Tag Archives: Switzerland

Here’s why you have to visit Montreux and Zurich

A land that offers a triple threat of the beauty of nature’s splendour, medieval heritage and contemporary culture, Switzerland has everything you want and need, perhaps even beyond your greatest desire. With the convenience of Swissair, the preferred airline for all Swiss travel, we can reach the Playground of Europe via a quick 15-hour flight that has just a short transit in Singapore.

So hop on with this journey with us as we take you through the greatest attractions in the region of Montreux and Zurich that gives you the greatest of all three unique flavours of the land – history, contemporary culture and nature.

Upon landing in Zurich Airport, the first thing you need is to obtain the Swiss Travel Pass, which allows you immediate access to all public transportation including bus, train and ferry within the country, along with access pass to an extensive list of local attractions in every city. We highly recommend the First Class category for comfortable, expedited and scenic experience as you traverse through the region.

Now that you have your all-access pass secured, it’s time to take a scenic train ride to the Lake Geneva region, located 3 hours away from the Zurich Airport, to discover Montreux Riviera. A city marked with some of the world’s most iconic pop culture stars, Montreux is an unforgettable destination made for all. Gaining the stamp of approval as Charlie Chaplin’s home for his last 25 years, appearing on Freddie Mercury’s “Made In Heaven” album and even inspired Prince to write a song based on the Lavaux vineyards in the region, Montreux needs no other reason to be one of the most sought-after tourist destinations in the world.

A cruise to Château de Chillon

On top of our Montreux itinerary and one to help us familiarise ourselves with the city is the Riviera Tour, a two-hour paddle steamer boat cruise that lets you take in the scenic landscape of the Lake Geneva region, the charming towns surrounding Montreux including Villeneuve, Le Bouveret, and St Gingolph; and a spectacular first view of the legendary Château de Chillon. After the delectable lunch on cruise, you can simply hop on the bus for a 30-minute ride that takes you right to the doorstep of Château de Chillon, the most visited historic site in Switzerland that dates back to the 12th century.

This magnificent water castle holds a rich history dating between the 12th to 16th century, starting from the original owners, the counts of Savoy, to the later tenants, the inhabitants of Vaud. We highly recommend the guided tour to give you an in-depth and thorough look into the entire architecture and the stories written within the halls. Once you are done with culture and history, you can reward yourself with a dining experience at Café Byron, the famed eatery at the lakeshore that gives a spectacular water view of the castle.

Railway to Rochers de Naye

For nature lovers and hiking enthusiasts, Rochers-de-Naye is the mountainous trail you must visit to witness the majestic of the Swiss and French Alps and the panoramic view of the shores of Lake Geneva. To reach the destination, there is a all-year round cogwheel train, which is also the highest railway in the canton that starts from Montreux, that can take you all to the top of the mountain at over 1,600-meters in altitude.

Once you have reached the end of the railway, the peak is just a short walk ahead. Alternatively, if you want to take a leisure drive up, you can head your way to Col de Jaman and then hop off to take a two to three hour hike to the peak – perfect for hikers and outdoor lovers in the warmer months of spring and summer. There also also various other hiking and mountain climbing trails with varying difficulties to cater to all travellers, but if you are one to skip the hike, then you can take your time take in the beautiful sights and take a leisure walk inside the La Rambertia alpine botanical garden, a place where over 1,000 alpine species are housed, cultivated and preserved.

The power of arts at Plateforme 10

When in Montreux, all connoisseurs of arts and culture must visit Plateforme 10 in Lausanne, one of the rising art district and cultural hub in Switzerland that has recently garnered global recognition. Officially launched in July 2022, Plateforme 10 is one of the nation’s largest cultural development, stretching over 25,000 aquare meters, that currently houses countless outstanding museums including the Cantonal Museum of Fine Arts (MCBA), the Cantonal Museum of Contemporary Design and Applied Arts (MUDAC) and the Cantonal Museum for Photography (Photo Elysee). This is definitely a destination that one should allocate a full day to slowly take in the various cultural identities and exhibits.

