Away From Desk - Part 1 - Switzerland and the Christopher Ward C60 Trident GMT
Photo by Chris Antzoulis
A freshly pulled espresso is one of the most incredible sights and smells anyone could ask for in the morning. I closed my eyes, lifted the small ceramic cup to my nose, and inhaled a little before bringing it down to my lips. As I stole that first sip, I opened my eyes to the Swiss Alps. From atop Uetliberg, my brother (Frank) and I could see all of Zurich. On a clear day like today, the Alps looked as though they were painted into the backdrop.
The concierge at our charming boutique hotel in the city told us we couldn’t leave Zurich without visiting its mountain. The 360-degree view, now etched in my memory, was inspiring. Sure, it’s a bit of a tourist trap—there’s a hotel atop the mountain, an elevated viewing structure, a restaurant, and, of course, a café. Nevertheless, the view made me realize how little of the world I had seen and caused me to take stock of exactly how I got to this point in my life.
Photo by Chris Antzoulis from atop Uetliberg
The Lead Up
Frank had to twist my arm for over a year to convince me to take a three-week European vacation. I hadn’t left the country on vacation since studying abroad in Florence in 2008 while in college. Technically, that wasn’t an actual vacation, but I enjoyed myself. We’ll revisit Florence in a future article, btw.
I am the type of person who tends to get stuck in a rut, allowing life to chew me up, and then keep chewing until I work up the courage to cause enough of a stir that it spits me back out. In this case, I was convinced I needed a break. The plan was to spend a week in Switzerland to sightsee and look at anything related to watches that we could visit, then a week in Germany to explore and visit NOMOS, followed by a special final week in Florence.
Each leg of the trip was remarkable in its own right and somehow better than I could have imagined. Each week featured a watch that became my companion for the country I was in. This piece is Part 1 of 3.
Switzerland and the Christopher Ward C60 Trident GMT 300
Before leaving for my trip, I searched for an affordable GMT watch I could bring along. I don’t own a watch with a GMT complication, and I thought having one for this adventure would be fun. Friends gave me their recommendations, but I didn’t see anything I liked enough to spend some of my vacation money on. Eventually, I contacted some watch companies to see if I could get a loaner to bring along, and Christopher Ward answered the call without hesitation.
Photo by Chris Antzoulis of Christopher Ward C60 Trident GMT
I have been a fan of Christopher Ward for quite some time. Their modern standout models, like the Bel Canto, C1 Moonphase, and the Twelve, deserve the hype they receive from the enthusiast community. Yet, their base model divers, field watches, and GMTs are all well-built and top contenders in their respective genres. They sent me their blue C60 Trident GMT on their consort bracelet (Grazie mille to Mike and Andrew from Christopher Ward). I also packed a bunch of fabric and rubber straps to switch it up each day.
On the day my brother and I trekked to the top of Uetliberg, I was wearing the Trident on a yellow rubber strap. It was our last full day in Zurich, and I wanted to be as vibrant as possible. Once we reached the top, there was a six or seven-story tall structure that you could pay to climb to get an even more elevated and unobstructed view of the surroundings. A fun fact about me is that I’m petrified of heights. I find it difficult to stand on a step stool, let alone on a steel structure that was slightly swaying with the gusts atop the mountain. My brother convinced me to go up, and I’m glad he did. Although I couldn’t raise my hands to take a decent photo because they were trembling too much, I was still able to feel the power of the incredible landscape.
I felt like I had everything I could ever want. It was a moment to feel carefree and still privileged enough to take in so much natural beauty while realizing I was creating a core memory alongside my favorite person in the world. I remember glancing down at my watch and noting the time: about 9:30 am, and then the GMT hand at 3 am back home on the United States East Coast. There was so much space between myself, my family, and my friends still sleeping back home. Even with everything I could see, there was still so much I couldn’t, and for some reason, this brought me comfort. Before a strong gust wiggled the steel structure, I remembered that it was fucking terrifying, and I made my way back down all the steps in a quickfasthurry.
