IN THE SHADOW OF TIME

FROM THE PATEK PHILIPPE MUSEUM ΤΟ THE TOP OF EUROPE, A JOURNEY THROUGH SWITZERLAND MADE ME PONDER: DOES OUR QUEST FOR EFFICIENCY COME AT THE COST OF LIFE'S QUIET BEAUTY?

- KARTIKEYA SHANKAR

THE AIR IN GENEVA'S PATEK PHILIPPE Museum hung heavy with the scent of old leather and polished steel. Sunlight, filtering through the few windows, cast patterns on the antique timepieces displayed in glass cases. We stood fascinated, listening to our guide, a woman with eyes that crinkled at the corners as she smiled.

"It was when humans perfected the watch with accuracy that capitalism truly began. Because time is money and with accuracy, the free time to be creative, to simply be, began to dwindle," she said.

This resonated deeply. While history books trace the roots of modern capitalism to the rise of agrarian societies and the mercantile era, for horologists-those obsessed with the art and science of timekeeping-the story is different. The blame, they argue, lies squarely with the 17th and 18th centuries, a period of unprecedented innovation in watchmaking.

"We at the Patek Philippe Museum believe it's crucial to remember the time before time, as we know it. A time when constraints were fewer, and creativity flourished without the constant pressure of the clock." As we passed through the exhibits at the museum, which opened in 2001, I couldn't help but ponder the guide's words. Was she right? Had the pursuit of precision, the relentless march towards efficiency, robbed us of something precious? Before I could think it through, our time at the museum came to an end.

My week-long journey through Switzerland began in Geneva. I spent the first day exploring the city, including a festive stroll through a Christmas market and a historical tour centred around l'Escalade. This annual festival, celebrated every December, marks Geneva's victory over an attempted conquest by the Catholic Duchy of Savoy in 1602.