Bunter SA

I don't know much about Bunter other than it's a watch subcontractor and it still stays that way after my attempt to visit the company fails. I'm about 10 miles from Geneva near the lakefront town of Versoix. This heavily wooded area is horse country mixed in with farming. It's also the kind of place where large country estates dot the landscape.

In the accompanying picture you see the large iron gate leading onto the property of Claude Sanz. He's the CEO of Bunter and evidently does the watch business out of his home. Business can't be too bad guessing by the large three-story home, guest cottage, extensive grounds and Rolls-Royce car visible through the gate.

I buzz the buzzer and end up having to talk into one of those stupid speaker boxes. Evidently the guy I'm talking to doesn't understand what I said as he comes out to the gate. Of course he doesn't open the gate but talks through the iron fence. Another man comes out and identifies himself as CEO Sanz's assistant. Neither knows anything about my letter of introduction mailed to Sanz four weeks earlier and furthermore, Sanz is in "an important meeting and can't be disturbed".

I'm told to check back next week. "Next week!" I exclaim, "this is my last week in the Geneva area". These two guys aren't interested in helping out and have a funny feeling that if I did return in a week I'd end up still talking through the iron fencing. I do find out that part of the house is used as a watch factory with a half-dozen or so watchmakers working here. Bunter has no website and doing a Google search on the company produces zilch.