Frank and Chris Antzoulis atop Uetliberg
When my brother and I were leaving Zurich, we went to pick up a rental car. My brother splurged to spend a bit extra on a BMW 8 series that we could have fun taking turns driving around the mountain roads of Switzerland. When we went to pick up the car, they informed us that the last driver had been in a minor accident with it, and we were offered a BMW SUV, which my brother begrudgingly accepted. He loves driving, and this was perhaps the thing he was most looking forward to on our trip. When we found the SUV in the parking garage, he started walking toward it like Charlie Brown walking home after Lucy pulled the football out from under him. I spoke up and suggested we go back downstairs to explain that we were eager to drive a sporty car through the mountains, and that this situation was unacceptable because it wouldn't offer us the same experience. We went down to do just that, and they upgraded us at no extra cost to a brand new BMW M4.
It was worth it to see my brother’s face as we whipped around mountain roads, surpassing light speed and moving to ludicrous speed as we made our way to our next stop—the quaint town of Sant-Ursanne. This medieval city, with a population of around 1,000 people, does not allow people living outside the city to bring their cars in. Therefore, we parked on the outskirts and made our way in.
Saint-Ursanne
In Saint-Ursanne, time seemed to slow down. It was a drizzly gray day, and since it was Monday, most things were closed. Don’t get me started on how much is closed in Switzerland on Sundays and Mondays; it was the only bit of hostility I carried with me during the trip. Anywho…we were the only two people walking around. I’m not exaggerating. We drifted down the streets, capturing the colors of each house and building we passed. I wondered how people could live so quietly. I’m used to my neurodivergent brain bouncing from thought to thought like a train off the rails, especially when things get quiet. Shockingly, I didn’t feel that in Saint-Ursanne. Instead, life’s frivolous extras started vanishing. I felt no urge to check my phone or post on social media. There was no need to reach out to anyone to let them know what I was up to or share the experience I was having the moment I was having it. The experience was lived and appreciated in real-time.
Photo by Chris Antzoulis of the river separating Saint-Ursanne
A stone bridge connected the central part of the small city to another section just across a narrow river. While on the bridge, Frank walked back toward the main part to find a restroom, leaving me alone. I listened to the rushing water and couldn’t hear a single vehicle or person in the distance. After a few minutes, I walked under an arch at the end of the bridge and back into the city. I could hear my brother because his footsteps clearly reverberated off the walls of the connected homes and closed businesses down the street. We didn’t speak much for the rest of our time in Saint-Ursanne. I think we were both going through something significant, finding ourselves in such a pure space, concerned only with the experience we were having.
Biel - Omega/Swatch Museums
After leaving Saint-Ursanne, we made our way to our next boutique hotel in a small town conveniently close to several watch hubs, namely Le Locle and our next stop, Biel/Bienne. We arrived at Omega and Swatch's manufacturing headquarters in Biel the following morning. Knowing that we were going to Swatch to see some fun and funky watches throughout their history, I wanted to match their funkiness. I put my hot pink rubber strap on the Christopher Ward. It matched well with the dark blue dial and gave me the required level of yee-haw I was looking for.
Photo by Chris Antzoulis of Omega Manufacture
Both museums were located in the same building between the Swatch and Omega facilities. The second floor housed the Swatch Museum, which was every bit as vibrant as I had anticipated. As a watch enthusiast who sips the “Swatch saved the mechanical watch industry” tea, the vibrancy of all their products in one space immediately explodes over you like a style grenade. This large room offered a lot of fun. The highlight for me was a wall that spanned the entire length of the museum, featuring rotating displays for each year of Swatch’s existence. Each display showcased dozens of watches released during the year of the rack they were on. Some years required multiple racks. You could spin them yourself, and the watches were only connected by the upper portion of their straps, allowing you to touch and inspect all of them. It was fascinating to see the company's growth and the evolution of trends over time.
