In Zurich 2020
You open the door like a barn door, the seat could be that of a tractor, bare metal everywhere, no alters, nothing flashes. Now in autumn, it is as cold inside as it is outside and will not change. The gearshift is long and the clutch works like a leg press in the gym. And yet Daniel Dreifuss loves the old Series II Land Rover from 1967 when he drives through Zurich. While a Maserati, a Bentley, or a Ferrari no longer makes people flinch, they turn to the old Englishman and welcome it with a smile and wave.
Daniels left arm casually laid out of the window because the seating position is tight, Dreifuss’ watch flashes in the sunlight and builds the bridge to the Land Rover’s inscription. A thoroughly mechanical car that was intended to be a workhorse, advertises mechanical watches that are as pleasantly eye-catching as the Series II and mechanically emphasizes ETA movements that are known in the industry as “workhorses”.
In front of the Atelier at Tödistraße 48, his sons Massimo and Leonard jump out the back and, with English nonchalance, makes his way to the beautiful places of Zurich. Here he attracts maximum attention. Where everything is smooth and shiny, where faultlessness and perfection are standard, the Landy, as many affectionately call him, is an exotic star. Because it has character, not just the hottest color, and the opening and closing of its doors speak a language that sounds like an experience. And he promises this experience to everyone who is looking for the real, for the authentic, for stories and values, and can find them with Maurice de Mauriac. In the form of watches with which the Dreifuss family has often surprised the watch industry.
As with the last watch developed by founder Daniel Dreifuss, the L3 sees red, with its touchingly emotional watch crystal in red. Or the watch now developed by his sons as the first watch that will beat from November.
In the atelier, the small Lavazza espresso machine roars and mixes the leather scent with strong beans, the senses begin to whirl like the sides of a double bass that you feel trembling in your stomach. And in this atmosphere, you then put watch after watch around your arm and realize that watches by Maurice de Mauriac are more than just timepieces, they are timekeepers, good timekeepers who make good times for whoever wears them.
Outside of the shop, the old Englishman is waiting, enticing with nothing and yet the epitome of every analog charm. Daniel Dreifuss will travel away with this charm again, will drive through Zurich again, and inspire – himself and everyone who sees him.
