The story of a watch company

The story of a watch company - Swiss style

I'll be heading to Switzerland soon for a well-earned break in the mountains. It's a beautiful and fascinating place, if just a little on the kitsch side. You can rest assured that I'll be on the look-out for things worth photographing and, if I find them, they'll be uploaded to the pages of Washed and Ready to Eat quicker than you can say gepäckaufbewahrungsschein. (I once went to a bier keller, incidentally, in Lucerne where performers threw flags in the air and a pantomime cow wandered around among the tables.)

Anyway, I recently bought Mrs W a watch for her anniversary, which is made by the Swatch-owned Swiss company, Tissot. In the beautiful packaging (see above), there's a book that charts the history of the Tissot brand from ye olde days - or should that be yodeley days? - through to the 21st century.

It's a lovely idea. We learn, for instance, that Elvis Presley and Nelson Mandela had Tissot watches. The only problem is that the narrative and translation in the 270-page volume make no sense whatsoever. Here's a typical section: "At that moment, I am saved by my sense of tact from criticising the photograph. The black pavilion with its lugubrious drapery is certainly in doubtful taste!"

More snippets to follow.

Comments

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