Once upon a time in Genève le Pont de la Machine...

It's hard to imagine a more diverse fashionable place. On the ground floor, a trendy bar that extends to the first floor with a restaurant, «Resto'O by Arthur's» which completes «Arthur's rive gauche» located just opposite. An ambiance a touch aquatic with a view onto the Rhône from everywhere.

A designer marriage which unites the coolness of aluminum with baroque furnishings and carpets with rich and colourful motifs. On the same floor, some exhibitions to the glory of the eighteen brands of the Swatch group which extends to the second and top floor where we can discover THE Swatch. Two full walls of 100% plastic watches that retrace the success story of this revolutionary creation birthed in 1984.

So whether we like it or not, one thing is certain: this place won't leave you indifferent. Even its creation did not fail to create a stir when Nicolas Hayek decided to do as he pleased with the bridge at the end of the lake. It must be said that the the great helmsman of this Swiss watchmaking company did not hesitate to go for a historical witness dear to the hearts of the people of Geneva. A 19th century industrial building, the Pont de la Machine served in effect to feed the public fountains of the city, before this function fell in the middle of the 1990s to the Forces Motrices building located a little further downstream.   But the controversy died out and became a lot of water under the bridge. It remains a place that merits lingering... at least for a look

Contact and information: www.citedutemps.com
Photo: Didier Ansermet