Editor’s Note
To mark its 170th anniversary, Swiss house Gübelin has launched a special watch—its first in two decades—revisiting its watchmaking origins before its expansion into jewellery and gemology.
The Lucerne-based retailer Gübelin chose St. Gallen to present its latest watch on Thursday evening. It had been about twenty years since the family-owned house had produced one. But this time, there was an anniversary to celebrate: the brand blew out its 170 candles. A good pretext to recall that Gübelin was born in watchmaking, before expanding its activity to jewelry, and then to gemological expertise, with the opening of a laboratory dedicated to certification.
The choice of St. Gallen was also deliberate. The heart of the old town houses a spectacular underground architectural work, the Pfalzkeller. An art building by star architect Santiago Calatrava, a Spaniard long established in Switzerland and a longtime friend of the Gübelin family. He is the one who designed the watch, issued, as it should be, in 170 pieces.
The retailer has treated itself to a watch for its 170th anniversary. The model was designed by architect Santiago Calatrava. And it features a revolutionary movement from its launch in the 1940s, the Felsa Bydynator. A story that unfolds like an onion.