Once you are done, you can head back towards Montreux and take a pitstop at Vevey, a town known to be the “Pearls of the Swiss Riviera”, where the esplanade walk along the shores of Lake Geneva will give you an experience unlike any other. One of the main attractions there include the bronze Charlie Chaplin statue and the rising silver fork that spouts out of the lake, both located near the Alimentarium food museum.

The World of Charlie

On the topic of Charlie Chaplin, one of the top must-visit sites within the Swiss Riviera is definitely the Chaplin’s World museum, the only space in the world dedicated to the legendary comic and icon. Housed within the late actor’s former estate, which he stayed after his departure from US in 1953, this interactive museum will shed light to amazing history and lifeworks of Charlie Chaplin including letters, photos and original furnishing owned by the actor.

Along with those, you will also see special wax figures of the icon along with his friends like Albert Einstein, which visitors can interact with to learn more about Chaplin. If you are a big fan of his, be sure to check out the archive of performances and home movies he made and visit the adjacent complex that holds recreations of Hollywood film stages of his movies.

A run around Zurich

After the many exciting ventures in Montreux, it’s time to head back to Zurich to catch your flight home but while you are there, you can make a quick stop at Zurich West, the trendiest district within the city that houses the creative vibes of the city. Start your day at Im Viadukt, a stretch of designer boutiques, art galleries, local food market and more that are housed underneath the famed railway arches of Zurich. From there you can take a leisurely stroll down to the Freitag flagship store, a must for fashion lovers, to get your hands on the signature products made with used truck tarps, before venturing into the strand of vintage stores and diverse furniture boutiques.

Within Zurich West, which is a former industrial quarter, you can also find the most unique architectures that are built by iconic designers. We recommend dropping by the Zurich Tourist Information Centre to ask for a tour guide that can give you a thorough experience on the history and culture of the area. Finally wrapping it up, head down to Frau Gerold Garten, which is just next to the Freitag flagship store, where you will be amazed by the open concept garden that houses various popup restaurants, live music performances and art installations. A perfect way to unwind and relax before hoping back to Zurich Airport for your flight home.

An Exclusive Interview With Nicola Andreatta

Mr. Nicola Andreatta, CEO of Roger Dubuis

You may not be familiar with Nicola Andreatta as CEO of Roger Dubuis but he knew the company from the era of Mr Roger Dubuis and Carlos Dias – basically right from the company’s origins. A man with watchmaking in his blood, Andreatta has spent his entire career deep in the trade, thanks in part to his family business, Timeo SA.

Based in Mendrisio, Switzerland, the family business is Swiss, through-and-through, and was a supplier to the Roger Dubuis company, back in the pre-Richemont days. Andreatta’s involvement here was far from casual – he was managing Timeo from 2003 till 2013. “My father made one of the first cases for Roger Dubuis,” said Andreatta in a piece published online by the South China Morning Post; Andreatta’s father is the founder of Timeo SA.

Andreatta also started his own watch brand, N.O.A. Watches in this period, and is a familiar face to many collectors and journalists thanks to his stint as Vice President and General Manager of Tiffany & Co, Swiss Watches SAGL. This was when we first encountered Andreatta, as he toured Asia in 2015 and 2016. As it happens, he is also quite familiar with the watch trade here because his first professional engagements were in this region, after he graduated with a business degree in 1997.

In our first interaction, Andreatta told us that he needed 10 years to make watches a successful part of the American jeweller’s business. This figure should not be scoffed at, with no less than Jean-Claude Biver himself noting that it took him a decade to build up Hublot. Fortunately, Roger Dubuis finds itself in a good position already, with previous CEO Jean-Marc Pontrué having left the manufacture a better place than when he found it. Andreatta is certainly not about to change any of that, telling us that he intends to keep the production numbers of Roger Dubuis stable for at least three years.

Armed with an infectious smile and a magnetic personality, Andreatta is the sort of business leader who makes you feel like you can achieve great things. This is precisely the quality a CEO needs to have, which is not something that can be learned. His own history with watchmaking leaves him perhaps uniquely suited to the top job, especially at a firm that is very much of this contemporary age.

Andreatta was in Singapore in late 2019 to officiate the opening of the refurbished Roger Dubuis boutique at ION Orchard.  We caught up with him for a chat about the brand and his plans for its future.

As the new man at Roger Dubuis and Richemont, what’s the welcome been like?