Photo by Chris Antzoulis in Swatch Museum
The Omega Museum was on the third floor. Before getting to all the watches, we had to walk through a long corridor of Omega advertisements throughout history. At the end, there was a theater set inside a structure resembling a Speedmaster Professional case. It felt as if we were stepping inside a watch. I expected a film that would immerse us in the movement's inner workings, maybe even showing how it operates from the inside. However, the movie they played was so lackluster that I completely forgot what it was about. When it finished and the doors opened, we turned the corner to see a room divided into three distinct sections. If you’re familiar with Omega, you can probably guess what they were: James Bond, the Moon, and the Olympics. Each display had some interactive elements, but they were generally more sterile than those in the Swatch Museum. Nonetheless, we enjoyed exploring Omega’s incredible watchmaking history.
After leaving the museums in the main building, we visited the Swatch shop right outside and decided it would be nice to buy souvenirs to commemorate the experience. We asked if they had the Snoopy MoonSwatch, and sure enough, they had it available in both white and black colorways. So, Frank picked up the black MoonSwatch and I chose the white. I had never been convinced by the Omega x Swatch collaboration until that moment; it felt perfect and a beautiful way to remember the day.
Le Brassus and the Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet
The day after our Omega/Swatch outing, we trekked to Le Brassus to visit the Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet. I want to emphasize that of all the museums I visited on this trip, none compared to the curated experience that AP provides when you visit their museum. It’s not the easiest museum to see, as you must book well in advance, and they only allow a handful of people in at a time. Unfortunately, we did not book the museum in time. Alas, that did not stop us.
Photo by Chris Antzoulis outside the AP Museum
Frank called the museum and informed them of the day we would be in the region. He also asked if we could visit, as it was on our list. They reached out the next day to let us know they could accommodate us. What ended up happening was that they had a tour scheduled for children and their parents, but only one child had signed up. They called the parents who wanted to change their day and time so their child could go on a tour with other children. AP created an entirely new all-adult tour, which they opened up to others, including us.
When we arrived at the museum, we were led into a beautifully decorated living room, where we were offered coffee, water, and chocolates. Our guide sat with us and began asking each of us questions to introduce ourselves. We felt like a little family of enthusiasts, all from different countries, approaching the experience with varying levels of knowledge and expertise in the hobby. Frank took a moment to let our guide know that I write about watches, which led to me being put in the hot seat several times during the tour regarding questions involving watches and horology. However, one of the questions she asked me before the tour started was about the watch I was wearing. I showed her the Christopher Ward Trident GMT on my wrist, and she gave me a quick platform to talk about the brand with our group. Introducing some folks who had never heard of Christopher Ward to the brand was great, and the fun of doing it inside the AP museum added an extra level of awesome.
Photo by Chris Antzoulis inside the AP Museum
The AP Museum, designed and constructed by the Bjarke Ingels Group from Sweden, is a marvel to behold. It is a tremendous spiral that rises from the ground like a coiled mainspring in a watch. The structure is supported entirely by curved glass walls, allowing you to see the whole museum from one edge to the other as nothing obstructs your view. As we walked along the horological spiral, we realized it was arranged chronologically and technologically. The tour began with the founders and the family tree, showcasing the first pocket watches they built while also guiding the group through the development of AP’s movements and complications.
Each section of watches included an interactive experience. In most cases, these experiences were literal automatons, brilliantly constructed to demonstrate how their movements and complications functioned, but they each did so in a manner that told a story. Whether it was a man jauntily walking through a city to show how an escapement works or a race car whipping around a track to demonstrate how a rattrapante chronograph keeps time, I entered this experience understanding some of these things. Still, I was in awe of the intricacy and artistry that went into these displays.
On the furthest outskirts of the coil, a handful of watchmakers were working at their stations. Our guide informed us that these watchmakers constructed AP’s most complicated watches, producing only a few a year. I saw someone place a watch in a suitcase, and a couple of armed men left with it. I want to think that was John Mayer getting his next hype piece, but it’s probably going to be somewhere far less exciting, like the wrist of an oil baron in Saudi Arabia.
