Oz in Watch Wonderland

Very rarely does one get the opportunity to actually meet the craftsmen and women that create the watches that we buy. The large brands are increasingly shrouded behind the marketing veil of secrecy and mystique. There is more and more corporate speak about getting close to the customer, whilst in truth the era of political correctness has made this an even greater challenge.

Well in this case things are different. As soon as I got my Observatoire, I emailed Kari Voutilainen that we would like to visit as part of our global trip. He seemed more than happy for us to come and visit him and his Atelier.

The previous day was spent at Greubel Forsey so it was going to be even more interesting to freshly compare and contrast the philosophy driving both independent watch makers. Fully rested from our previous night at the Beau Rivage we were not quite as blessed by the weather gods the next day.  The 40 minute train ride up to Motiers however still managed to showcase the best country lifestyle Switzerland has to offer.

Arriving at Môtiers, we were met at the station by Kari and walked to his house a short distance from the station.

 

We passed an amazing school which reminded me of my youth growing up near Bern.

Finally, we arrive at the gates of Watch Wonderland.

This was an old doctor’s mansion that Kari converted. The Atelier portion of the building was originally a set of apartments with its own side entrance. Machining is done in the basement whilst the watch workshop is in the attic. The family lives in the middle of the house.  It is simply a stunning restoration.

The tour (which quite a few of my collector friends have also been privileged to partake in) starts in the basement. Here is Kari showing me his new milling machine from Haas.

 

This table is full of small machines for particular operations like gear tooth polishing and other finishing operations.

Kari now makes all his dials in-house, this is a rotary guillochage machine.

We also saw machines for linear guillochage.

 

It is obvious Kari has some very talented people within his team.

 

An example of one of Kari's finished dials.

 

Ever the gentleman, Kari allowed me to photograph the dials for his Masterpiece Chronographs (series is finished I asked for one more but to no avail lol).

 

Upstairs in the attic where all the true magic happens.

 

The Vingt-8 movement with direct impulse system with two escapement wheels: this system allows for better accuracy and can even do without lubrication.

An actual Vingt-8 movement in German silver. You can see the traditional Geneva stripes, perlage and anglage.

Kari’s prototype Masterpiece Chronograph amongst a couple of Vingt-8’s. I tried to convince him that I was the ideal person to keep testing the chrono for him but that trick didn’t work. He did mention some future projects which sparked my interest.

It is obvious that Kari is a rare watchmaker who can integrate mechanics and aesthetics with great panache and refinement. Always humble, his watches are understated but full of innovation and the Atelier reflects his philosophy of making everything in-house and maintaining quality by producing a maximum of 40-50 pieces per year.

After a leisurely tour through Kari’s Atelier looking at his watches and production, he took us to lunch in the local cafe/hall/beer house. Unfortunately no photos, but we had the special of the day which was Chilli con carne( I know you, go all the way to Switzerland to have chilli con carne, but it was GOOD), followed by creme brulee. Seriously good, must be all that fabulous Swiss cream and free range eggs.

Not knowing much about Môtiers, we were surprised to find it was (and still is) a town with a history of Absinthe production, apart from watch production. Kari’s facial expressions hinted  at some interesting stories and experiences with this devilish nectar. We suspect the green fairy is alive and well lol.

 

Saying good bye to Môtiers and Kari,  we headed back to Neuchâtel under clearing skies to catch our train to Zurich.

 

Masters of Precision - Greubel Forsey

As part of our global holiday we had arranged to have a visit to the manufacture of Greubel Forsey (‘GF’). Having met Stephen on several occasions we contacted him to see if we could have a tour while we were in Switzerland. In the end it ended up being more than a tour of the workshop as we were invited to lunch and a tour of Musée d'Horlogerie du Locle, Château des Monts with our super tour guide, Phoebe Forsey.

After a two hour drive through the towns and mountains between Zurich and La Chaux-de-Fonds we pulled in to the drive way of Greubel Forsey, and who should be departing but Mr Philippe Dufour. Had I been quicker getting out of the car I would have had a chance to say, “Hello”. Stephen came down to meet us and after a quick chat, guided us up the entrance of the manufacture which is located in a restored barn. We were introduced to Chantel Graff who looks after sales and marketing at GF and then began our tour.