It has been incredible! My family business was connected with Roger Dubuis, right from the beginning (from the era of Mr Roger Dubuis and Carlos Dias), so I know the brand. But I’ve discovered even more. The introduction was fun, because you know, my father came to SIHH this year, and now he sees me on the other side! There’s pride there of course.

You’ve been in watchmaking your entire professional life. How has this helped you at Roger Dubuis?

The good thing about my career is that I know pretty much every single job in a watch company! I know how to manufacture watches physically; I know how to use the machines; I’ve designed watches; I’ve worked in the business of making watches in Switzerland, and in Asia; working with the suppliers… This is an advantage because it allows me to be closer to my team.

Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Double Flying Tourbillon

One thing I heard from my team was that they were happy to be able to discuss production with me, which may not have been the case with other CEOs (who don’t have the relevant experience in watchmaking). I know what I’m talking about and this allows me to find the trust and respect I need from my team. (In turn) I’m more useful to them because they find in me a partner instead of a boss.

When I came to Roger Dubuis, I discovered amazing things, yes, and maybe the people who had been there for 10 years (or more) didn’t see those things anymore. They are so focussed on what they do that they don’t change perspectives (so this is where I can contribute).

Roger Dubuis has been described as entrepreneurial. What doe that mean to you?

I say Roger Dubuis is an entrepreneurial brand because of our size, relative to our competitors; there is still a lot of room to grow. In the end, entrepreneurship is all about evolving, learning, growing and improving things. With my team, there’s a lot we can do to take this brand to new heights. With the help of Richemont, we can be entrepreneurial and find the right direction for the brand. As you know, Richemont is the most important watchmaking group in the world.

I hate the idea of chasing customers. I feel like you are successful when they come to you

You’ve spoken about maintaining the direction of the company, but adding your own vision. What is that vision?

I cannot really tell you my vision, because we like surprises at Roger Dubuis! What I can say is that changing completely what Jean-Marc Pontrué (he is currently CEO of Panerai, another firm within the Richemont stable) did, would be a mistake. He traced a very good line with the partnerships between Roger Dubuis and Pirelli as well as Lamborghini; this has been very successful for us. Because of this, we manage to express ourselves in the territory that we want…with all the adrenaline and the style of excess. It is all about evolution for us, rather than dramatic changes. There will be bumps of disruption here and there because that is everything Roger Dubuis is about. For example, there is something coming next year that will (really speak to the brand’s reputation) as a serial innovator. You will see at Watches & Wonders (the new name of the SIHH) in Geneva.

Roger Dubuis calls itself a “serial innovator.” What does that mean?

Innovation is not only in the product for us – it is also about the company. Now, you cannot just go to the staff and say I want 10 ideas from each of you. No, you have to create the environment for creativity and innovation. Innovation can come from anywhere in the company – maybe the cleaning staff have incredible ideas and bring a new perspective. You know, I asked the marketing people to think about production; I asked the finance people to think about the design. Crazy and incredible things came up! I mean, our CFO is a potential client after all!

Roger Dubuis Excalibur Pirelli Automatic Skeleton

All watchmaking brands want to reach young people, but it seems a certain generation is resistant to standard forms of luxury marketing. How does Roger Dubuis address this?

I hate the idea of chasing customers. I feel like you are successful when they come to you. It’s like what Steve Jobs said about creating desire; a need for something (that they never knew they needed). I feel like we’ve been overwhelming people with luxury, inflating products with higher and higher prices…and people tend to understand less and less. My problem isn’t about the price (per se) but to make sure the perceived value is aligned to what they are going to spend. Because that’s when they spend with us.

Why do you want to keep Roger Dubuis’ production to its current levels? Is this to maintain the exclusivity of the watches?

I’m not into selling watches; I’m into creating a brand that people want to come to. It is about having a beautiful experience, and (a Roger Dubuis watch) should be a sign of the life you want to live. (This is) the Roger Dubuis world, where people live the life they want to. Our customers are a sort of tribe.

Our world is connected to hedonism – to seeking pleasure. When customers come to us, they get an experience. It is beyond what money can buy. We create moments for our customers: when they come to Geneva we take them skiing on a glacier via helicopter with a champion skier; we take them flying on an aerobatic plane. We offer sensorial experiences. These moments create emotions, and those emotions are what people will remember.