Despite my fear that this part of the adventure would be pretentious, the experience and the people at AP were truly magnificent. (Don’t worry; the Patek Museum is still coming up.) After the tour, Frank and I walked in the field behind the museum to take photos and check out the equally impressive AP hotel next door. During the entire drive back to our hotel, we yammered about how cool it was and how welcome we felt.
Sophie’s Watch World, Geneva, and Patek Philippe
The final stretch of our time in Switzerland was spent in Geneva, but we had to stop before entering the city proper to visit one of my best friends in the watch world, Sophie Cassaro from @sophies.watch.world. Frank and I pulled up to her lovely home, where we were greeted with all of Sophie’s grace and hospitality. As we played with Sophie’s son, we talked watches and shared a few pieces that we had only seen in each other’s photos.
#ChrisPose snapped by Chris Antzoulis with Sophie
For me, this is the wonder of the hobby. Watches and our inherent silliness initially connected Sophie and me online. As we have worked through our own art forms in this industry, Sophie has been there for me as a friend, and we have pushed each other as creators. Once I overcame the surreal aspect of meeting someone I consider a close friend in person for the first time, she put me in the spotlight—or rather, the ring light. I was in awe of how natural it is for Sophie to step into character and do her thing. It was so much fun to do that with her. I believe my brother chuckled at how nervous I was to be filmed. However, it was also fun to introduce Frank, the person who introduced me to watches, to a friend I made because of it.
Sophie fed us, and then we moseyed on down to Geneva, where my brother received our first speeding ticket of the trip from one of their well-hidden cameras. Whoops. I also don’t think he paid it, so I guess we’re fugitives now. We arrived at our hotel, located right on the scenic Lake Geneva, and checked in. Afterward, we returned the car and made our way to the Patek Philippe Museum.
Listen, I will keep this brief. In light of Thierry Stern’s recent comments about those who dare to criticize the brand, these are not watches I would ever aspire to own, as much as I appreciate them and the watchmakers behind them. We visited the museum well before the comments were made, and our assessment, especially after the experience at AP, was that it was indeed a stuffy experience. The watches and their history were a spectacle, especially the floor exhibiting timepieces made in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. However, the experience was not particularly inviting. And now we know that this is how the President of the brand views those of us who don’t own a Patek—uninvited. Yet, as cattle to shuffle through the corridors of a museum, gawking at watches behind glass for 10 Swiss Francs a head, well, that’s dandy.
MB & Holy F! Traditional Watchmaking in Reverse
Our final full day in Switzerland was special. I put the Christopher Ward Trident back on its consort bracelet before hitching a ride to MB&F. That’s right, we were on our way to the M.A.D. House. Before our trip, I chatted with my friend Simon of @Escapement24, who worked a bit of magic and connected me with some of Max Busser’s wonderful friends.
Photo by Chris Antzoulis of the talented watchmakers in the M.A.D. House
The M.A.D. House is located on an unassuming road in Geneva. It is not visible from the street, and even as we approached, our cab driver asked, "Are you sure it’s here?” We shrugged, stepped out of the car, and began walking around what appeared to be an empty building until we saw a small gate with an intercom bell. We walked up to it and said we had come for a tour of the M.A.D. House. A pleasant voice said, “Walk right up,” and the gate lifted.
We were charmed by the old mansion and snapped a few photos of it and the mesmerizing sculpture outside. The door opened, and we were greeted by Baptiste, an MB&F employee who would give us a tour of the facility. The house was a mixture of old and modern elements. Baptiste informed us that they were not allowed to alter the old house in any way. Hence, any decoration MB&F put up had to be over what was already there to maintain the home's historical integrity. He then started the tour in a conference room on the top floor.
