Awesome trip to Switzerland/Tour of AP

[gummy]

Incredible...Thanks for sharing

[2nastie]

OH BOY OH BOY!!! What a trip! Thanks for sharing your experience. Got to put this on my bucket list.

[AK797]

Sensational write up and pics! Makes me value my AP even more, love the original 5402 and the extended family tree. Just shows that pedigree and history do matter when differentiating brands and pretenders.

[lapince]

Love how you visited each brand wearing a piece from that brand. Very cool

[xwalker4]

Amazing. A big thank you for sharing!!


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[sirish19]

Originally Posted by conkers

Great write up glad you enjoyed. I assume you didn't get to APRP in Le Locle? Was probably too short notice I guess.

Originally Posted by lapince

Love how you visited each brand wearing a piece from that brand. Very cool

Thanks. yes, I was a little concerned about bringing those three pieces plus my Rolex but I kept them safe in the hotel while I was out. I just thought it would cool to let them see their birthplace, haha.

[Halothane]

What an amazing trip. Thanks for sharing and taking us along!

[sirish19]

Originally Posted by AK797

Sensational write up and pics! Makes me value my AP even more, love the original 5402 and the extended family tree. Just shows that pedigree and history do matter when differentiating brands and pretenders.

I couldn't agree more. I have also developed a much greater appreciation for my AP having seen all of the history, quality and precision that goes into manufacturing each piece. Likewise for the VC and Patek.

[wach16]

Fantastic post and I am incredibly jealous...thanks for posting!

[Hairdude1]

This was wonderful to read and see from your pictures. Thanks!!

[BNA/LION]

What a great thread, Thanks for sharing!

[Rachdanon]

Thank you Stephen for making the effort so we get a taste of what you enjoyed in full.

[MGrayLondon]

Fantastic, am pretty damn jealous!

[KBM]

Wow, Stephen, I almost felt like I was there. Fantastic trip and superb write up! Thanks!

[Maiden]

Fantastic post. How did you arrange the trip to AP, is this a tour you can purchase before arriving?

[Minimalist]

Thanks for sharing, I love reading and seeing pictures of these experiences. Hopefully one day I will be lucky enough to get to experience this too!

[sirish19]

Originally Posted by Maiden

Fantastic post. How did you arrange the trip to AP, is this a tour you can purchase before arriving?

Hi Maiden. I had seen a couple of forum members here had posted about their experiences before of full expense paid trips/tours and thought that would have been really awesome. I am not a VIP customer with AP yet as I really only have the Jumbo but since I was taking a trip to Switzerland anyway for busines, I thought I would inquire if there was any way I could get a private tour for one day (trying not to ask too much). This was all really short notice as I was scheduling Client meetings between Geneva, Zurich, Bazel, and Lugano. It just so happened that the Lugano meeting got canceled so I had a couple of days free.

I am also seriously considering buying his and her pair watches and am considering AP, Patek, VC, JLC and Lange pairs. I mentioned this to The AD's with hopes to get some kind of special treatment. My Patek AD in Tokyo wasn't very helpful and just suggested that I virus the museum (I was hoping he could at least set up a private tour but he couldn't). VC AD in Tokyo was helpful enough in getting me a private tour of the museum which was cool. I also asked JLC but he told me that it was too short notice and that they really only do tours for loyal customers (which was fair enough because I hadn't really bought any JLC watches to date). He did say that it might be possible to arrange a tour with the wife if we went with the JLC pairs.

Since I wasn't going to Germany this trip, I didn't ask Lange.

AP really came through. They said that they didn't have any private tours available on that date but they did have one group tour that they were checking to see if I could join. There were 8 people on that tour, 3 couples and two guys so they thought it was OK to join the. There was another tour of one couple from England pretty much getting a private tour.

It was also interesting to note that as I was visiting to boutiques at Patek, VC, and JLC and mentioned that I was considering buying a his and hers pair watch for a 25th anniversary, they all perked up <of course I was wearing my Patek at the time, but when I mentioned I was taking a tour of the manufacture in Lè Brassus, they really started rolling out the red carpet. I mentioned to them all that I might bring my wife to Switzerland for our anniversary and hop end to pick up some watches then, they all suggested the possibility of taking a tour of the manufacture while we are here.

I think it doesn't hurt to ask your AD about these tours. They really do seem to want to build loyal customers, especially with the family. The lady from the US who organized this tour told me that I should get the pair through my AD in Japan and have him organize the tour for me and the wife next time.

Now I just need the wife to decide which one she wants, haha.


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[Amiroo]

unreal post. One of the best I've seen on any forum. And that Porsche!

[sirish19]

Originally Posted by Amiroo

unreal post. One of the best I've seen on any forum. And that Porsche!

Thank. Haha, yeah, that was a nice ride.


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[hdrazor251]

Excellent post. Thanks for sharing.

[HobokenRolex]

Thanks for sharing your experience and pics with us. What a fabulous trip.