Roger Dubuis Excalibur Quator Carbon

Given that Roger Dubuis has a certain pedigree, is it dangerous to veer so far from the origins of the manufacture?

These experiences (that I talked about) are not only about (thrill-seeking); they are about things that bring you pleasure, like wine or great hospitality. So we will also be connecting to the very beginnings of Roger Dubuis – our complications. We are going to be redesigning our traditional Excalibur case. We will be looking once more at our tourbillons, our minute repeater, our perpetual calendar…always with a twist!

I want us to stop talking about men’s watches and women’s watches; this is a bit anachronistic today. Why should we limit ourselves in this way?

We also use Mr Roger Dubuis’ quotes with our staff internally all the time. This is the spirit we need because we need to be true to our DNA. Too many brands lose this when they go looking for clients – they try to be the brand for everybody. We are not the brand for everybody; we are the brand for those few who understand who we are and want to be a part of our world.

That’s a very exclusive message. How do you make that fit with raising awareness for the brand?

This is the biggest challenge for us. We don’t need awareness everywhere but we (definitely need it) with our target group. You know, of all the marketing tools out there I think that word-of-mouth might be the best one to make sure that the brand gets renowned in the right circle of friends. I want to extend Roger Dubuis’s circle, invite more people into the tribe; if they find what they like (in our world) they will come back.

Roger Dubuis Excalibur Spider Carbon

Turning back to the world of adrenaline, why is it so much easier to understand the passion for cars than it is to understand the same passion for watches?

A watch is more difficult to understand because a car gets you from place to place, basically. In our world, a car has to be noisy and (provoke) emotions. Watches, on the other hand, when you start talking about complications, (you enter) a very peculiar world. There is something philosophical there. It is about the quest to control time, which is impossible. I love the idea that there is a connection between the (engines of time) and the concept of time. You must also not forget about the metiér – the handwork. When people come to the manufacture, they understand what the Geneva Seal means – that every component has to be finished by hand. This changes perceptions because people realise that it takes (the input) of hundreds of people to develop and produce a movement.

Despite having made many more calibres in the recent past than most other brands, even much larger ones, Roger Dubuis only has two collections now. Will you be changing this?

The beauty about our past is that we’ve been very creative – maybe too creative! We need to choose our battles, and be focussed on how we express ourselves. There were just too many things in the past and (Pontrué) did an amazing job in reducing our collections to just the Excalibur and the Velvet; one for men and one for women.

I want us to stop talking about men’s watches and women’s watches; this is a bit anachronistic today. Why should we limit ourselves in this way? It’s a myth that watches with diamonds (and other gems) are only for women; plenty of Asian customers like this. Who says that women should only wear small watches? I know a lot of women who wear 45mm or 47mm watches! For sure I will stop (defining watches as) men’s or ladies’.

Day41, the latest Code41 watch for both men and women

The X41 was over-subscribed for both rounds, raising close to CHF 6 million

Built upon the brand’s DNA of transparency, community, and fair prices, Code41 watches are a watch collector’s dream given form. Ordinarily, following a “wish-list” of design elements and attributes contributes to a ‘many chef’s spoil the soup” situation but when it came to Code41, the crowdsourced input resulted in a collection that is not only appealing but substantially differentiated from many “kickstarter” generation of watches. Day41, the latest Code41 watch to follow the crowd-sourced “design & build” model recalls the openworked aesthetics of its premium predecessor without the price tag. But in order to understand the value proposition of the Day41, it stands to reason that we need to understand the philosophy of the watch models that came before it.

Who is Code41?

In this age of kickstarter watches, many brands make claims of “disrupting” a billion dollar industry but most if not all, never seem to do anything worthwhile with their clout and connection. The internet has democratised a lot of watch knowledge and where Code41 watches excel is that their early projects focused on the high-end segment of Swiss watchmaking – a rarity in most instances – building their provenance with the early foundations of something they called the X41.

