The Swiss watch industry is mostly a serious industry to work in. After all it is all micromechanics, engineering, mathematics, and the molecule breakdown of case alloys, but sometimes things go a bit mad, and I feel we don’t talk about these stories quite enough.
Runaway Cows
Like the time a herd of Swiss cows got bored with hanging around in their field and decided to go exploring. After finding a weakness in their enclosure, they made a run for it, right into the employee car park at Bovet’s Château de Môtiers. Mr. Raffy, the brand’s owner, does keep very tidy lawns, so we can only imagine that the cows were eyeing up the grass.
Things would probably have been alright if they hadn’t been wearing those lovely chiming cowbells that were swinging from side to side in the stampede, scratching around 30 vehicles as they passed through. Luckily the farmer was insured for animal damages and everyone had a good laugh, especially the local car paint shop!
Beware of the Rolex Rippers
In news from the UK, men have been told to watch out for what police are calling the “Rolex Rippers”. The Daily Mail reported that attractive young female thieves with “European” accents have been posing as damsels in distress or charity workers to steal men’s luxury watches by flirting with their victims before discretely robbing them of their watches. Apparently, they struck over 50 times last year and they are expected to return as soon as the weather gets warmer and short sleeves return. So, if you haven’t already bought one of Orkos's patented Watchlocks or a Luxwi buckle-locking device, maybe it’s time!
Patek Philippe Bikers
One of my favourite funny stories comes from my husband, who used to be a watch journalist before going over to the communication side at Bovet (he was my source for the cow story, no less). A keen motorcyclist, he used to love inviting fellow watch industry bikers out for a ride and lunch. One summer, he asked the lovely people at Patek Philippe if they had any keen bikers who would fancy joining his group of journalists for a ride. He was informed that, indeed, the manufacture did have a group of biking enthusiasts who were definitely up for an adventure during work hours.
Only, when they met at the manufacture, my husband’s group were in leathers, and the Patek bikers were in bicycle lycra lined up to greet them. It seems something had been lost in translation!
Swiss Tourism
Let’s wrap up with this gem of Swiss humour from the Swiss Tourist Board. The Swiss may not be known for their comedy, but they certainly know how to poke fun at themselves. Before Roger Federer took over the role of Switzerland’s tourism ambassador (check out the new video with Anne Hathaway), three bearded elderly gentlemen were the country’s stars. They got up to all kinds of antics, and in this promotional video below, they take down all the clocks in a mountain village to remind us how important it is to take some time off. Unfortunately, that is not the case for us as it is Monday morning in the watch industry and we had better get cracking, but hopefully, these little funny tales brought you a smile or two as you begin the week.
