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Rösselet Jewellery and Watches

Among the many watch and jewellery retail shops in Zug there is one that stands out for being the oldest specialized store in the whole canton: Rösselet Schmuck und Uhren. This year the family business is turning exactly 100 years old and the Rösselets already celebrated the occasion with a 120 guests at the Zug Castle.
 
It all started in 1911, when Arnold Rösselet, the grandfather of today’s owner Adrian Rösselet moved from the French part of Switzerland to Zug with his wife and two children to start his own business. Only two years later Adrian’s father was born. Meanwhile the shop was opened at the same spot where you can find it today: on Aegeristrasse 4, in the old town of Zug. At the very beginning the family business offered services, such as repairing watches and making eyeglasses frames. Later they started selling jewellery and high-end watches. During all these years the store has been managed within the family, for whom the personal relation with the clients was kept sacred. Even today when you walk through the glass door in the elegant and minimalistic world of the Rösselets, you will meet and consult directly with Adrian Rösselet, who is not only the owner of the shop, but also a certified watchmaker and goldsmith. 
 

Tsitaliya: What has changed in the world of the watch retail business since 1911?
A. Rösselet: In 1911 men wanted just a watch they liked, a timepiece that shows the right time. Today the tendency to buy a watch only because of the name of the brand is really strong. However men have become much more curios, technical and even obsessed with details, when they look for a new watch.
 
Tsitaliya: How many brands do you sell today?
A. Rösselet: Not many, only five, but some of the best: ROLEX, BREITLING, TUDOR, BREGUET.  Rolex, for example, decided to trust my store only in 2003. In the 80s there were a lot more brands than today, almost 900 in the whole Switzerland, according to the watch register, but today they are less.
 
Tsitaliya: What was the most important lesson you’ve learned in your childhood?
A. Rösselet: That our clients are like a family, their privacy is important and respected.
 
Tsitaliya:  What do you think attracts people to your store?
A. Rösselet: I know all my clients and they know every time they come to the store they can talk to the same person. In the big shops people often feel judged by their appearance or even knowledge about the watches.
 
Tsitaliya:  Why do you think handmade watches are still so attractive to people?
A. Rösselet: In our computerized world the mechanical watch is the most expensive one and I think the reason is very simple: women have so many accessories and things they can obsess about, but for men watches, shoes and cars are the only symbol of status and even character. Watches represent attention to detail, tradition, stability and appreciation for handcrafted objects.
 
Tsitaliya:  What is the most wanted watch then in your store and possibly in Zug?
A. Rösselet: Daytona Rolex, I have a waiting list for it.
 
Tsitaliya: What about your favourite watch?
A. Rösselet: I can’t answer your question, but I like the Breitling a lot and the Rolex timepieces.
 
Tsitaliya: What new models are you offering to clients next season?
A. Rösselet: At the end of this summer I am expecting the new Breitling model for Bentley “BENTLEY BERNATO” and “ROLEX COSMOGRAPH DAYTONA” in everose gold with leather bracelet. These are timeless luxury watches.
 
Tsitaliya: How would you describe your clients?
A. Rösselet: They are a very international crowd, mostly English-speaking people, who moved to live here in canton Zug. I can say the percentage of men to women is 50-50. Women are not only interested in our jewellery, but the watches as well, and recently there is no significant difference in the male-female watch designs, which also affects the sales in a positive way.
 
Tsitaliya: You grew up in Zug, what did you like the most in the town? 
A. Rösselet: My classmates and I loved skiing and even after school we would get on a bus and go to Zugerberg.
 
Tsitaliya: How do you see the future of your retail shop? Do you expect your son to take over the business?
A. Rösselet: I don’t want to pressure him, but at home we talk so much about the store and the watches that our both children grew up with that. I love what I do, as my father and my grandfather did, so I will leave it to them to decide. It is really important to love your job.
 
You can see what the Rösselet Schmuck und Uhren offers at their website: www.roesselet.ch or visit the store in Zug at Aegeristrasse 4
 
Tsitaliya Mircheva
 


 
 
 
 
 
 

Downloads:

• 100 years Rösselet, brochüre in German with historical pictures and documents [pdf] 934 kB

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