Founded by luxury timepiece designer Claudio D’Amore in 2016, a 10 year veteran at brands like TAG Heuer and Montblanc, he understood that the coins of the realm of haute horlogerie spun on two precepts – provenance, and where lacking, the know-how and reputation gained from creating a manufacture (in-house) or collaborating on the creation of an exclusive calibre. The Code41 X41 with Grande Date (usually featured in the highest echelons of watchmaking) and peripheral weight (a technical feat seen only in a handful of ultra-thin watch models in the industry), had each component machined in Switzerland, exclusively for the Code41 community and decorated according an active forum discussion of member feedback.

What result was impressive, decoration and assembly executed by hand, with aesthetics which were referential to modern sport luxury timepieces but not derivative – a tough challenge even for established watchmakers. The Code41 X41 featured unique design language without being too unfamiliar – a circular bezel upon a cushion midcase with pronounced Code41 (now) signature lugs – it was a visual language that was recognisable yet distinct from an increasingly crowded marketplace of “me too” sportive luxury watches.

Code41 Anomaly 01

The Evolution of Code41 watches

After achieving close to CHF 6 million across two rounds of Kickstarter funding and selling 1150 timepieces the X41 with its Limited edition movement designed, manufactured and assembled entirely in Switzerland, set watch connoisseurs on notice.

After establishing their horological kudos, Code41’s next editions: The Anomaly 01 and Anomaly 02 were a little more approachable. “Total Transparency on Origin” or TTO is a concept on which Code41 watches are built. This means that its 300,000 strong community have knowledge of origin, material and production costs – hence a typical 20,000€ manufacture calibre timepiece like the X41 ended up retailing for 5,500€, a three to four multiplier mark-up accounting for design, manpower and profitability for business continuation and also research & development.

Having established a design language in terms of its undeniably masculine yet exquisitely refined case, the Anomaly 01 looked to Japan, the land of ultra-reliable Japanese Miyota 82S7 movement, a work-horse calibre found in most other entry level micro-brand. It’s no X41 but neither it is priced like one, nevertheless, the same finishing and decorative touches, albeit machine finished now rather than by hand, attempt to replicate the style and countenance of its premium predecessor, executed in a variety of materials ranging from the more commonplace PVD coated steel treatment to the more exciting forged carbon case. Code41’s Anomaly 02 combines the character and technicality of the case with an understated and elegant engine-turned guilloche dial fronting a robust Swiss ETA 2824 automatic calibre.

Introducing Day41, the world’s first crowd-sourced women’s designed timepiece

The Day has arrived, the latest Code41 watch for both men and women: Day41

“In attempting to create a beautiful women’s watch, in the end we’ve quite simply made a beautiful watch, regardless of gender.”

Conceived to fulfil a market demand for a dedicated women’s timepiece, Day41 was emblematic of Code41’s desire to create a beautiful women’s watch and in endowing the concept with the architecture and structure (sans Grande Date) reminiscent of the X41, that is to say – open worked dial with exposed bridges featuring alternating sand-grained and cotes de Geneve finishing, the resulting Day41 was dangerously closed to be a missed opportunity in creating an appealing, gender-neutral timepiece.

Mechanical watches and their inherent need for regular manual intervention like date and time setting should the power reserve run empty or even manual winding via the crown were traditionally thought of antithesis to well-manicured feminine fingers. However, the women of the Code41 community showed that they too are fond of raw, machined, mechanical designs; and the heightened, yet refined creativity of the Code41 Day41 is exemplary of feminine input.

The signature Code41 case returns in its sophisticated elegance, reworked to appropriately smaller 37mm and 40mm proportions as opposed to 42mm on its predecessor X41 and Anomaly series of Code41 watches. That said, its recognisable “Code41” lugs and chambered structure, reinforcing the visual DNA of the brand, still carrying the attention to fine decorative details like glossing to micro-beading emblematic of Code41 watchmaking.

Where Code41’s Day41 excels, comparative to the Anomaly series, is the design codes recalling the skeleton dial of the more premium X41. Instead of a Miyota or ETA2824, Code41 opted for a STP6-15 automatic calibre from Swiss Technology Production. Even in default form, the skeletonised calibre is based on the STP1-11, a clone of the popular ETA 2824-2 with higher technical specifications: namely, a longer mainspring and hence greater 44 hour power reserve and incorporating Hacking Seconds- the seconds hand stops when the crown is pulled for time adjustment position, lending itself to greater precision time setting and Hand Winding, the ability for manual winding.

