Audemars Piguet: We lived the experience

The invitation that came into my hands was simple and impressive. Audemars Piguet, one of the most emblematic Swiss watch companies, invites me to live the experience:

Le Brassus experience Woman & Nature

Monday, July 2, our appointment was set at the entrance of the hotel. The accuracy of our departure of 8.30 was just self-evident but also impressive. At the entrance, a group of women-journalists from around the world, we were looking forward to experiencing the experience. The forests of Switzerland were waiting for us.

First stop at the Audemars Piguet museum, in the village of Le Brassus, about an hour away from Geneva. There, among the nature and tranquility of the mountain, the museum and Audemars Piguet headquarters appeared in front of us. Between workshops and presentations we had the opportunity to meet the President of Audemars Piguet, Jasmine Audemars herself, a woman with vision, perception, respect for the basic principles of life, ecological consciousness and, above all, opinion.

For Audemars Piquet, however, the woman always played a leading role since she was one of the first watchmaking companies, which since the beginning of the last century has created watches that would serve the needs of women. Jewelery watches, clocks, brooches, rings - small elegance designed to showcase the female presence and dynamism.

Behind every wooden door, in the museum, a new world was opened every time. We have balanced between the past and the future in a company that the whole world we met, had a glow in his eyes for what he was creating. Passion is the right word along with respect to the product's story and the customer itself.

But Audemars Piguet is not just that. Its philosophy of evolution is directly linked to respect for time, space and the environment. With emphasis on the handmade but also inherent consciousness of the brand’s importance, Audemars Piguet. It’s not only a question of nature but of also of origin. We decided to stay in the Vallée de Joux, the cradle of watchmaking but has also created a foundation that protects forests.

And the verification of this love came after about two hours of guided tour, when we were told we were ready to go into the second phase of our day.

Getting out of the museum, 3 Land Cruiser with their drivers waited for us to go in, deep into the forest.

In between we experienced a unique surprise. In the middle of the path, among the trees, a picturesque chalet appeared in front of us. The drivers stopped and we found ourselves in front of a unique welcome from traditional musicians with their horns.

Entering the sprawling chalet, surprise and impressiveness appeared in everyone's eyes. The chalet has been transformed into an excellent aesthetic restaurant with its menu, selected harmoniously as part of the experience.

The atmosphere had already warmed up so we had the opportunity to discuss and get to know each other better. It is extremely interesting how nature can work relaxing and bonding to people from different countries and cultures.

When our mountain lunch was over, it was time to go even deeper into the forest.

Again at Land Cruiser - the teams changed spontaneously - so many women had so much to say - and another chalet destination, to which we were surprised.

As we arrived, we found ourselves in front of the monasterial stalls, which at each place had a box. At the edge of the benches, glass transparent glass bottles with a liquid in a row.

When we got our seats, the workshop was also revealed. We had to make our own aroma inspired by nature. We started with a smell test trying to match the pure scent to the image - many of us did it very easily, others not so - but certainly the experience trying to impress on the image and word, the smells of the forest that you know you know them and ... somehow remind you of something, it was something unique.

After completing the test, it was now our turn to create with our oils our unique fragrance. Like other perfumers, we experimented, measuring proportions and creating mixtures in experimental tubes. In the end, the fragrance that we expressed everywhere, we put it in our bottle to always have it with us. Inside the box, he even had a ceramic to spray it with our whole scent, which will remind us of our place, the mountains of Switzerland.

Ending our day and returning to the hotel, fatigue was obvious as well as enthusiasm.

We enjoyed ourselves as young children, we experimented, "we played", created, understood, but above all, we perceived the whole philosophy of Audemars Piguet and its people. Audemars Piguet is not just a watch. It is an acquisition of emotional extension that its owners want to pass from generation to generation along with their experience and memories. And that's why selecting an Audemars Piguet watch is not just a matter of high aesthetics but also an understanding of the experience from the first day of its construction to the moment you will grace your hand.

Ά bientôt!

Eleni Kechagia

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