Magellan Watch SA

I added Magellan Watch to my list of companies to visit as a result of seeing an advertisement for its "model 1521" watch. Named after Ferdinand Magellan, the famous Portuguese explorer, this unusual and cool-looking mechanical timepiece with the spherical shape of a ship's compass incorporates an antique globe into its dial.

Offices are in a large, rundown four-story building on a hillside overlooking Le Locle. Apartment buildings surround the area and Tissot's headquarters/factory stands two blocks away. Buildings in Le Locle with historical significance to the watch industry have had small plaques placed on them. This one does and though written in French, I can deduce the date the building was built. In this case, 1906.

I tried visiting Magellan Watch last year (2003) but found a locked door. This time the third floor door is open and I find part-time assistant Anicia de Pourtales sitting behind a desk. It's a two-room office with company personnel consisting of her and Everhard Vissars, founder and CEO.

An interesting fact learned about the watch industry is that you can out-source everything. If I have an idea for a watch, I can hire someone to design it, contract someone to build and assemble it and, pay someone to market it. Plus, you can hire someone to build a website and make your watch company appear bigger than it is.

With Vissars out of the office there's nothing to report here though. Website: www.magellan-watch.com