From the first step of DAY41 to the last, only the votes of the female members CODE41 community were taken into account. This direct, democratic approach to traditional mechanical watchmaking design showcases aesthetic choices which even surprise a veteran watch journalist like myself – masculine skeleton bridges were chosen by the voters as opposed to what I perceived as gentler, more feminine organic forms. Though Chapter 27 revealed some simultaneously surprising and unsurprising information – men do like diamonds on their watches but paired with more subdued colour palettes like PVD black or matte grey finishing while women opted for rose gold models with precious stones.

As a micro-brand, Code41 isn’t exactly disrupting the industry like what other kickstarter watch brands’ bombastic (and unbelievable) claims, however, speaking from a watch connoisseur’s perspective, Code41’s approach to crowd-sourced design is revealing aesthetic choices and consumer preferences that established watchmakers should definitely take note of or risk being disrupted.

All Code41 Day41 pieces sold during the 30 days of pre-sales will be Creator Editions [PRE-ORDER].
Number of first edition pieces available: 1,000 watches for delivery in September/October 2020

Day41 Price and Specs

Movement Automatic STP6-15 movement with 44 hours power reserve
Case 37mm or 40mm stainless steel with 50 metres water resistance
Strap Steel or leather including 3 Eco-friendly straps made from recycled leather, flax, and paper
Price From $900

 

Discover Lucerne, the city of art, nature and music

Named the “gateway to Central Switzerland”, Lucerne is lake city within the mecca of fine Swiss watchmaking Switzerland and Swiss chocolates.

And it is known for its many natural wonders, medieval architecture and unique love for art and music, a prominent city in Switzerland quite unlike any other.

So, we’ve decided to fly across the region to take a look what makes Lucerne the city to be when travelling to Europe.

The Natural Wonders of Lucerne

It goes without saying that Switzerland is the place to be for snow-capped mountains and Lucerne is the city that marks the starting point of the Swiss Alps with a long list of amazing snow-capped wonders.

And a must on our the list is Mount Titlis that peaks at 3,020 metres above sea level in the quaint alpine town of Engelberg, it is the perfect place for extreme sports enthusiasts as it even offers mountain biking and devil biking in the summer months.

For winter months and skiing aside, you can opt for to walk deep inside the glacier caves in Titlis, which is a wondrous nature’s spectacle. Maybe take a ride on its Ice Flyer to see the winter wonderland on bird’s eye view or be adventurous and sign up for the Titlis cliff walk!

And Mount Titlis also has the Titlis Rotair, which is the world’s first revolving cable car that you can use to ascend to the winter wonderland.

The Lucerne Old Town

Within Lucerne itself, the place you need to spend at least a day or two in, is the Old Town area, where the most historical landmarks of the city lie, alongside various retail shops and dining spots.

In Lucerne’s Old Town, one of the things to feast your eyes on are the various wall paintings on the architecture scattered in the area, where some even date back to the 17th-century.

And contrasting these medieval murals are the many international and local retailers that found home within the structures and, of course, souvenir shops where you can pick up some gifts for friends and family.

While in the area, remember to take a short hike up the hills to the Zyt CLock Tower, one of the three towers left on a stretch of medieval wall. Here, you can even go inside the tower to marvel at the inner clockwork mechanism!

The Iconic Architectures of Lucerne

When in Lucerne, there are a few important monuments and architectures you absolutely need to see and the first is definitely the Kapellbrücke (or the Chapel Bridge), which is a wooden footbridge that dates back to the 14th century.

A bridge that connects the Old Town and the New Town neighbourhoods, the Kapellbrücke is also an important historical landmark that houses over 150 17th century paintings that depict the history and culture of Lucerne.

And right next to the bridge in the New Town side is the Jesuit Church, an iconic architecture that features a 17th-century Baroque interior that will blow your mind away with its arched ceilings, murals and decor.

Last but certainly not least is the Lion Monument, a legendary landmark that is famed across the globe that is sculpted to commemorate the Swiss Guards who perished during the French Revolution.