Also located in the restored barn is the bespoke workshop for special orders, the kitchen, the staff lunch room, amenities and a private dining room. Down a few steps and through a sealed door, you are in the heart of the manufacture.

Designed to be environmentally friendly, the modern part of the building is constructed with a double “skin” of glass which allows light and heat from the sun to be utilised to the fullest and controlled to heat and cool the building. The central atrium also floods light in to the centre of the building. The inner shell has doors that can be opened to allow air to circulate. 

The individual departments are spread over three floors, all having full natural light with minimal electrical lighting and each with a relationship to its neighbours on each floor. This allows work to flow in a logical sequence. On the top floor are the workshops where movements are assembled.

 Watching a professional do the ‘perlage’ treatment before I had a go. A ‘daylight’ lamp is used along with natural light so there is no shadow as the work is being carried out. Let’s just say that I am glad the piece I was practicing on was a sample baseplate, my inadequate attempt resulted in even greater admiration of the skilled people who carry out this amazing technical feat.

The precision achieved through the use of CNC machines and finely tuned lathes is astounding, and we had a chance to observe the production of the tiny screws that are used in the movements. Each screw takes 4 minutes to shape and be cut from a 5 metre long piece of steel.

The metal that has been cut away is caught in the liquid that is used to both lubricate and cool the metal and then collected to be recycled. Below are some of the components that come off the lathes.

Vikki’s father would have been in ‘engineers heaven’ had he been a long with us. The CNC machines are state of the art, and run continuously through the day. The CNC machines are used primarily to produce the plates, bridges and cases.

Some of the components produced from the CNC machines.

After all the parts are manufactured they go off to polishing and clean up and are then packaged into the little blue boxes, which have all the components for 1 watch, to await assembly. This enables watches to be built without having to wait for the parts to be manufactured.

Prior to lunch Stephen and Chantel showed us some of the amazing pieces that are produced by Greubel Forsey…..

The one that started it all, the Double Tourbillon 30 Degrees......

My favourite is the Double Tourbillon 30 Degrees Technique......

A breathtaking Quadruple Tourbillion......

The GMT......

Tourbillon 24 secondes Contemporain......

A wonderful selection to choose from......

After such a wonderful showing we were joined by Stephen’s wife Phoebe for lunch. Greubel Forsey have a chef on staff who prepares staff meals as well as catering for guests of the company. We were treated to a delightful 3 course lunch with some wonderful Swiss wines from a local winery Caves de Chambleau.

We would like to thank Stephen, Chantel and Phoebe for their hospitality during our visit and for taking time out of their busy day to show us around the atelier. We would also like to thank the staff of Greubel Forsey for allowing us to peek over their shoulders while they were working.

Can Vintage Rolex Get Any Better Than This?

I previously owned a 5513 and it gave me a lot of joy, but I only had it for short while as it was traded for something bigger.  This is one of the watches I regretted selling, however this time around I was after an example that was close to mint. Four years later I found it. Once I saw this 5513 on my friend’s website, the decision was instantaneous as doubt I would find another of this calibre anytime soon.

Here is some background on this watch and you can see why it is one of the nicest 5513's. It is a PreComex dial which is identified by the fatter crown with smaller oval opening at the bottom and the FT letterings. The watch is from around 1975 and has just returned from a full service at the Rolex Service centre and comes with the benefit of its full 2 year international warranty.

The un-marked dial and matching hands are as good as you could hope for, and are complemented by a fat even case with all engravings clear and sharp. A careful eye will notice that the case has been slightly refinished by Rolex and you can clearly see the sharp factory chamfer to the case edges.

It has original box, oyster booklet, waves booklet, and spare bezel insert.

I just love that 'pre comex' style original 5513 dial which is in excellent condition with a mid tone patina and the original matching tritium hands and bezel pearl.

Can't Get Enough of Gordon Ramsay

During our visit to London we ate at 3 of Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants.

