Watchmaker for a day: a special kind of experience

Florence Schelling devoted herself to a new, hitherto unknown discipline; she built her own watch in the Aarberg workshop of RB Baumgartner AG Swiss Watchmaking.

Full of anticipation and excitement, Florence Schelling, ex-goalie of the Swiss national team and managing director of her company Focus Finder GmbH, appeared as always with an infectious laugh.

The passionate golfer did not lose her smile when she sat down at the Etabli – equipped with tweezers, precision magnifying glasses and rubber finger blades – and loosened the first screws of the practice clockwork. “I felt completely looked after by Reto Baumgartner. He patiently explained every step in detail and provided me with valuable background and specialist knowledge. The initial nervousness therefore dissipated very quickly,” the likeable Zurich native recounted. When the movement was dismantled and reassembled, it was time to take a breath, because then it was time for the real thing.

Florence Schelling had chosen the model MRS. PEARL in rose gold. With utmost concentration, she assembled the watch piece by piece, confidently as if she had never done anything else. After two hours, the watchmaker of the day calls her MRS: PEARL into being with the final touch. “The moment when the clock I built myself started ticking was magical and filled me with insane pride,” Florence Schelling enthused, adding with a grin: “It has addictive potential.”

Florence Schelling checks whether the hands are set correctly.

And what did the master, watchmaker Reto Baumgartner, say about his pupil? “Florence worked very cleanly and quickly with impressive ease,” Reto praised. No specialist knowledge was needed for this workshop, but a steady hand made the work easier. Reto Baumgartner deliberately offers private workshops because this allows him to fully respond to the participants.

“As a brand ambassador for RB Baumgartner, I have had the pleasure of wearing some impressive watches on my wrist. But my self-assembled MRS. PEARL is the most beautiful of all and I now have wonderful memories with it – truly a very special experience,” Florence Schelling said with a smile.

Florence Schelling’s choice: MRS. PEARL

This classically timeless dress watch in rose gold impresses with a delicate mother-of-pearl dial framed with indexes made of rhinestones. The fine leaf hands and the date display at 3 o’clock round off its exterior. Inside ticks an ETA 2824 automatic movement with a 40-hour power reserve.

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