ll

Please have a look at the press release and the pictures of the “the egg” - click here

Only a few days later my mailbox contained a wonderful surprise: an invitation by Rolf Schnyder for the exposition opening in Moscow! I was really flattered, especially, since only eight journalists and a few UN employees would be in the group. Besides attending a great event, and satisfying my curiosity about the egg’s content, I would also have the chance to see Moscow again. The last time I have been there, it was still the capital of a state called USSR, so I assumed a lot to have changed since then.

Having overcome all the bureaucratic hurdles necessary to obtain the Russian visa, I finally travelled to Zurich, to meet the other members of the group. The next day, we would fly to Moscow already at 7 o’clock in the morning, which meant we had to get up really early. Arriving at the Zurich airport before 6 a.m., we were able to enjoy the rare sight of a practically empty airport. Barely a living being could be spotted in the miles-long corridors, while the runways looked empty and dark.

Once in the air, we could use the five hours for some more sleep; we would need it.

The Moscow Domedovo Airport is more than an hour’s drive from the city centre, and while the bus that picked us up had enough space to transport all group members, this did not apply to our luggage. So we stuffed everything into the last seat row and one of the slimmest group members had the joy to take care that nothing happened to the valuable suitcases and trolleys ...

One thing that apparently has not changed since I visited Moscow the last time, is the lack of - affordable - flats, which results the major share of the city’s inhabitants to live in cramped towers of poor construction quality that were mostly built during the Seventies and Eighties.

The city centre, however, presents itself with the stunning architecture of the tsars’ empire, while hundreds of cranes prove a bristling construction activity. A lot has been done to restore the old monuments, and is still done now.

The Kremlin walls facing the Moskwa river

The towers of the Kremlin

Not so old: One of the typical representation buildings from the Stalin era

After a time of cruising around, we finally reached our hotel, the Marriott Courtyard, one of the city’s newest hotels, located in a convenient walking distance from the Kremlin and the Red Square. From outside, the hotel is perfectly hidden, only the entrance and a signs discloses the accommodation. Inside, however, the visitor is confronted with a very spacious and bright atrium, with all the rooms’ windows facing it, ensuring a quiet and undisturbed stay.

The atrium of the Marriott Courtyard hotel

However, we barely had time to enjoy the nice place: Rolf Schnyder, who welcomed us in the hotel, gave us a quick briefing about our densely scheduled program, and after changing our outfits from “travel ragged” to “smart casual”, we already walked to the Kremlin.

Rolf Schnyder and his son Ulysse (that's what I call identification with the company!)

On our way to there, we saw a large transparent announcing the Ulysse Nardin exposition over Moscow’s busiest shopping boulevard. Well, Rolex had a larger poster hanging somewhere, but we were proud of our small and most favourite watch brand nonetheless!

A testimony of our time were the countless security guards around and in the Kremlin, and the ubiquitous metal detectors that had to be passed in all the entrance gates. Also, it was not allowed to enter the area with large bags.

Note the red lights indicating the potentially dangerous wristwatch!!

Very intimidating security measures. These cannons were taken away from Napoleon's army when it had to rereat from Moscow.

The Russian term “Kreml” describes any large fortress located in a city centre. Many Russian towns had or still have such Kremlins, such as Novgorod or Smolensk. But the most famous of all Kremlins, THE Kremlin, of course is that of Moscow. Founded in 1156, it received its characteristic red brick structure by Italian Renaissance architects in the 15th century. Between 1712 and 1918, Saint Petersburg was the capital of the Russian empire, but Moscow remained the economically most important city. Which is the reason why the Kremlin and the adjacent areas saw such a high building activity, resulting in churches and palaces being added to the fortress.

Once we passed the entrance gates, we were greeted by a huge area, filled with the typical Russian orthodox churches with their gold-plated spires, huge palace wings, and once again, soldiers. this time, however, they were lined up, standing still and apparently were forming a passage through the area.

The lines ended on a large square, facing three churches, and a small platform overlooking the square. It soon became clear that were would see a very special event here: Specifically for Ulysse Nardin and honouring its exhibition in the Kremlin, the guard presented itself with a marvellous spectacle; a military tattoo of soldiers and cavalry, all in the old uniforms of the imperial Russian army.

Just look at the pictures, and if you have a quick cable connection, download the two videos to get an impression of the magnificence of this event. I point out once again that this ceremony is never shown to the general public, but at very special opportunities, and during official visits of heads of state. It was a proof of how much respect Ulysse Nardin has earned in Russia, since until now, no other commercial enterprise has been honoured in the Kremlin like this.

The following two videos were made with the viedeo function of my digicam, so they are far from professional. But they have sound, and what they show is so impressive that it is worth downloading them in spite of their technical quality constraints. However, I strongly advise a quick cabel connection!

The whole tattoo lasted about forty minutes, and following its end, we proceeded to the so-called Kremlin Armoury Museum. This name leads one to expect old weapons and armour there, but in fact, this museum is part of the imperial treasury. Together with the world-famous Eremitage in Saint Petersburg, the Armoury is Russia’s most important museum, owning all the crowns and royal insignia of all the tsars, but also the state’s collection of gemstones. In these venerable halls, Ulysse Nardin had installed a small, yet marvellous exhibition of historical and modern timepieces. In the second part of this article, you will read everything about it.

Go to Part 2