The first one we tried was Gordon Ramsay @ Claridges. Located, obviously, in Claridges Hotel on the corner of Davies and Brook Streets, a short stroll from Oxford Street and New Bond Street. On Thursday we decided we would go for lunch and booked for Friday. We had the option of a la carte or a choice of 3 set menus for our lunch, we ended up choosing the 5 course lunch for £40 with matching wines for an additional £17 (around A$88 total).

The dining room is in a classic, glamourous Art Deco style with colours of light creams and peaches, silver gilding and mirrors galore. Staff are all in pristine black and white and their service standards were exceptional. As Vikki and I were trying not to have any Australian or New Zealand wine on our trip, upon noticing one Kiwi wine on the matching wine list, we asked if they would mind swapping it for something else, which they did with no problems.

First to come out was a canape, followed by the first course an amuse bouche of pea soup....

Second course was some Scottish salmon, blood orange and avocado....

Third course was a very luscious and rich terrine. This was the start of a trip that contained a LOT of foie gras.

Fourth course was a lovely slow cooked veal breast with celeriac and watercress. It is lovely to see an under utilised cut of meat being done in really well.

Then our very summery pre-dessert which would make a wonderful dessert in it’s own right.

And finally the dessert. We saw a couple of these come out to other tables while we were having our lunch. All we saw though was the chocolate dome as it went past. When we were served ours, the dome looked huge, about the size of an inverted, medium mixing bowl. The waiters place the bowl in front of you and then they pour warm chocolate sauce in the centre of the dome which subsequently melts to reveal the hidden surprise of chocolate mousse, ice cream and house made honeycomb.

After dessert we had a glass of champagne and then were asked if we would like to tour the kitchens and finish our champagne in the lounge, a subtle way of moving us from our table so they could reset it. Of course we ran in to an Aussie chef while being shown the kitchen. We asked where we could get a good burger and he pointed us in the direction of Gordon Ramsay’s latest  restaurant Bread Street Kitchen

Bread Street Kitchen was our second taste of Gordon Ramsay's restaurant empire. Located on Bread Street, near St Paul's Cathedral, it occupies 2 floors in a corner of the very modern 1 New Change shopping/office centre. Ground floor is a funky bar, upstairs is the restaurant. Both the bar and restaurant are fitted out in an industrial chic style with lots of bare metal and air conditioning ducts and electrical conduit. The whole area is divided into sections with banquette seating and tables interspersed here and there. Reconditioned lighting has been bought from second hand stores and gives a retro aspect to the room, be it hanging from the ceiling or placed on the top of the banquettes. The classic black and white bistro style floor is a great juxtaposition to the industrial look. The bar also does duty for coffees and breakfasts in the morning.

One of the dining sections

The menu at Bread Street Kitchen has a bit of everything. They have a Raw Bar(oysters etc), wood fired oven,  grills, etc. Vikki had a burger which after seeing it I wish that I had ordered it, I ordered seared yellowfin tuna with a salad of greens, quail egg and shaved fennel. We also had a French white wine which was a great choice.

Our meals

My JLC AMVOX III

Our third Gordon Ramsay restaurant was Maze. Located on Grosvenor Square, just down the road from Claridges, it is located in a lovely old sandstone building, with lots of embassies as neighbours. The interior is quite modern and refined, medium woods, neutral colours, enhanced with the odd splash of colour make for a relaxing room.

We opted for the four course set menu which, surprisingly, you were able to pick the four dishes you wanted. Vikki and I both had the same starter and main but had different second and fourth courses.

The menu board at Maze

Interior Maze

Table setting at Maze

Pressed chicken and foie gras, blood orange, hazelnuts

Pork dumplings, radish, aromatic mushroom broth

Hash brown, bacon and egg, wild garlic

Braised feather blade steak, pommes puree, 
shimeji mushroom and togarishi spice

Of course where I go so does my JLC AMVOX III

Banana and date parfait, butterscotch, walnuts

Apple terrine, rhubarb, custard ice cream

The three Gordon Ramsay restaurants we ate at were fantastic. We discovered that the best way to eat in London is to do the fancy restaurants at lunch time as you can take advantage of the set lunch menus, which are quite cheaper than dining a la carte for dinner. Often they also have matched wines for each course also at a good price.