10:00 a.m.: Our adventure begins at the gate, where we meet master watchmaker Kevin and cabin crew member Damien. Together they will accomplish a special task today: assembling a watch at 30,000 feet, about 9000 meters. All the equipment is ready.

11am: On board, Damien and Kevin are assigned to their seats in SWISS Business, which will be their workplace for the next few hours on the flight to New York. As assembling a watch is meticulous work, nothing must be left to chance in the layout of this atypical workspace. Master watchmaker Kevin is delighted: "The arrangement of the seats and trays is better than I imagined, and there is plenty of space for us to work in optimal conditions. And the pilot expects a smooth flight!"

The experiment begins with a brief introduction to the history of watchmaking and its evolution over time. Then we dive into the technical theory. Kevin explains how the mechanism of a watch works and the steps of assembly. After another introduction to the use of the various tools, we can get started.

First step: disassemble an already assembled mechanism, in order to visualize the result and the different stages. From the start, Damien is very dedicated under the watchmaker's attentive eye. Everything's going perfectly so far, not the slightest turbulence in sight, and our apprentice is working very quickly. The master is impressed: "Damien has mastered the first steps with ease," he says and adds with a twinkle in his eye: "A very good apprentice. He can enter the profession at any time!"           

Work progresses apace and the watch takes shape. The task of cleaning off any dust made a particular impression on the master watchmaker: "The conditions in the cabin are ideal, as the air is filtered so there's no dust - it's perfect for assembling a watch". 

5.30pm: After two hours and 45 minutes of work, the watch is assembled and ready to embark on the next leg of its journey, to be displayed alongside the 84 watches from the official pre-selection of the GPHG traveling exhibition in New York, where standing it will stand as a testament to Swiss excellence. The challenge has been successfully met.

“In just a few hours, I learned in detail how to assemble a watch, even though I have never done this before. I saw lots of similarities between watchmaking and aviation: quality, reliability, precision, and a uniqueness of experience", says Damien, concluding: "Each watch piece has its own importance, like an airline; an aircraft cannot take off unless all the necessary components and roles are functioning correctly.”

A big thank you to our watchmaker Kevin, to our Cabin Crew Damien and to the Geneva Tourism & Conventions Foundation who have been part of this collaboration.