The Super Good Vibes at the Swatch Boutique in Bienne
The Swatch HQ boutique in Bienne is officially a Drive-Thru. You can come with your car, order via an intercom and collect your watch at the window a few meters away without leaving your seat. Some special boutique watches are even delivered in a burger box!
Of course, you can also just walk into the store, and, most importantly at a time of much needed eco-consciousness, there is a bus stop and a shared bike station on site. You can also drive over and park right in front, or, if it’s full, on the free “blue” spots a 2 minute walk away, by the Suze river. Unlike just about everything else in Switzerland, the store is open 7 days a week.
One Watch at a Time, Bienne Secretly Shines Around the World
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 the past century and beyond, special moments in their life, and most moments in their day, were marked by a special object telling time, from Bienne to the world
As a Response to the MoonSwatch, Rolex and Tudor Plan the “Bay-King”
Almost exactly one year ago, Swatch and Omega, both owned by Bienne-based Swatch Group, took the industry by storm with the launch of the MoonSwatch: a variant of the Omega Speedmaster made by Swatch with a quartz movement in a bioceramic case. We all know what happened next, from the insane waiting lines to Groundhog Day-esque store visits over the weeks and months by hopefuls trying to get their hands on their favorite pick among the 11 models.
3 Reasons Why Bienne is the Capital of Swiss Watchmaking
Being the capital of Swiss watchmaking is a title that a few cities can legitimately claim. Geneva, of course, including its suburb Plan-les-Ouates, is home to Rolex and Patek Philippe, the hard-to-dispute champions in their respective categories. It is also where the main industry get-togethers are held, Watches & Wonders and Geneva Watch Days, especially now that Baselworld is out of the picture. More generally, it is the front window, between the boutiques and brand signage above the lake, for Swiss watch companies to the world via one of its most cosmopolitan cities.
Celebrating 40 Years of Swatch with the Author of “Stay Tuned To Swatch”
As Swatch’s 40th birthday was approaching, I started to think of what to do on this blog. I knew I had to do something. I almost felt pressured to, with people asking me what I was planning. Of course, I didn’t mind, on the contrary, I was looking forward to it. But also, I was a bit nervous: what could I offer that brings any value, any extra insight, considering not only all the literature that exists but the large coverage we can expect from watch and even mainstream media on the special day?