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Time Traveling
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Watch Valley
Keith W. Strandberg
03/01/2005
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Photography by Keith W. Strandberg
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The next day featured a fantastic ride
through the Jura valley, with the road running next to an Alpine stream, to
Fleurier. Chopard is in this small village, and it is here that some of the most
beautiful and complicated watches in the world are made. Chopard designs and
manufactures several of its own movements, including the LUC
tourbillion.
 Located in the same town is the factory and workshop of
Parmigiani Fleurier, where I toured the factory and then had the opportunity to
sit down with the president of the company, Michel Parmigiani. Recently, he
entered into an agreement with Bugatti to manufacture a watch commemorating
their new car. It is a stunningly beautiful watch that defies all conventions,
working as a watch as well as a piece of cutting-edge art. Parmigiani is behind
a new quality standard, the Fleurier Quality Foundation Seal, which specifies
details that must be present in a high-quality watch to receive it. (Click image to enlarge)
 On my
last full day in Switzerland I took the long way around to Basel, not bothering
to map out the route and trusting my instincts to get me there. I treasured that
final ride, relished each curve and every sensation—the crisp mountain air, the
rushing streams next to the road, the climbs and the descents, the switchbacks
and the straight-aways. (Click image to enlarge)
 After more than 3,000 kilometers and two weeks in the
most beautiful country on the face of the Earth, I have learned two things:
First, Switzerland is heaven on Earth for motorcycles, and second, there is no
“one perfect watch.” There are so many great companies and so many fantastic
watches on the market today that it really boils down to personal taste. For
men, the watch is the ultimate accessory; your choice depends on your
personality and where you will wear it. No single watch will be perfect for
everyone. (Click image to enlarge)
Rental homes in Switzerland: www.interhome.ch
General travel info:
www.myswitzerland.com, www.watchvalley.ch
Motorcycle rentals: www.suzuki-center-basel.ch (ask for
Martin or Heinz)
Beach’s Motorcycle Adventures: www.beachs-mca.com
Watchmaking 101
Mechanical timepieces are watches without batteries that require the skill of a
watchmaker to breathe life into them. Wearing a watch with a mechanical movement
is like having a little engine on your wrist, going back to a time when
mechanical products were the norm and handmade items were the order of the
day.
 Companies that design and manufacture their own movements are few and
far between, but they are the pinnacle of the watchmaking art, what is known as
high horology. Designing and manufacturing movements is very respected in the
watch industry and valued by watch lovers the world over. (Click image to enlarge)
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