I apologize for my long
absence from the blog, but I have been travelling to Switzerland to discover
the secrets of a manufacture that defined and changed the way watches are made.
If audit world has the Big 3, the watchmaking world has its Big 5 and
Jaeger-LeCoultre is part of the elite.
Jaeger-LeCoultre
has been producing watches since 1833 and was the first manufacture to have
been established in Vallee du Joux, Switzerland. The Manufacture has an
impressive range of world firsts, superlative creations and legendary models to
its credit, including the Reverso, the world’s smallest mechanism, 101 (Queen
Elizabeth II wore one for her coronation 60 years ago), the Gyrotourbillon or
the Atmos.
Everything
in the valley is related to watches, so I was naturally a host of Horologers
Hotel.
Besides
visiting the manufacture and long walks or mountain hiking there is not much to
do in Le Sentier. But of course the village has its own luxury watches boutique
(no factory prices though) and like four banks…I don’t have any exterior photos
as it was raining worst that in Luxembourg.
The
best thing about visiting a watch manufacture is meeting the people who work
there and who are really passionate about their job. So while having in front
of me probably more than a million Euros worth of watches
The
head of high complications was explaining how they work.
The
movie below describes one of the most complicated mechanisms ever created by
Jaeger-LeCoultre
I’ve
found at least one Diane Kruger fan – a gem setter who had a picture of him and
the actress displayed in his “office” (the German actress is an ambassador of
the brand and visited the manufacture)
I’ve
met the ladies who are responsible with the decorating of the mechanism and
I’ve had the chance to decorate my initials on one of the parts. Of course a
bigger one because the ones that they were working on were tiny.
I’ve
learnt a few secrets from a watchmaker who has been working in the company for
42 years and has been living in the valley all his life
Have
been amazed by the small sized emailed cases
Got
an amazing souvenir – little wheels, so I have the first pieces of my future
watch J All I have to do now is learn the other skills and
I’m starting my own watch brand. Big 5 be aware!
And
the highlight of the trip – I disassembled and then assembled a part of the
watch mechanism. It actually worked at the end…
Thank you Nathalie and Jaeger-LeCoultre for this amazing experience!
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