Lucerne, The Swiss City of Music

And wrapping up our guide to Lucerne, let’s look at the love for music in this city. If Basel is the city known for its watch-making conventions, then Lucerne is definitely the hub of music in Switzerland, all thanks to the Lucerne Festival, a month-long celebration of all things music.

Comparable to Salzburg in Germany, Lucerne Festival highlights some of the best orchestras, conductors and soloists from around the world including the Vienna Philharmonic and they are all held inside the contemporary landmark of the city, Culture and Convention Center Lucerne (KKL).

Classic music aside, the Lucerne festival also celebrates contemporary and modern music with its many featured events during the festival. A must if you’re in the city in August.

Travel: What to Do and See in Zurich

Morning mood at the Limmat overlooking the Fraumuenster, townhouse and Muensterbruecke, Zuerich. Photo credit: Switzerland Tourism/Ivo Scholz

I expected everything to be tidy and, somehow, symmetrical; as if I’d imagined them as a geometry teacher.

With a population of over 400,000, Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland. The spoken language in Zurich is the Swiss German dialect. As to the quality of living in the world, it’s constantly ranked among the top. Drinking water flows from almost all public fountains.

What to See and Do: Zurich Old Town

Guilds heritage

I’m standing in front of a well-kept building, its muted, rich design in concert with those around it on the tree-lined street. It was a quiet street, a monied street. I saw a limousine parked between two street lamps, diagonally across the heavy ornamental doors of a brownstone building.

In the front seat sat a uniformed chauffeur. The history-steeped guild houses, bear witness to the period between 1336 and 1798 when Zurich’s history was significantly influenced by its guilds. Scattered throughout were hints, worded allusions and a few direct chronological references. These associations attempted to gain political power. They only succeeded in doing so following the Brun’s Guild Revolution during 1336.

Under the leadership of nobleman Rudolf Brun, a Constitution of the Guilds was drawn up, regulating the balance of power in the city. With time, the craftsmen’s guilds also developed into political and military organisations with immense power. The coats-of-arms on the entrances
of various buildings in the Old Town indicate which artisan’s guild used to meet behind closed doors. But if anything, it gives this locale an identity that feels far more character driven, even as law firms and fine dining establishments have infiltrated their confines.

Shopping and dining around Lake Zurich

From Lindenhof, we started walking towards Lake Zurich, around which the city is built. Lindenhof used to be a Roman fort. Nowadays, the square is a worth its weight for the view alone and it’s also a meeting place for amateur chess players. The River Limmat which winds its way past Old Town is a steadfast stream of tranquillity. After dusk, several riverside and lakeside bathing areas are transformed into bars. Boat services provide access to the abundant nature along the southern fringes of the lake.

Once a year, the aptly named Zürcher Theater Spektakel transforms the left bank of Lake Zurich into a stage where members of the contemporary performing arts scene congregate to present spontaneous open-air performances. Situated on the opposite bank of the River Limmat is Schipfe, one of the city’s oldest districts. This quarter is still dominated by artisans today, and visitors can often obtain expert advice from the master craftsmen such as goldsmiths or carpenters.

I walked the length of Bahnhofstrasse that links the Main Station with Lake Zurich. The further you walk towards the lake, boutiques such as Louis Vuitton, Cartier, and Tiffany & Co. come into view. The Jelmoli department store, which opened in 1899, is not only the oldest in Zurich but also the largest department store in Switzerland. The area is also a delightful hunting ground for intrepid gourmets. And I had dinner consisting of compulsory veal and mushroom sauce and rosti at a nearby café. In the vicinity, the Swiss National Museum – also known as the Landesmuseum – is situated just behind Zurich Main Station and houses the country’s largest cultural-historical collection within its fortified walls.

Culture and museums

Not everything has long standing history as I also took a tour of the FIFA World Football Museum (fifamuseum.com). Over 1,000 exhibits tell the story of the game in an interactive and multimedia manner.

Of course, the absolute highlight is, without a doubt, the original FIFA World Cup trophy that was a requisite selfie in the waiting. In the games area, I gave the gigantic pinball machine and other interactive stations a cursory inspection.

