A passion for watches can take you places, whether it’s vineyards just minutes from the workshops of La Côte-aux-Fées in Switzerland or the wilds of northern Sulawesi in Indonesia.
For time-obsessed oenophiles: Switzerland’s Watch Valley
In the villages of Switzerland’s Watch Valley, sprawling Vaud and its postage stamp-sized neighbor Neuchâtel, it isn’t just tourbillons that keep the locals ticking — the region is also one of Europe’s most underappreciated winemaking centers, with vines all but bolted to the steep hillsides. Sample some of their unexpected vintages such as gamaret, a beefy gamay hybrid that thrives in the harsh conditions here on the lakefront terrace of the palatial 19th-century spa-style Hotel Beau-Rivage in Neuchâtel.
Wake up refreshed and stop by the the International Museum of Horology, which initially opened in the watchmaking school of the valley’s La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1902 as an instructional facility for the students there. It quickly outgrew the original site and was moved to the current, specially constructed building around 40 years ago (look for the clock by Abraham-Louis Breguet, founder of the namesake watch firm). Stay overnight at the Maison du Prussien, a charming conversion of an 18th-century factory.
For museum buffs: A watch lovers’ nirvana in Vienna
The Uhrenmuseum, a timepiece-focused museum in one of Vienna’s oldest buildings, is centered on the collections of two obsessive clock aficionados. Highlights of the 3,000-piece haul here include a thimble-sized Zappler clock and a slew of Biedermeier-period pocket watches. Time the visit on the hour to enjoy the clashing chimes, then head to your plush suite at the city’s Palais Hansen Kempinski Vienna.
For do-gooders: Diving bliss in tropical Indonesia
Omega, the preferred timekeeper of Jacques Cousteau, displays its commitment to marine conservation via the Seamaster Planet Ocean collection; portions of the profits support the GoodPlanet Foundation’s charity project in northern Sulawesi, Bahoi, Indonesia. Visit the site for yourself, in an area of sea life so teeming it’s been nicknamed the Coral Triangle, and bunk down at the lush five-star hotel the Grand Luley nearby, which offers certification courses, to better enjoy the extraordinary local diving scene.
For a second act: Spain’s last watchmaking school
To truly indulge your passion for watchmaking, sign up as a student at Mare de Déu de la Mercè in Barcelona. Founded in 1948, it graduates only 15 or so students each year, who go on to prized placements with the likes of Rolex and Tag Heuer having learned every aspect of horology, whether restoring centuries-old bell-tower clocks or broken fobs.
For adventures: Cruising the Galápagos Islands
Proceeds from two of International Watch Company’s special Aquatimer Chronograph models go in part to support the brand’s work with the Darwin Foundation, which has protected the Galápagos archipelago for more than 50 years. The best way to see those funds at work: aboard the 147-foot M/Y Grace, a nine-cabin cruise ship once gifted to Grace Kelly and now a charter boat that can weave through the shallowest navigable waterways.
For a dash of polo chic: South America’s strap-making mecca
Book a trip to Buenos Aires, and billet in the chic, 11-room Hub Porteño inside a converted Recoleta townhouse, before making a pilgrimage to Casa Fagliano, the leather workshop that’s polo player Nacho Figueras’ favorite outfitter. There you can explore its partnership with Jaeger-LeCoultre — a series of one-off straps for the Reverso timepiece. The ultra-supple cordovan-leather wristbands highlight its origins of being developed for British Raj-era army officers who needed a watch tough enough to last an entire polo match.
