Fratello Talks: The Experience of Visiting A Swiss Watch Manufacture
Have you ever wanted to know what it’s like to enter the space where watches are made? These very real places remain an abstract thought to most people, as passionate as they may be about the time-telling objects on their wrists. You can read about them, see images and video, and hear all about them, but that only provides a two-dimensional view. As media voices in this field, we have often been lucky to get the immersive experience of visiting a Swiss watch manufacture. Today, Nacho, Lex, and Thomas come together to reminisce and share their experiences and impressions of visiting these places. They also talk about how brands’ facilities differ, touch upon non-Swiss manufactures, and give some advice on how to make the pilgrimage to Switzerland to experience this for yourself. But first, it’s time for a wrist check.
Wrist check
We begin with Thomas, who is back to his old tricks. As founder, CEO, president, and official wrist model of VPC, it should come as no surprise that he’s wearing the brand’s only production model (for now). The Type 37HW only makes room on his wrist when he’s working on a hands-on review of another watch, and as there’s nothing else on the chopping block this week, there it remains.
Lex is back in town, visiting from his newly adopted Genevan postcode. We thought it would only be proper to have him on the podcast. As you can see, he came prepared with his Omega Speedmaster ’57 Broad Arrow “Replica” (ref. 3594.50.00), which remains paired with the sage-green Serica Sport strap. Lex isn’t a habitual strap swapper, so once he finds a combination that works this well (and matches his trousers), he’s not exactly in a rush to change it.
Lastly, Nacho has pulled up with a bit of a surprise. You’ve heard all about this one on a number of past episodes. Most recently, it was mentioned as one of Nacho’s picks for favorite chronographs of 2025. It’s the Aquastar Airstar chronograph — specifically, the variant with the bare stainless steel case. This is a reissue of the eponymous mid-century skin-diver chronograph by Aquastar, and it’s one that undoubtedly does the original justice.
Fratello Talks: The Experience of Visiting A Swiss Watch Manufacture
If you’ve been a long-time reader of Fratello, you’re likely familiar with our field reports on visits to Swiss watch manufactures. You’ve probably even seen our articles on more than a handful of non-Swiss production facilities. But reading what we write and seeing the images we share gives a limited impression of what it’s like to tour one. Today on the podcast, we’re discussing some impressions from visiting these fascinating places. We touch on the measures to prevent cross-contamination or dust entering watchmakers’ spaces, the unexpected scale of operations, and the ever-present smell of oil and lubricants in the workshops.
Finally, we encourage you to visit! We spend a lot of time thinking about and discussing watches and just as much money on the watches themselves, but what could be a better experience than investing in touring a Swiss manufacture? It’s feasible to do so for less than the price of your next big watch purchase. And though we know that many of you live far from Europe, it’s still something we’d recommend you make time for should you ever visit. Several brands, such as Zenith, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Panerai, and Audemars Piguet, offer guided visits. Others, like Omega, IWC, and Patek Philippe, have museums that also open their doors to the public.
Have you ever been lucky enough to visit a watch manufacture? If so, what were your impressions? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to tune in next week for a new episode of Fratello Talks.
