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

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...
The first 70 articles I wrote for this blog are all about watchmaking. And I expect pretty much the next 70 to be as well. But sometimes, it’s nice to make a little exception. Especially when...
I generally learn a lot when I get to interview people for this blog. In some cases, I learn even more than usual, and this conversation with Paul Bernard is definitely all the way up there....
When walking in front of Jacques Tissot, on Bienne’s pedestrian Rue de Nidau, you could think for a moment you are strolling down the Champs-Elysées or 5th Avenue. The store front is always immaculate, with a...
25 years ago today, Charles-Louis Muri opened his magnificent vintage watch and clock boutique, in the Bienne Old Town. 15 years before that, he had started his trade on the same street, Rue Basse, just a...
Full disclosure: Dario is one of my best friends. But aside from all the reasons why I think he's such a great human being, he's an amazing watchmaker. How else could he have imposed himself as...
It's not easy for a watch brand to stand out in Bienne. Unique in so many ways, Armin Strom remarkably manages to do so. Combining the...  It's not easy for a watch brand to stand...
Erich Fehr has been the mayor of Bienne since 2011. Bienne, Biel in German, is a city of 55,000 people and the largest bilingual city in Switzerland. As you know if you are reading this blog,...
Meeting and interviewing Jan Edöcs, CEO of Doxa Watches, was special in two ways. First, he heads a brand that is among the true legends...  Meeting and interviewing Jan Edöcs, CEO of Doxa Watches...
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of seeing quite a few watch companies from the inside. But visiting Horage's research and production facility in Bienne was a pretty unique experience. Something about their mindset is...
Time seems to slow down with each step from the city traffic on Bienne’s rue de Boujean to the majestic Villa Renfer. Facing the Suze...
On a sunny Friday morning in February, Raynald Aeschlimann, the President and CEO of Omega, opened his office to Made in Bienne. After a few moments on the terrace, where he gave an improvised masterclass on...
For the third episode of the “Bienne Makers”series, we have the privilege of being hosted at the headquarters of Hamilton International by Vivian Stauffer, the company’s CEO. He first joined the Swatch Group in 2002, working...
For the second episode of the “Bienne Makers” series, we'll be spending some time on the fascinating bridge between architecture and watchmaking with the globally renowned architecture author Philip Jodidio...
"Bienne Makers” is a new series of interviews with those who contribute to the town’s unique position in the world of watchmaking. To kick it off, a very special guest: Robert-Jan Broer, founder of leading online...
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