From Swatch Intern to Chief Design Officer at On: Interview with Thilo Alex Brunner

February 29, 2024

When I first came across On shoes, over a decade ago, I was living in Senegal and visiting the Silicon Valley for work. I was immediately struck by the unique futuristic yet comforting looks. I certainly did not expect that, half a dozen

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The Aqua Terra Worldtimer Summer Blue is Elected Bienne Watch of the Year

December 17, 2023

I don't know if anyone paid attention, but there was one small change in the criteria for watches eligible to be nominated between the first election last year and this year. In 2022, I stated that watches launched in previous years with only

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2023 Bienne Watch of the Year: the 4 Finalists

December 14, 2023

Maybe it's because I used to want to go into politics (before I got a taste of it), but I get really excited about this election. I love looking at the votes coming in, hour after hour, and predicting who will be the

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

November 27, 2023

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 city’s reputation, there was a lot to

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The Watch Customer Experience in Bienne: Small Things Make a Big Difference

October 19, 2023

As you may know if you've been here before, I love buying pre-owned watches. The variety, the serendipity, and the story behind each piece are a lot more magical to me than a thick carpet, engineered lighting and unscratched, shiny cases. For that

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Interview: Marc Montagne, Author of “Invest in Watches: the Art of Watch Collecting”

September 4, 2023

While Marc Montagne has become a close friend over the years, I am first and foremost a fan of his (although please don't tell him). We met in 2015 after I reached out as a reader of his fantastic Quora contributions and as

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One Watch at a Time, Bienne Secretly Shines Around the World

July 4, 2023

What do Martin Luther King, JFK, the Dalai Lama, Meryl Streep and Neil Armstrong have in common? They notoriously spent some of the most important moments in their life with a watch made in Bienne around their wrist. Like millions of people over

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Charles-Louis Muri, 40 Years Selling Watches, from Bienne to the World

March 11, 2023

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 few meters away. Even if Mr Muri

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JFK’s Inauguration Watch at the Omega Museum

January 20, 2023

When writing a new blog post, I always try to look for a catchy title. Not clickbait, of course, but something that briefly summarizes why, in my humble opinion, it’s worth taking a few minutes to read it. That usually implies correlating the

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