The A-Z of luxury watches: How Frank Muller's manufacture, Watchland, came to be. Hint... It's got something to do with Elton John.
TATLER FOCUS
Franck Muller is headquartered in a town named Genthod, which is located about 30 minutes away from the centre of Geneva. But where most large manufactures take the form of a modern building several storeys high, Franck Muller’s home base is a sprawling neo-Gothic mansion that was built by a Swiss architect named Edmond Fatio at the beginning of the 20th century. All of the manufacturing equipment, the watchmaking benches, and the meeting areas and offices are situated in different rooms throughout the estate.
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It is said that the idea to name this estate Watchland originated from the British singer Elton John, who was a personal friend of Muller’s. The ambition was to establish the manufacture as a theme park where watch enthusiasts and other visitors may enter to discover, through guided tours, the intricacies of modern watchmaking by Franck Muller. Not only are the ateliers fascinating but the surrounding gardens, too, are breathtaking both in the winter as well as summer.