Manufacture

‘Born in Saxony’ – so goes the slogan of Lang & Heyne, a watch manufacture from the small German town of Radeberg near Dresden. It’s a name known only to true connoisseurs and watch aficionados; only around 150 watches are crafted here every year, with the utmost attention to detail. ‘Born in Saxony’ is not…

When one thinks of Swiss-made watches, what springs to mind? For some of us, it’s a luxurious boutique in the heart of an affluent metropolis. For others, it’s a fast-paced car rally with watch-branded banners plastered over the track. But what about the place where mechanical watches come to life? To find out, I accompanied…

A vast structure of concrete and glass forms Cartier’s manufacture in the UNESCO World Heritage Site watchmaking town of La Chaux-le-Fonds. Across the panes of glass, which reveal only the subtlest glimpse into the world of watchmaking on the other side, the unmistakable cursive Cartier logo spreads itself across the austere building’s exterior, alongside the printed words: Manufacture de Haute Horlogerie. It’s an imposing…

The first mention of Tudor dates back to the year 1926, when Hans Wilsdorf first had the trademark ‘The Tudor’ registered. Six years later, the name would start to appear on several watches. Then, in 1936, Wilsdorf had the actual brand ‘The Tudor’ transferred over to himself. As an Anglophile and eventually a British citizen,…

While it is an extreme privilege to have been inside pretty much every Swiss horology house, at some point, a picture automatically forms in one's mind as to what to expect when visiting yet another manufacture of mechanical watches. https://youtu.be/HQb-oEhKL9o What attracted me most to visiting the Piaget factory in Geneva was my totally fragmented…

Can a watch manufacture become any more sovereign than this? The soon-to-be-instated King Charles III of England is the owner of a Parmigiani Fleurier. King Charles has long worn the watch, but now, as a prince becomes a king, his choice carries even more weight: the British crown puts his trust in Parmigiani Fleurier. Meanwhile,…

Being at the top is always nice, of course. But here, with such famous names as Piaget, Rolex, Harry Winston and Patek Philippe as neighbours, it is just as delightful to be at the bottom. Only physically, of course, on the ground floor of the Vacheron Constantin manufacture in Plan-les-Ouates, near Geneva. On top: The…

Anyone who leaves school at the age of 9 is either clearly not suited to academia, or has already realised what their calling is. George Favre-Bulle must have been a visionary even as a child, because he had bigger plans for himself than to sit wasting several years in school. At the tender age of…

Back in 2004, Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey founded the Greubel Forsey watch brand. In 2007, the two watchmakers bought an old 17th-century farmhouse and converted it into an atelier, where they now combine traditional craftsmanship with modern Haute Horlogerie – making it one of the few places where a manufacture embodies the products created…

Fans of Audemars Piguet can now visit the horology house's brand new museum, the Musée Atelier, in Le Brassus. The museum, following its opening in June 2020, offers a chance to uncover the brand's heritage and craftsmanship, with over 300 watches on display. The Musée Atelier's architecture, designed by BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group), is also…

To mark the completion of its new production building at the headquarters of the manufacture in Plan-les-Ouates, Patek Philippe is launching a limited edition Calatrava in stainless steel: the Calatrava Manufacture Edition Ref. 6007A-001. The watch couldn't differ more from its predecessors. Patek Philippe is one of the most formidable watchmakers in the world, and…

Christian Lattmann already waits in the manufacture’s entrance as we arrive in La Chaux-de-Fonds. The brand’s CEO welcomes us in such a heartfelt way, as if we had been long-time friends of the Maison. It all feels so familiar, not only, because the small but fine manufacture is very charming anyway, but also, because despite…