Hôtel des Horlogers

Style

Architectural timepiece

Setting

(One to) Watch Valley

Time is not only of the essence when it comes to booking Hôtel des Horlogers, time (well spent) is the essence of this sustainably crafted capsule of comfort in Switzerland’s remote Vallée de Joux. Commissioned by Audemars Piguet just steps from the luxury Swiss watchmakers’ atelier (don’t get us started on its curve appeal), the zig-zagging property is also known as the ‘AP Hotel’ – coming high on horologist’s watch-lists for the Watch Valley workshops. And even if you don’t know your Blancpain from your Patek Philippe, the hotel’s Alpine-inspired rooms, forest-facing restaurant and sprawling Swiss spa are timeless in their appeal – so much so, you’ll be counting down the hours (minutes and seconds) until your next nature-immersed visit.

Facilities

Rooms

50, including 12 suites.

Checkout

11am, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 3pm.

More Details

Rates include a buffet breakfast of local cheeses and charcuterie, and fresh fruits from the hotel’s organic garden (with the option of ordering à la carte for an extra cost).

Also

The entire hotel is wheelchair-accessible, with several specially designed rooms for guests with mobility issues.

Fitness Center

Free Internet Access

Laundry

Pet Friendly

On-Site Restaurant

Room Service

Spa

At the Hotel

Ski-in ski-out terrace, kitchen garden, library, art gallery, sauna, electric bicycles to borrow, charged laundry service, and free WiFi. In rooms: TV, smart tablet, air-conditioning, minibar, local tea-making kit, Nespresso coffee machine with eco-friendly capsules, biodegradable slippers, and Swiss-made Alpeor bath products.

Our Favourite Rooms

Thanks to the hotel’s zig-zagging, glass-box structure, every room comes with sweeping views across La Vallée de Joux towards the towering pine trees of the Risoud Forest – a verdant outlook in the spring and summer months filled with wildflowers, and blanketed with snow come winter. Essentially, you won’t whittle down your room choice when it comes to vistas (because they’re all equally enchanting). Selecting by size, the two Signature Suites are the most spacious – with timber-clad living and dining rooms you’ll want to linger in, plus a wine cellar to raid.

Spa

In keeping with the hotel’s green creds, the spa (open daily from 8am to 10pm) is stocked with Swiss botanical beauty brand, Alpeor – which sources plant-based ingredients from the surrounding valleys and mountains for an all-natural approach. Alpeor-trained therapists expertly dish out ‘Eternal Snow’ facials, ‘Rich Mountains’ massages and Alpine wellness rituals from two sleek treatment rooms. Sip on a freshly brewed cup of spruce and pine tea in the relaxation room, which faces the Risoud Forest (where those pine needles were gathered), or soothe mountain-weary muscles in the sauna and hammam. During the icy winters, you can even transport yourself to tropical climes in the sensory shower, which has various chromotherapy settings and soundtracks. There’s also a swish fitness room equipped with Matrix machines, open for round-the-clock workouts overlooking the Jura Mountains.

Packing Tips

You can brush up on your horological knowledge at the library during your stay (though it would be time well spent to look into Swiss watchmaking legends beforehand, such as Blancpain, Patek Philippe, Jaeger-LeCoultre, and of course Audemars Piguet).

Also

Those upside-down trees dangling from the lobby ceiling are actually blanched roots made from local wood, to create the illusion of being beneath the forest floor.

Children

Welcome, but younger guests best learn the difference between tick-tock and TikTok to appreciate this sophisticated stay.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

Forest views are guaranteed from every angle, but it’s worth inching closer to the Risoud greenery on the outdoor terrace.

Dress Code

Ditch the hiking books and salopettes: you’ll want to elevate your look to match the fine Alpine dining.

