I finally found the time to compile some thoughts about my trip to Zürich. I was staying at the nearby, and pretty, town of Zug, about a 20 minute train ride away.
My first stop was the
Antique Watch, a tiny place, and as Tony mentioned, on a bridge. There were about two dozen vintage Omegas in generally good condition. The owner is very friendly and his watches seem to be all original. Three watches caught my eye: a Connie, Seamaster and Speedy (not much of a Speedmaster fiend, but I thought OF members would like a picture). The owner seems very honest. For instance he said, without me inquiring, that the Speedmaster bezel was a replacement.
The second place I visited was
Uhren Atelier. I got a bit of funny vibe there, from the owner being vague and not very customer focused, to the watches, many of those seemed like had their dial redone. Maybe my impression is unwarranted.
The next place I visited was
Greenwich, near the lake. This place has thousands of vintage watches. The owner seems to have some difficulty understanding my english but he didn't mind that I take pictures of some the watches. I saw a lovely elegant vintage JLC (sorry no picture) and several Omegas, like these two shown below. The dials look really good to me, but I'm still a newbie when it comes to critically examining vintage watches. Like Tony mentioned, there is tendency at this store to polish the cases.
The third store I visited was
Timeless Galery. I spent a good amount of time discussing with the colorful owner., Carsten. He sells vintage watches and table clocks (Atmos, retro, etc.). Not a huge selection but he seems very knowledgeable and honest. Here is a Seamaster and Connie. Looking at the Seamaster I'm sure about the originality of the dial and hands.
Next: the fabulous
Uhrenmuseum! It's in the basement of the Beyer watch store. Although the museum is quite small, the collection is terrific: watches, clocks and other timepieces. The museum also exhibits a bunch of other famous watches: Rolex Daytona, Edmund Hillary's watch that went up Everest, Omega Marine Chronometer, etc. the list goes on and on...
A must visit! Here are some of the timepieces that blew me away:
There were
3 George Daniels watches (of the 37 he has made in his illustrious career):
The museum also features several Bréguet timepieces. The picture shown below displays two timepieces called
Pendule Sympathique that was made for the brother of Napoleon. It consists of a highly precise table clock and a removable portable watch that shown on top of the table clock. Twice a day the table clock synchronizes the pocket watch via a rod. Very clever!
Another Bréguet watch.
John Arnold deck (maritime) watch. He was a contemporary of Bréguet.
Here's an amazing Berthoud marine chronometer. Berthoud was a contemporary of Harrison. Marine chronometers were the most accurate clocks of the era and its cost represented about a third of the price of the ship.
Finally, I also visited the Vacheron Constantin store. I'm not much into new watches but I was curious to see the Traditionnelle because it is similar to the Grande Malte that was discussed here a few times. It's a beautiful watch, although a little big for my wrist. I was treated very well at the store and was given a beautiful box of high-end Spüngli chocolates. Terrific way to finish the day in Zürich!
Hope you have enjoyed my endless series of pictures.
Cheers!
Michel
