40 DEPARTURES CULTURE
40 DEPARTURES CULTURE LOOKING BACK Cité du Temps is a sprawling space framed by a curved timber-shell designed by architect Shigeru Ban devotees but to those who appreciate its Nasa-authorised role in the moon landings, its status as the official timekeeper for the Olympics, and its long association with James Bond. Expanded in 2019 into the Cité du Temps – a majestic, sprawling space framed by a curved timbershell designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban and shared with the museum for sister brand Swatch – the museum’s collection of watches numbers more than 500, covering the earliest history of the brand. But the majority of the fun is had on the ninemetre running track equipped with genuine Olympic Official Timekeeper technology, complete with the famous starting blocks and red electronic starting pistol. Visitors can also walk on a lunar surface, with a Lunar Rover parked nearby. Beyond the confines of individual firms, there are some collections that have acquired international renown and will prove worth the detour for watch lovers of all stripes. In Europe, the three museums of note are the Watch Museum of Le Locle and the International Museum of Horology, both of which are in Switzerland, and the German Watch Museum in Glashütte. In America, where the tradition is younger but also rich, the National Watch & Clock Museum in Columbia, Pennsylvania, has an international collection of more than 13,000 pieces. With these collections and around 170 more to choose from, the watch aficionado has never been better served. In the new museums, architecture and the visitor experience has been prioritised, making the visits enjoyable for even those new to horological wonder. And as they’re all about time, make sure when you visit that you allow enough. The regal interior of the Patek Philippe museum; below: created for the Chinese market circa 1820, this Patek Philippe timepiece depicts the goddess Venus and her son Cupid ADDRESS BOOK MUSÉE ATELIER AUDEMARS PIGUET Le Chenit, Switzerland, museeatelieraudemarspiguet.com PATEK PHILIPPE MUSEUM Geneva, Switzerland, patek.com TAG HEUER La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, tagheuer.com IWC Schaffhausen, Switzerland, iwc.com CITÉ DU TEMPS – PLANET SWATCH & OMEGA MUSEUM Bienne, Switzerland, citedutemps.com WATCH MUSEUM OF LE LOCLE Le Locle, Switzerland, mhl-monts.ch INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM OF HOROLOGY La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, mih.ch GERMAN WATCH MUSEUM Glashütte, Germany, uhrenmuseumglashuette.com NATIONAL WATCH & CLOCK MUSEUM Columbia, Pennsylvania, USA, nawcc.org © PATEK PHILIPPE
