I’ve been there twice. Just walk around the small downtown CBD and marvel at the dozens of high end legendary watch brand shops. They’re all there- inviting, gleaming, taunting, inaccessible (to me at least). Then go have a nice fondue lunch and try not to look at the Orient on your wrist too much.
Enjoy!





-NoSeasBoludo-

 

That sounds about right, lol.

 

If you are watch shopping there, bring a truckload of $$$$$$......

 

Thing is that everywhere you see a watch, itd have the same price and price tag printed. I could have bought watch X in a small town or in Interlaken for the same exact price.

 

Personally, I would try to go to as many of the Manufactures as I could. A friend recently went to the Omega Museum in Biel and loved it.

 

 

A Watch Aficionado’s Guide to Geneva Part 1 – Watch Shopping in Geneva - Watch Affinity

Watch Affinity guide to watch shopping in Geneva on the Rue de Rhône, home to some of the most prestigious names in horology

www.watchaffinity.co.uk

City Walk: Best Swiss Watch Shops Tour, Geneva, Switzerland

Self-guided walking tour: Best Swiss Watch Shops Tour in Geneva, Switzerland. The detailed walk route map can be downloaded to your mobile device for turn-by-turn travel directions.

www.gpsmycity.com

Geneva Watch Tour – Genève, autrement.

www.genevawatchtour.com

 

Go to the museums. I've been planning a trip to central Switzerland for a while (I probably can't pull it off until 2024 though) and I had been planning on hitting all the brands around Biel, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Le Locle, Neuchatel, and St-Imier. Especially since I know someone from the area who has worked at multiple brands there. Rather unambitious in terms of territory covered, but there's so many brands that I could imagine I wouldn't even hit all of them in a week. Plus going to some of the brand stores in the little towns would be worth it since unlike in the US, the little store that only gets 1 window shopper walking in a day will have more value in their display than a major AD in a major world city.

 

I was there in August and spent a few days focusing on the watch industry.

The museum in La Chaux-de-Fonds is renowned: Ville de La Chaux-de-Fonds

The museum is Le Locle is very small and has lots of clock, but if you‘re in the area: Musée d'horlogerie du Locle

If you have a specific company you could always reach out to see if they have tours, but I don‘t think that‘s common at all, you know, they have secrets.

The Omega museum is excellent if you like that brand, and the Swatch museum on another floor is fun: OMEGA Museum's : remarkable watches collections | OMEGA US®. MoonSwatches were freely available in the Swatch drive through store and the Omega boutique has many lovely watches, including a special edition only available in Switzerland.

The Vallee de Joux is beautiful, with lots of top brands represented and a nice small museum: Espace Horloger Vallée de Joux - Watch Museum, Le Sentier | Vallée de Joux Tourisme (CH) | Museums

If you‘ve got money to burn, and you‘ll need it in Switzerland, stay at this hotel next to AP: Dispatch: We Spent A Night At The Audemars Piguet Hotel (Which Is Not Really Called That)

One way to reduce costs a bit is to get sandwiches and snacks at supermarkets, like COOP and such, and even pre-made meals or take and bake pizzas.

Note that to reach these villages you will definitely need a rental car, but Switzerland is small, so it‘s easy to get around.

 

Take the train to Zurich and saunter down the Bahnhofstrasse ("train station street"). Kill a few hours in all the watch boutiques on both sides

 

Visit Läderach shop and buy ton of great chocolate.

Artisanal Swiss chocolate

Unsere Schoggi ist 90% Freude und 10% Magie. Die Familie Läderach ist seit 3 Generationen im Schokoladehandwerk tätig. Probieren Sie beste Schweizer Schokolade.

laderach.com

 

The Omega Museum in Biel is great to visit. Patek Philippe Museum is also great, but I liked Omega more because it was more welcoming. Fondue and raclette are a must also.

 

I also visited and recommend:

• Omega museum in Biel (OMEGA Museum's : remarkable watches collections | OMEGA®)
• MIH in La-Chaux-de-Fonds (Ville de La Chaux-de-Fonds)
• Watch museum in Le Locle (Musée d'horlogerie du Locle)
• IWC museum in Schaffhausen (A journey through history | IWC Museum)

Would love to visit too:

• Zenith factory tour in Le Locle (Visit of the Manufacture)
• MAD Gallery in Geneva (M.A.D Gallery)

 

Thanks for the suggestions ... a lot of good ideas, much appreciated!