Swiss Watch Academy: create your own Louis Chevrolet watch
In close collaboration with Louis Chevrolet, the Swiss Watch Academy proposes no less than an immersion into the inherent magic and pleasure of watchmaking.
By Emmanuel Adler
By the end of their immersion, participants in this discovery program will not only have increased their knowledge of watchmaking to a great extent but they will also have the huge pleasure of owning a watch that they helped craft.
Immersed in the manufacture
This kind of initiative might not seem new. However, the Swiss Watch Academy takes the experience much farther, as we will see. On the day of the event, apprentices will first discover the different crafts of watchmaking: creating a dial, a crown, several movement parts, a case and several diverse finishes. All these crafts can be found at manufactures that master all the watchmaking steps and supply the leading brands who themselves consider these manufactures an industrial tool.
Accompanied by highly qualified watchmakers, participants will then learn about the different stages of assembling: fitting the barrel, the gear train, the bridge; the different steps of casing and the different final controls of the lever, as well as the adjusting organ. After that, all they will need to do is choose a strap, attach it to the watch, and wear it. As a bonus, the watches that participants create during the day will be part of a unique limited-series exclusive to the program and will be numbered Louis Chevrolet. Its finish will be top notch.
Mobile and portable watch workbench
To render this experience even more interesting, the workshop can take place anywhere. Indeed, being able to transform any table or desk into a workbench (i.e. making it the standard height for a watchmaker’s requirements) enables the Swiss Watch Academy to organize the event anywhere. This idea reminds us particularly of team building concepts so much in-vogue in modern management or at events organized by clubs or associations. In the long run, there are endless possibilities. The immersion into Swiss watchmaking culture is open to all and can be organized as part of a tourist visit.
The Louis Chevrolet watch, a model that is exclusive to the Swiss Watch Academy. Limited and numbered series.
The founder of the Swiss Watch Academy, Tony Muller, has chosen high level partners such as André Saunier from Louis Chevrolet who supplies watch organs and premises, Marion Baumann and Filipe Moreira from Artemps in Fahy who supervise the assembling, and Claude Laville Events from Rocourt, a company which is responsible for organizing the events.
Practice
A 6-hour visit (including the workshop and the watch) for a group of 5 to 15 people costs CHF 1,900. The price for one person only is CHF 2,390. The first session took place on May, 26 2014.
Watch: 316L steel watch, mechanical winding ETA 6497 caliber. “Watch Academy” finishes.