Patek Philippe

I started the day with having lunch at said hotel - I went for a hearty portion of moitie-moitie, and while it would have lasted for two people at least, I didnt stop until I reached the "religieuse", the equvialent to Tahdig or the Persian cuisine. It goes without saying that I could not swallow a kilo (or ten?) of cheese without a proper wine - I have forgotten what it was, but when travelling I usually ask the waiters to bring me something simple and local, something they would also order for themselves.

After some meetings I went out for a stroll through Rue du Rhone, to Rue du Port, just to have another look at a 5196G. A quick visit to Davidoff to stock up on consumables. Another quick visit to buy some emergency chocolate. A sunny early evening, I had to decide between going to bed early, and not going to bed early. My plan was to go to Artur's, but I remembered that just a few meters up the road a new bar has opened up. Last time I went there, it was quite jolly; good people, very good music and a friendly owner. To make things short, it became a long night, too many good things too list here.

Today, after a quick breakfast in said hotel (largely fruit- and cereal-based, no Full English after a tobacco- and alcohol-fuelled night - a very off-topic and NSFW story is here : http://www.celebritynetworth.com/articles/entertainment-articles/the-most-embarrassing-private-jet-flight-of-all-time/?fb_action_ids=10200881266696504&fb_action_types=og.likes), I went for a longer walk to fend off the slight hangover, with a detour via the flea market of Plainpalais (flea markets - do they really still exist after Ebay came up? I almost ended up buying nice old art coffee table books that I dont really need at all), watched the kids in the skateboard/BMX parcour and finally arrived at the Patek Philippe museum in Rue des Vieux-Grenadiers. 

Paid xx CHF and I was inside. The building is furnished in a style not too dissimilar from what we can see in the salons. Up to the top floor with the lift, so the journey can begin. We see Mr Sterns old desk, and a lot of complicated demonstration models of early clockworks. On the floor below, there is a large number of pocket watches....and 20 minutes later I found myself down at the wristwatch floor. I am not a "watch connaisseur" at all, that is what I found out about myself today. When looking at all the enamel'ed pocket watches, I almost fell into a deep coma. At that is coming from someone who enjoys old masters, furniture, silver and the like. But pocket watches...I could not relate to what I saw, and I simply decided to skip that part of the museum. Maybe I am a bad/simple/unenlightened person, but that is how it is.

The wristwatch floor is nice. It is important to understand that the collection ends with the 1989 range so 3960 and 3969 are there, but that is it, with the exception of 5100 and 5029. There are two (early) 3800, and some other "moden" ones, but if you expect to see a representative sample of what they have build in the last 30 years, you will be disappointed. What you are going to see are the (as I believe) "golden years of PPs wristwatches, from simple Calatravas to some really exciting complications. "My" moment was to see the 2523 enamel worldtimer in white metal. So delicate, compared to my childrens-watch-like 5130G. Especially the very fine print of the city names. This, and all the other watches which rarely exceeded the 33-35mm size, remembered me about the wristwatch's origins - in its early years, manufacturers made a point to build small watches, which is probably bigger than making big watches. Especially the display cabinet 139a & b shows wonderfully timeless pieces that could still be made today.The 5196P's ancestor was also to be seen, very nice and much better than the 5196P. All in all, it just reconfirmed my opinion on going after the traditional and small pieces of PP's model range, as they represent this very fine-boned, delicate and noble spirit PP stood for.

Having spent about two hours there, I decided to leave. And I did not buy the Huber/Banbery book in the museum's "shop". I have not even read more than a few pages of Nick Foulkes's new book, as it is too heavy and unpleasant to handle. I took another very long walk, via sleepy Rue de la Corraterie (I love that street and its neighboring quarters so much. Elegant, but somehow almost phlegmatic. Here I spotted an Ellipse at a dealer which seemed to be a mode "before" the 3738, hard to tell) to Franck Muller's showrooms in rue de la Tour-de-l'Ile, and Vacheron's HQ nearby. Muller's women watches would suit me, anc VC is unfortunately just "second best" to PP. And lets not even talk about Piaget's "Nautilus". I hastily retreated to the old town, where I went to another quite famous but down-to-earth restaurant (easily mistaken as a tourist trap, but my "local"), to have whitefish, pork with polenta, and panacotta for dessert, combined with red and white local wines I had never heard of. How pleasant. Went to Co-op in Rue du Rhone for some binge-buying of chocolate (Callier being my favorite), and than my car came to get me back to the airport.

Geneva on a cloudy Saturday is magic. If people think it is boring, great. Please stay away. I like the mood, the rhythm. So much to see, and a nice lack of tourist attractions. A very own and special lifestyle. Will brush up my French, so I can better chat with the locals. Where have all the nice cars gone? But that is the same in London and Paris. Anyway, I want a 3738J, or a 5110R, or a 96G. And I want to come back to Geneva, without plans.

Just arrived home now, eating more chocolate, looking at my 5130G quizzingly ("My friend, your time is up - or isnt it?"), writing this little story for you.

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