We walked past a pedestal with a statue of the manga character UFO Robot Grendizer and up the steps, where the walls were covered in comic book art. All of my inner nerd surfaced, recalling my past work with Marvel and creating my own indie comic books. It was so cool to see those concepts displayed at the home base of one of my favorite watchmaking ateliers. We finally entered the conference room and sat at a table, behind which was a collection of GPHG and other watchmaking awards, just strewn willy-nilly on a shelf. But once Baptiste started talking, we learned that while the awards may be displayed haphazardly, the pursuit of the work was more important to the folks at MB&F than the glory of the reward.
Photo by Chris Antzoulis of the M.A.D. House
Unlike most traditional watchmaking houses, which build watches around one of their movements, we learned that MB&F starts with the architectural design of a case that Max himself dreams up. This design is then taken to their watchmakers, where the question is posed: "Is it possible to put a movement inside this?” And that’s where the real work comes in. A movement is designed and constructed to conform to the architecture of Max’s science fiction. It’s traditional watchmaking, just in reverse!
MB&F is upfront about their “Friends.” They collaborate with the best manufacturers in the business to build the components of their watches. These manufacturers are credited for their work, and the components are organized into neat boxes for the MB&F watchmakers to assemble. Instead of working on an assembly line, the six watchmakers at MB&F independently assemble entire watches from start to finish. Frank and I were allowed to take photos of everything we saw in the mansion. The watchmakers were gracious enough to let us get close to witness the intricacy and craftsmanship behind their work.
Exiting the mansion, we walked down a hallway lined with dozens of employee photos. Baptiste emphasized the importance of camaraderie, friendships, and family. The belief in the beauty of their work is shared, reflecting a balance between having fun and achieving excellence.
After leaving, we wanted to follow our M.A.D. House experience with a visit to the MB&F M.A.D. Gallery in Geneva. Frank and I were the only two people in the gallery, where we met Hervé Estienne, the head of the gallery, who was very pleasant. He gave us a tour of the incredible works of timekeeping art. He talked about cameras and motorcycles with my brother and about sneakers and watches with me. He shared stories about his time in the industry. Hervé spent about an hour with us, which was the perfect way to end our time with the brand and in Switzerland.
Reflection
Our last meal in Geneva was a humble fondue dinner on the lake, a spot that Hervé recommended. The time Frank and I spent together is something I’ll never forget. It was a week during which I had little to no anxiety—a rarity for me—and could focus on the present.
Photo by Chris Antzoulis of the sunset on Lake Geneva
The best story I can share to summarize this part of the trip occurred during the final two and a half days in Geneva. My brother and I each brought one carry-on suitcase for our three-week trip. By the end of the first week, we needed to do laundry, and the prices our hotel charged were outrageous. So, we decided to wash our clothes in the tub with soap and water. We greatly underestimated how long it would take for our clothes to dry, so this process consumed our entire time in Geneva. Our hotel room resembled a thrift store, with clothes hanging from everything we could find to use as hangers and towels underneath to soak up the droplets. Each time we returned to our room, we opened all the windows to let the air circulate and blow-dried our jeans and sweaters. When it came time to go to the airport for the next part of our trip, Germany, we wore the dampest clothes out so they could finish drying on our bodies. We laughed through every moment, joked about being “white trash,' and enjoyed our time together. All because we could share in the overall incredible experience we had.
Photo by Chris Antzoulis of the Christopher Ward C60 Trident GMT
As we walked back to the hotel from our fondue dinner, the sunset was explosive. I felt that the world was reflecting how I was feeling, that all the warmth and color swirling in my chest was thrown into the sky.
Thank you to Christopher Ward for providing me with a watch for this experience. The openness of this community goes hand in hand with my gratitude throughout my trip. While the Trident GMT was a fun companion that worked with every strap I brought along, it was the brand's good faith that impacted me. The GMT function allowed me to reconcile with my life back home and appreciate my time spent away.
Transparency
I am in open communication with Christopher Ward, however, they did not pay me to promote the brand in any way, nor did I keep the watch they sent. It was returned to them after my trip.
