Dispatch from Geneva
A week at Watches & Wonders...the watches I’d walk away with, and a wrap-up of the best “booth bars” at the fair
I would say by now that I’m officially a veteran of these Swiss watch fairs. I would also say I really enjoy them. I like seeing the latest and greatest the brands have to offer, I enjoy the comradery of my peers in the watch community, I love the brand swag bags and care deeply for the people in the trenches meeting and greeting us and repeating the same dialogue over and over again about the latest offerings (I feel you!), and I like the endless espressos and Champagne offerings. I am lucky that I have the pleasure of reporting on what I really like, and have less of a responsibility to report on EVERYTHING… I leave that to the pro watch reporters! So, this week, I give you my round up of some of my favorites, and, if no one was looking and if I was less of an honest guy who truly believes in karma, I would have dropped in my bag and ran off with. I also have a few strong opinions below on who was serving the best coffee and cocktails at the event!
All the brand booths (for lack of a better description) have some sort of beverage/refreshment service that is offered when you are at appointments. Let’s just say they are NOT all created equal! There is normally coffee and water offered, and maybe a snacky something, but these are the booths that really stand out in a sea of mediocre Nespresso. First the coffee. It’s the brands with real live baristas pulling from Italian espresso machines that really rise above the rest of the Nespresso button pushing crowd. My favorite coffees were enjoyed at Tudor, Oris, Vacheron Constantin, and IWC (which also had a smart looking cocktail list (espresso martini!),but it was sadly too early in the day for me. Now the fun bit—many brands had bars, and even though there is a never ending flow of beer, wine and champagne out on the main floor of the fair, the special offerings at some of the brands was a welcome sight for a change. My favorite cocktails were as follows:
Piaget had a very simple and classic gin martini - nothing tricky, made to order, mine dry with a twist–it was just perfect, at just the right temperature. Vacheron Constantin is always a favorite with Italian barmen, and this season had a list of cocktails, which sadly for me, didn’t include a Negroni. But when the barman Maurizio and I recognized each other from the year before, he offered to make me an off- menu Negroni that was excellent!
A. Lange & Sohne was an oasis of imported German beer on draft (they bring this in!) served with warm pretzels! HEAVEN! They also served Ruinart champagne which I love, a welcome change from the big house brand served on the floor. Finally, let’s talk Oris. Oris has a white labeled Oris bottled beer that is tasty, but the stand out IYKYK is to order the white wine. You see, the Oris CEO Rolf Studer knows his way around Swiss wines (the whites are particularly delicious and difficult to get in the US), so I never miss the opportunity to see what he has brought along. This year's choice was incredible and would hold its own to any white Burgundy I have tasted! Until next year…Cheers!
😂 this is awesome. Screw the watches, let’s rank the drinks and snacks 👏
Real espresso or bust. We have a Rocket Espresso machine at the studio for clients. I think what we're offering should be well paired with what we are selling.