A Timely Visit to Munich

This week work brought me to Munich which is my favourite city to visit in Germany. Unlike most major German cities, it has retained/rebuilt that Western European architectural charm that is so intoxicating to North Americans.

At Christmas time, the already picturesque city squares, public markets, shops, bars and cafes are all amplified with that palpable holiday season cosiness and cheer.

I also love that it's not very big and you feel like you can walk through most of the key sites, which is similar to Boston and Amsterdam - also great towns.

And cutting to the chase, it's also a heavy weight watch city. I recall being in a tiny Italian cafe (20 customers tops) named Bar Centrale for breakfast and seeing both a Sky Dweller and a Daytona. Maybe not the most creative choices but it certainly underlines the fact that Munich residents have generous watch budgets and aren't afraid to flaunt their pieces.

Turning back to my visit, my first stop was the brand new Jaeger LeCoultre boutique on Maximilian Straße. If you've been following my activity on WC, this should come as no surprise. I am a JLC fan boy through and through which makes a visit to this boutique a hallowed pilgrimage.

According to their staff, this location is only the second boutique in Europe (after London) and has only been open for a month. It has a really nice vibe featuring light coloured wood and a neutral colour scheme. The shop is decorated with JLC posters, movements, Atmos clocks and other brand-related curios.

This strap wall was also rather helpful.

But enough decor already. Let's see some watches!

I'm happy to report that the kind staff took no issue in me trying on the triple calendar chronograph in both rose gold and steel as well as the new ultra thin moonphase in rose gold with the glossy deep blue dial.

Of the three, I would say the triple calendar in rose gold was my favourite. But honestly, I wouldn't want trade any of my pieces away for it. The cost and preciousness of these pieces is simply beyond my comfort zone. While I enjoyed my visit, I left without any inclination to acquire any of the pieces. Call me old fashioned but that is a nice feeling to have as you leave a boutique.

Next I stopped at Chopard to try on the Alpine Eagle. I've seen alot of reviews about this piece but never handled it in the metal. A few comments. One, the dial on these is simply stunning. The texture is gorgeous and is exactly the type of dial I like (textured with applied indices).

Two, the blue dial really impresses but the grey was a let down. I thought it was going to be more charcoal grey and I was anticipating liking it more. But in the shop it appeared rather taupe which I really didn't dig.

Three, I love the use of proprietary steel that is supposedly 50 percent harder than stainless steel. This will of course reduce scratches significantly. I think more brands should use this type of material and I suspect customers would be willing to pay for it too.

Finally I stopped at the Zenith boutique. Here I tried on the Chronomaster Original in black (they didn't have the white dial) and the Sport in the white dial.

I have to say, the Zenith pieces felt much more attainable and wearable than the others. The Zenith watches are both gorgeous and contain excellent movements that are both unique and fun to pay with. The action on the column wheel chronograph is really snappy, tactile and accurate.

At the end of the day, my favourite out of the seven was definitely the Zenith Chronomaster Original. The proportions are simply perfect and the unique El Primero 5 Hz movement is really sets it apart.

I hope you enjoyed this quick tour through three Munich boutiques. What's your favorite from these??