REVOLUTION_International_Vol 54

From top
A modern watch
assembly workshop at
the Zenith manufacture;
the El Primero caliberon
an ancient press; the
equipment that Vermot
preserved are still
on display in Zenith’s
attic, now a preserved
historical museum of
the manufacture.
specific — and special — moment in time. The
room is still dusty and the smell is still one of
disuse and neglect, but that’s as it should be.
While this may be the place that time forgot,
the lesson is one that speaks to action and
forward-thinking. How forward-thinking,
you ask? The already storied presses that he
saved back in 1976 are still in use today.
And so we get to the best part: you too can
see the smokestack, walk the halls, look for
the “GFJ” Easter eggs (the brand’s founder’s
initials are sprinkled throughout the various
buildings), and, most importantly, follow in
Charles Vermot’s fateful footsteps simply by
visiting the website for Neuchâtel Tourism
and booking a spot on a tour. Where most
manufactures are closed to the public, save
for a lucky few journalists and “friends of the
brand”, anyone with 40 Swiss francs and an
afternoon to spare can take a guided tour of
the Zenith manufacture and see first-hand
how Georges Favre-Jacot realized his vision
for over 150 years of watchmaking excellence.
Something tells us that this is exactly as he
would have wanted it.
THE MODERNIST 71