies Val-de-Travers, a narrow valley about 40 miles long. If you look behind the church you can see a ski lift. I was here back in 2003 to visit a watch company. I'm returning to snap photos of watch facilities. Why? Back in the summers of 2003 and 2004 I cycled around Switzerland visiting more than 100 Swiss watch companies. It's a fascinating and secretive industry worth tens of billions of dollars.
There are lots of watch enthusiasts out there and as I've mentioned watch companies are extremely private (secretive). I've received emails ever since my visits asking if I've seen this new Rolex building or that new Cartier facility. So, as I cycle through this picturesque valley I'm snapping watch-related buildings.
Watchmaking was introduced to this valley in 1730 and by the end of the 1700's it was home to 106 watchmakers--13% of the population. By 1890 over 650 watchmakers had set up shop here.
Saw the "Buttes Watch Co." sign on a building in the village of Buttes. Founded here back in 1924, Buttes Watch Company is still in business though everything has moved to Germany.
Val Fleurier occupies this building and the modern black building located next door in the following photo. I always go around to the back of buildings and take photos. Email me and I'll send rear photos
Richemont, one of the "Big Boys" in the watch industry, owns Val Fleurier. Here they make watch movements for some of Richemont's many brands (Baueme & Mercier, IWC, Panera, Montblanc and Piaget.
Wow, I'm in downtown Fleurier (population 3,000) and looking up I spot the building way up on the ridge. Looks like a castle. I ask a couple about it. It used to be a restaurant but, was bought by a Finnish watchmaker and turned into a workshop. The couple say there's a road going up from the backside but it's gated and also it's Saturday. The husband pipes up and says there's a hiking trail and takes about 40 minutes but, the wife corrects him and says the trail has been blocked. How did Kari Voutilainen, the Finn, end up in this isolated Swiss valley? He worked 10 years at Parmigiani, the watch company headquartered here in Fleurier.
Vaucher makes watches but its main focus are movements (the innards of a watch). Hermes owns 25% of the company with the Sandoz Family Foundation owning the rest.
Love this metal cow sculpture outside Vaucher's building entrance
This is one of high-end watchmaker Chopard's buildings in Fleurier.
Fleurier Ebauches is owned by Chopard and manufactures watch movements here. It's several blocks away from the previous photo of a Chopard facility.
Located on the main street through Fleurier I had a feeling this building was watch related.
Yep, checking the small plaque I see the name "Parmigiani". This is the watch brand headquartered here that I tried to visit back in 2003. The head office is/was several blocks away and was given a crummy reception by the CEO no-less. To read it go to www.corporatetrivia.com, then click the "Watches & Chocolate" heading to find the story.
This building lines the only road through the valley. What does Waeber, a family-owned business do? They occupy a niche--specializing in the manufacture of watch hands.
I cycle past lots of quiet villages.
See the bottle and wine glass this guy/woman on the wall is holding up?
This Cartier building looks new. Have no clue what they do here but, it looks very similar to one recently built in La Chaux-de-Fonds--in another nearby valley.
This building sits next door to Cartier and I google the name "LTM Group" spotted on the building. It stands for Le Temps Manufactures and evidently they manufacture watch movements
Here's another cemetery. I like checkin' them out and reading the tombstones. However, there's something strange I learned years ago about Swiss cemeteries: I could never find tombstones more than 50 years old. It turns out after 50 years they dig you up and do who knows what with your bones so the spot can be taken by a newbie. I assume this was true all over Switzerland but today I find out it's not true as I spot quite a few graves being in the ground more than 80 years. I think it's a cantonal issue. In the USA we have states and in Switzerland they have cantons. I'm in the canton of Neuchatel and am assuming they have different rules.
I remember this "Bovet" sign from my 2003 valley visit. Bovet has its headquarters in Geneva (which I visited) and when I saw this sign I cycled up the steep road to Chateau de Motiers. See next photo.
Using my camera zoom lens, you can see the top of the chateau (castle) peeking out above the trees in the distance. Dating from the 14th century, it's a magnificent castle. Of course they had no clue who I was and never got past the reception area. There's over 50,000 square feet of workshop space. I remember taking lots of pictures but can't see to find them in my photo file--otherwise I'd post 'em here.
See those concrete slabs behind my bike? Those were put there during World War II to stop Germany from invading Switzerland via nearby France.
No comments:
Post a Comment