Watchmaker for a day: YB Goalkeepter Dario Marzino builds his RB Baumgartner

As the third-choice goalkeeper for BSC Young Boys, Dario Marzino is used to being ready at any moment. Patient, focused, and with perfect timing at the decisive moment – ​​qualities that count not only on the football pitch, but also in the world of watchmaking.

For one day, the affable young man from Thun swaps the football pitch for the workbench and immerses himself in the intricate world of mechanical watches. Together with watchmaker Reto Baumgartner, the day begins in a relaxed atmosphere; over a cup of coffee, Dario selects his personal dream watch from the collection. Conversations about football, everyday life, and the meaning of time accompany his introduction to a new and unfamiliar discipline.

 

What follows is a change of perspective. Equipped with tweezers, a precision magnifying glass, and rubber finger cots, the professional athlete sits focused at his workbench. The first movements are still cautious, almost tentative. Small screws are loosened, the most delicate components are carefully moved. It quickly becomes clear that watchmaking demands the utmost patience and precision. Every move must be perfect, every moment counts.

“I felt very well supported from the very beginning,” Dario later recounted. “Reto explained every step to me clearly and patiently. You get a real sense of how much knowledge and experience goes into a watch like this.” He was particularly impressed by the precision with which the individual components mesh together – an interplay reminiscent of perfectly coordinated movements on the playing field.

After carefully disassembling and assembling a practice clock movement, the real challenge begins: putting together his own clock. Step by step, a functioning whole emerges from a multitude of individual parts. With growing confidence and remarkable composure, Dario assembles each piece until the clock is fully assembled. The moment the clock begins to tick is quiet—yet profoundly significant. It is the instant when precision, patience, and craftsmanship give rise to something living. Dario describes this moment as particularly moving, almost humbling.

Even from a watchmaker’s perspective, the professional footballer leaves a lasting impression. His calm demeanor, his concentration, and his solution-oriented approach are striking—qualities that are crucial not only in elite sports but also in traditional craftsmanship.

The workshop itself is intentionally designed to be personal. Reto Baumgartner offers a maximum of two participants the opportunity to delve deeply into the world of watchmaking and experience each step individually. It’s not just about technology, but about an understanding of time, precision, and the interplay of many small elements.

For Dario Marzino, this day becomes more than just an introduction to a new craft. It’s an experience that reveals parallels—between sports and mechanics, between concentration and intuition, between the right moment on the pitch and the perfect interplay within a watch.

In the end, what remains is not just a self-made clock, but also a new understanding of what time can mean: not just as a measured quantity, but as the sum of conscious moments.

Dear Dario, thank you for this exciting day, your openness, and your eye for detail. We wish you continued success on and off the field – and much enjoyment with your self-made RB Baumgartner clock.