The Herbert Stolz Report on Switzerland - Zurich and Bern - Pictures by Descartes

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• published: 04 Apr 2014
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The Herbert Stolz Report on Switzerland - Zurich and Bern - Pictures by Descartes Dear Archie, I think the audience should know the following, otherwise their trips end up in a desaster: In the shops shown at Bahnhofstrasse they will not get one % discount (some Chinees get discount because they buy shelves of watches, from 100t up you can speak about discount, below not). Cash is king! Even the secondhand offering are a joke at that Bahnhofstrasse shops! For a second hand JLC Geographic they wanted 8900!!! In Munich I got it for5300 in much better condition and same one year guarantee. Second hand is very littel offerings and mostly too expensive, Germany is much better. More offered, much lower price good quality. Italy I would stay away when you not really experiance second hand buyer, there is much very worn down pieces offered, polished to death, in worst case fakes or with fake parts. (in Italy it is fine to buy fashion brands from there and shotguns new ones, second hand is even in guns bad in Italy) France and Spain getting better second hand marekts because the economy is still not really good, it is also for the professional buyer. New watches are best bought at the second row, dealers just one or two streets behind Bahnhofstrasse, 10-20% are in there and more on last season models. Stay away from the shops where busses of Chinees stop, that is full price only, tourist ribboff. (Bucherer shop in Interlaken or Luzern has usually a quew of Asians who wait to get in, they let only a certain amount of clients in, safty reason, LV at Champs elisse in Paris is the same only that the quew is much longer) They should stay away from shops only on internet and Russian/Yugoslave Sebian etc. The chance the goods are hot is very high. All of the shops shown has already been robbed. Usually to preorders! All half year one of the Bahnhofstrasse shops are robbed out. Geneva has become the Meeka of Lyon's bobbers! Chopard just one month before, last year Guebelin and Bucherer (at Bucherer they was already 3times) and so on. Lugano is better second hand territory (Italian part in the south), the worn down shit is not offered there as in Italy. Manufacturers does not sell anything direct (caused by the contract between manufacturers and jewlie shop association). So you can not get at the factory better price nor even buy a watch at all. Tours for factories are very hard to get (made only for top clients) so at the end you can only look at the watch museeum in La-Chaux-Fonds. For top bespoken watches Geneva is top level, Zuerich has no watch industry (maurce de mauriac is dog shit, the top of the top of bullshit as Freitag bags!!! please make warning). Zuerich Geneva is 3h by train or car, Lugano is also around that. All is expensive here, Hotels (cost same as in Paris center), food/restaurands too. For fashion Paris or Milano are great, in Zuerich are only the main brands with a smale shop. For sure they get a better deal in the USA, usually the manufacurers does not fully put the Exch decrease on the price, so that the sales does not fall into the nothing. Hotel start at 120 two star (rubbish), 3* is 150+, 4* 250+ and 5* 500+, countryside is a bit less but not much, there are some non tourist aerias which are cheaper) There is a zero star category now, old WW2 shelter changed to Hotels, the real deal for survival guys. Great Hotels in Zuerich are, Baur au Lac, Widder, the Savoy is very central located at Paradeplatz but it is a stage below the other two. (Widder belongs UBS and Savoy the CS, was bought to keep clients off the lists, as well as the buildings just oposit to the bank, so that foreign intellegence has it not too easy to spy, a few spy has been captured in the past and this was the reaction of the banks, UBS and CS has branches in the transit part of the airport, so that the clients can pay in while stop over). Dolder Gand is a Hotel with Golf course just up the hill above Zuerich with great view, probably the best Hotel now in Zuerich for watch buyers the wrong choice. They shall not go to Chain hotels in Zuerich it is just boring, they are not that good located. Bern has only the Bellevue belong to the Federation, there is only the old town to look at, it is the Capital of CH but mainly there is only Ferderal administration. Geneva has the Bergues, the Baurivage, the Angleterre and the Metropole just lake front. Watch lovers should go to Geneva. Not that someone came over and he would got better deal just in his town. For Luxury vacation Switzerland ,France, Italy is great, Germany is much cheaper for the same, especially countryside or in the north or east. For two persons you need min 250 per day (no luxury), for luxury 1000 is needed 500 per person. A dinner cost very fast 100 per person (medium level), top cost double without wine! The Burger at Dolder Grand cost 58 (with foisgras 72) otherwise you have to eat at the Mac (I do not know that it cost we hate USA food) Regards