Rolex Past Present

Who is this for? Anyone who loves Rolex
How long will it take? About 3h
How much will it cost? 20.60 CHF (bus + museum)
When can it be done? Tuesday to Friday, starting between 11h and 13h (to find the factory in motion and the museum open)
Chapter 1: Where the first Rolex watches were made?
30 min (15 minutes to get there, and about 15 minutes on site)

More info about the site here

  • From the train station plaza, cross the street and take Bus 5, 6 or 8, next to the Raiffeisen bank.
  • Get off after 5 stops, at “Leubringenbahn / Funi Evilard”. Take the stairs to the right of the funicular station and walk to “Haute Route”, which will be the first main road you reach.
  • While there is a lovely Rolex-branded building in front of you, now apartments, the original site is about 100m to your right. You can’t enter the building but you can walk inside the area. For more details on the place, read this post about its history and tips on visiting.
Chapter 2: The largest public Rolex collection
1 hour (including 10 minute walk from previous site)

More info about the site here

  • Return on your steps, but walking down this time (easier!), until you return to where you left the bus.
  • Then, walk down Rue Jakob-Rosius and take a right when you reach the main road. Walk until the “Nouveau Musée de Bienne”, NMB, that will be on your left with large red signage.
  • Inside the museum (11 CHF / adult), while there are many things to see, the “Biel/Bienne : Ville horlogère et industrielle” section is where the Rolex exhibit is on permanent display.
Chapter 3: The Rolex movement production facility
1h30 min (including bus to get there and then return to train station)

More info about the site here

  • Take a right outside the museum until you reach Rue Centrale (100m). Walk down Rue Centrale until Place Centrale (the “heart” of the city).
  • Take bus number 2 (towards Orpundplatz) for 14 stops and get off at… “Rolex” (how cool is that?).
  • Cross the street and take the first to your left. From there (main entrance), keep walking until Route de Soleure and take a right. Once you reach the end of the factory, take a right again, then another, and yet another, to get a sense of how massive it is.
  • When done, take number 2 bus from the Rolex stop in the opposite direction until the train station.