Visiting Chopard
in Geneva
Two amazing days
I was invited by Chopard, one of the last family-owned watch-manufactures in the world, to visit their museum and manufacture.
Welcome to Geneva
After being on contact with Juan from Chopard because of a new watch, i was invited to visit their museum and manufacture to pick it up. Juan is the Director of Patrimony at Chopard and pretty much the nicest guy.
Together with Nik we took the plane from Düsseldorf to Geneva on tuesday evening.
We had no expectations of the trip at all - and to be honest, we didn't really know what to expect. After landing in Geneva, we were picked up by a chauffeur (of course …) and were brought to the hotel. The rest of the evening we walked around Lake Geneva and were fascinated just by all the brand logos on the houses (nerds…).
St. Moritz take off
Watch nerds being watch nerds
You need this when walking around with Nik
The next day we were in pretty much every boutique that sells watches and the experience was quite the opposite of what i’ve expected. We didn’t have any appointments and just walked in the boutiques the way we were, with shorts, t-shirts, sneakers and caps. I just wanted to point this out because you read and hear that people put really a lot of effort in these kind of visits - dressing up and pretending to be someone you are not …or yeah, don’t forget to bring flowers.
In particular, we were warmly received in three of them:
The MB&F M.A.D.Gallery:
We were hardly in the gallery, when a guy asked if we do not want to try on the watches - »wearing them is more fun!« he said. I mean come on, these things are incredible pieces of art, i didn’t expect that they let us try them on.
Chopard boutique:
We also had to visit a Chopard boutique, of course. Very special greetings go out to Antonella, she took a lot of time for us and really showed us everything in the store. Pssst: They also have very delicious chocolate there.
Audemars Piguet boutique:
Nik wanted to visit this place because of their certified preowned corner. The boutique is really nice and modern and the staff is also friendy (hi Jonathan!).
I'm probably one of the few people who don’t care about the Royal Oak at all, but I fell in love with the reference 15210CR.OO.A002KB.01 of the CODE 11.59 during the visit. 18-carat pink gold case, white gold bezel and a smoked lacquered grey dial with sunburst pattern, my god.
Best chocolate in town
Alpine Eagle Flying Tourbillon - 298616-3001
L.U.C Perpetual Twin - 168561-3003
Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet - 15210CR.OO.A002KB.01
Chopard museum & manufacture visit
The next day was all about Chopard. In the morning, we went directly to the headquarters in Meyrin.
Despite its relatively small size - production and company wise, Chopard is one of the few manufactures in Switzerland who do almost everything in-house, from melting their own gold to making their own cases.
After we had been given a complete tour of the factory, we went through the private museum for a history lesson. Finally, we were shown some current and a few not yet published (😏) models in the showroom. In addition, (fanboy moment activated) Karl-Fritz Scheufele joined us. The guy who came up with the idea to bring back my favorite steel sport watch, the Alpine Eagle. Fun fact: As we all know, the Alpine Eagle is the successor of the St. Moritz which was first introduced in 1980, the St. Moritz stood out for both its material classification and unique design. Chopard however, doesn’t own the rights for the name »St. Moritz« in combination with watches anymore, it now belongs to the Swatch Group.
After approximately (…) 100km of walking around Geneva, we had dinner with Juan in the evening at Le Tsé Fung Restaurant within the La Réserve Hotel. You guys, listen: Duck in a pancake - OMG! It was so delicious. After a few great stories, very good food and a few beers, we called it a day.
Nik, Juan and me at Chez Bacchus
Chopard Wristcheck
Karl-Fritz Scheufele and yours truly
After we were actually in Geneva because of the Alpine Eagle, we could also take a deeper look into the L.U.C. series, which is overall pretty impressive and got me hooked even more into the brand.
Next time we are definitely going to visit the Chopard Manufacture in Fleurier, where the L.U.C family of watches are being produced. With L.U.C (Louis-Ulysse Chopard) watches, all the steps involved in crafting L.U.C watches are performed at Chopard's Geneva and Fleurier workshops, which is quite impressive if you think about it.
As with almost every factory visit, you get a better feel for the brand and the people. As for Chopard, this visit really made me love the brand even more. Thanks again to Chopard and especially to Juan for the invitation and great moments.
The Sound
of pure awesomeness
L.U.C Full Strike Minute Repeater - 168604-3001
Limited to 10 pieces, $250,000 each.
Where did we…
Hotel N’vY Geneva
-
Black Tap is a fresh, fun take on the classic burger joint.
★★★★★ -
The only Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant in Switzerland 🤐★★★★★
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Restaurant with a really nice wine selection - owned by Karl-Fritz Scheufele.
★★★★★ -
Probably the best ice cream in town.
★★★★★
Eat
Sleep
Nice and affordable place.
