Swiss Training
For the first time in the history of the School of Horology, a graduating watch class traveled to Grenchen, Switzerland, for advanced chronograph training at the headquarters of ETA. The trip took place October 6 - 14, 2007. The graduates received three and a half days of intensive training on the ETA Valjoux 7750-7751 caliber chronographs (the most popular chronograph caliber in the world). The students were greeted warmly by ETA management and were treated to a guided tour of an ETA factory.
All the students were trained and evaluated by ETA Senior Instructor Allessandro Betti. Jeff Shimp was chosen by ETA as the best in the class, and a watch commemorating the occasion was presented to Jeff.
The class was also given a tour of the WOSTEP facility in Neuchatel and spent time watching the training classes there. The group was treated to a guided tour of the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva.
They were also taken to a horological parts and tools company in Bienne where they spent an afternoon searching for tools and parts.
The students spent their last afternoon in Switzerland at the Geneva flea market searching for horological treasures.
Overall, the class gained a new perspective on the high art of watchmaking, in addition to validating the training techniques they received while at the School of Horology.
What occurred in Switzerland was an incremental step toward the School’s mission to provide the best professional training possible for students pursuing a career in the watch industry.
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