FOR THE WATCH LOVER WHO HAS EVERYTHING, A VISIT TO THE SOURCE

THE SEVEN SWITCHBACKS up to the top of Bürgenstock mountain are emotional for Dr. Pablo Richard. “My grandfather fell in love with this place,” he said, steering his new black Range Rover Sport along the curves. “I was little when he told me, ‘This is one of the most amazing spots in Switzerland, or in the world.’”

- BY ADAM ERACE

That assertion is hard to argue with. Opened in 1873, Bürgenstock Resort sits cantilevered 1,600 feet over Lake Lucerne. The Richards would celebrate with a weekend here every August. “It was a tradition,” Richard said. “I knew every waiter.”

So it was a full-circle moment when Bürgenstock approached Richard to curate a guest experience around Cyrus, the high-end watch brand he started with his father, Dr. Hans-Peter Richard, and master watchmaker Jean-François Mojon, in 2010. Bürgenstock guests get a two-night stay, a roundtrip helicopter to Cyrus's workshop to customize their own timepiece, and a return stay in six months to collect their finished watch.

The package starts at about $27,700—and given that Cyrus’s entry-level watch is $10,000, that’s not a bad deal for an ardent horophile. Industry insiders say there are more of these timepiece tourists than ever, willing to spend big for behind-the-scenes access to a storied craft and to rare and custom pieces.

Despite the malaise and (literal) pearl clutching in the luxury-goods market, timepieces have proved a bit stickier; Chase Travel reports year-over-year increases in its American customers spending on high-end watches in France (+13%) and in Switzerland (+18%) between 2023 and 2024.

"You can buy high-end commercial watches almost everywhere, but for anyone who's a true connoisseur, they go to Switzerland," said Livia Angelini of the luxury travel agency Scott Dunn.