The Pilatus cogwheel railway is one of the landmarks of Lucerne in the heart of Switzerland, and riding on the railway is a cherished experience for visitors. The world’s steepest cogwheel railway takes passengers from Carl F. Bucherer’s home city up to the peak of its famous mountain, known as Pilatus. Carl F. Bucherer will be accompanying the railway on its journey to the summit of Pilatus for the next three years.
Built at the end of the nineteenth century, the Pilatus cogwheel railway remains a masterpiece of technology to this day. With a maximum incline of 48 percent, the railway is a true expression of Swiss engineering skills and the product of an ambitious vision. Two horizontally turning cogwheels were developed to enable the train to make it up this particularly steep incline. The two wheels mesh precisely in the middle of the rail, and have been providing excellent reliability and safety during the journey up and down the mountain for over 125 years. It is essential that all the individual parts function together perfectly – that they run like clockwork.
The train carried its first passengers up Pilatus in 1889, just one year after Carl F. Bucherer founded his family company down in the city. “We are proud to enter into a partnership with one of the most important landmarks of our home city, and one that was born of the same spirit as our own brand,” commented Sascha Moeri, CEO of Carl F. Bucherer. “The desire and drive to consistently overcome technical challenges with groundbreaking innovations is something that the Pilatus cogwheel railway and Carl F. Bucherer both share.” As one of the few remaining family-owned Swiss watchmaking companies, Carl F. Bucherer is a global brand with a strong regional connection. The brand chose to highlight its strong connection to Lucerne with a brand relaunch in 2016, along with a new slogan: “ Made of Lucerne, ” which pays homage to the city of the company’s founding. Carl F. Bucherer also demonstrates its commitment to its home city by supporting various local sports and cultural projects, as it does now with its sponsoring partnership with the Pilatus cogwheel railway.