FIFA World Football Museum

This was followed by a brisk hike to Grossmünster Church that was built on the very spot where patron saints Felix and Regula died as martyrs. Religion also manifested itself with St. Peter’s Church as the oldest parish church in Zurich. The original foundation walls dating from the ninth century can still be seen under the chancel even as one gazes up at the clock face on the tower.

What to See and Do: Zurich-West

Industrial hotspot: then and now

Zurich-West lies in the valley plain between the River Limmat and the railway’s tracks that run north-west of the main train station. The locals frequently use the term “Zurich-West” to mean the area along Hardbrücke bridge between Hardbrücke train station and Escher-Wyss-
Platz. The area flourished at the tail-end of the 19th century.

Pioneering factory owners thrived with the Limmat river as a water source. This was once an industrial quarter where ships were built and manufacturing in various guises operated. After the 1980s, they gradually moved away, leaving behind empty factory halls. Escher-Wyss-Platz, for example, is named for Escher, Wyss & Cie., founded in 1805, which constructed machines and turbines.

From the industrial- to the trendy quarter – Zurich West. Where once clattered machinery and soot hung in the air, is Zuerich today a trendy nightlife area, Mrs Gerolds garden. Photo credit: Switzerland Tourism/Andre Meier

As the new millennium approached, creative firms and boutique agencies took up residence in these abandoned factories and warehouses with complementary auxiliary service providers following suit. I remember having looked around me and forgetting briefly that I’m just a tram ride away from Zurich Old Town.

Hedge fund managers and auditors walked about and creative types who looked neither going nor seeing anybody, idly chatted away, offering each other more coffee at cafes. The relatively new Prime Tower, with its swanky apartments, offices, and a fine-dining restaurant on the top floor, was my compass.

My guide came to Zurich as an immigrant from Hungary and spoke vividly as she described how this cordoned off industrial district transformed itself organically over the last few decades. It does not reject totally the prevailing styles of architecture but rather assimilates new appendages that provide functional autonomy. You must be precise about most sentiments. I favoured Zurich-West to Old Town despite a very reserved nature that is evident during the day.

Nightlife and local merchandise

When I say I remember the Salvation Army and a badminton hall distinctively it is because I kept going back to Frau Gerolds Garten for the sun on the terrace. It’s a colourful garden that unites an open-air restaurant and a flower nursery to create an urban oasis in the heart of Kreis 5. It’s also hippie (as oppose to hipster) in many ways. Much like how creepers extend their influence on the remains of decaying flora, this is how the district has been reinvigorated. Much of the same veneer still exist. Except that much of it isn’t functioning in its original capacity.

The garden is surrounded by other institutions from Zurich’s nightlife. The range of clubs offering alternative music is subsidised a street further along by other trippy nightlife establishments that resemble garage parties. Despite their cosmetic differences, revellers adopt similar codes of behaviour. It all started in the 1990s, when joints such as Club Palais X-tra (today’s Xtra Club) established themselves in the adjacent Kreis 4 quarter, bringing with them flourishing illegal parties held in the empty buildings without official permits.

I found myself standing in a second-hand shop that sells Swissair cabin crew hand-carried satchels. Concisely called SWISS (swissair.com) these days, as the carrier that took me from Bangkok to Zurich. The throwback artefact fetches a pretty Franc on a good day. Nearby, on sale at the various stands at Zurich’s first market hall are fresh food, delicatessen products, flowers, and household items.

The Gerold-Areal site also abounds in design specialists. Les Halles, for example, is home to numerous quirky items, ranging from vintage racing bicycles to amusing advertising signs and designer furniture. Also nearby, in an impressive tower of stacked-up freight containers, are 1,600 bags and accessories from Freitag – the largest selection in the world of these recycled freeway bags. I purchased a bright yellow Kowalski even as it looked a little worse for wear. That’s the point I guess. Go figure. In the end, I concluded that the area built itself, using its industrial past as a frame, and visualising how the old can be repurposed to carry on a different legacy. Urban planning here invested in supporting infrastructure that jives with its new inhabitant’s attitudes rather than using it as a backdrop. I couldn’t believe that it could be a cohesive whole even with this splinter cell of reinvention that interacts with its neighbour across the river.

Words by Jason Kwong. The writer’s experience was sponsored by Switzerland Tourism.

From: Men’s Folio, August 2017.

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save