Hotel Restaurant

Drawing inspiration (and many of its ingredients) from the Risoud Forest, Brasserie Le Gogant takes its name from the giant silver fir trees that fringe the surrounding valley. Diners look out across snow-dusted treetops through full-height windows, quite literally sampling the fruits of the forest foraged by the chefs earlier that day. The menu (accessed via smart tablets to save paper) changes with the seasons, but always showcases local meats, fish and cheeses, alongside homegrown vegetables. Provenance is paramount to three-Michelin-starred chef, Emmanuel Renaut, who personally handpicks the farmers and fishermen who supply the restaurant. The nature-focused dishes are reflected in the decor – you’ll be seated beneath oversized, custom-made lamps in the shape of woodland mushrooms and rocky contours to resemble the Jura Mountains. In the adjoining La Table des Horlogers, seasonal tasting menus are served in a 12-seater private dining room, where Renaut’s classical French training really comes to the fore.

Hotel Bar

Bar des Horlogers is exclusively stocked with Swiss spirits, including fir-bud syrup from the nearby Risoud Distillery (which makes a wonderfully woody base for the signature Kir Sapin cocktail), and precision-engineered wines from Les Frères Dutruy in Canton de Vaud. Alpine snacks will keep mountaineers fuelled on Gruyère-stuffed croques monsieurs and knife-cut beef tartare, and you need not look far to plan your expeditions – the bar’s backdrop is a rope-threaded wall hanging that outlines the Dent de Vaulion, one of the nearby Jura peaks.

Last Orders

Breakfast is from 7am to 10am (Monday to Friday), and 7am to 10.30am (weekends), lunch from noon to 2pm, and dinner from 7pm to 9pm.

Room Service

Available round-the-clock; though cheese and charcuterie boards are your only in-room options between 9.30pm and 7am.

Planes

The hotel is just under an hour’s drive from Geneva Airport, and 45 minutes if you’re coming by car from Lausanne. Zürich Airport is the major international hub, just under three hours’ drive from the hotel. Transfers in hybrid vehicles are available on request, starting from CHF210 (from Geneva, one-way).

Trains

Daily direct trains run from Paris, whizzing you from the Gare de Lyon to Vallorbe in three hours; it’s then 25 minutes by car to the hotel. The closest station is Le Brassus, which is also well connected to Geneva and Paris.

Automobiles

Support the hotel’s eco efforts by hiring an electric car; there are onsite charging stations in both the indoor and outdoor car parks with a free valet service (park outside for free, or inside for CHF25 a night).

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Heed Hôtel des Horlogers’ motto and ‘make time’ for the horological experiences on offer in Switzerland’s Watch Valley. Guided tours of the neighbouring Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet (you know, that spiralling architectural triumph) can sell out a year in advance, so you’ll need to plan your visit well ahead of time to explore the 300-plus collection of luxury watches. The interactive exhibitions at nearby Espace Horloger invite watch-lovers to time travel from the 15th century to the present day – where better to learn about Swiss craftsmanship than the first watchmaking museum in Vaud? The Gideon Collection – which features Gothic timepieces, planetary clocks, and illusionist mechanisms from across Europe – is particularly impressive. If you really want to get technical, you can join a two-day workshop held at Olivier Piguet’s Watchmaking Training Centre – get to grips with dismantling, reassembling, oiling and case-fitting your very own Calibre 16 watch to take home with you. La Vallée de Joux is home to several prestigious Swiss watchmaking factories, including the Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre. Contemplate the passing of time on Saturday evenings at the AstroVal Astronomical Observatory, a tranquil stargazing spot in the pastures of Le Solliat above Lake Joux.

Horology aside, the Jura Mountains are a year-round adventure playground, with activities to fill every hour of the day. In the summer, there’s water-skiing, wake-boarding and sailing on Lake Joux; guided hikes and cycling tours around Alpine trails; and gourmet picnics and cheese tastings in the Risoud Forest. When the snow sets in, the valley transforms into one of Europe’s largest natural ice-skating rinks – with plenty of skiing, sledding, snowshoeing and ice-fishing to keep winter visitors from watching the clock.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .