Juval
Perfectly located just outside the Watch History Museum, Juval, a contraction of Julien Vallon, its founder, was established in 2014. Julien Vallon is a well-known figure in the watchmaking scene, owning one of the industry's leading case manufacturers, Stila, a few kilometers away.
His passion for vintage watches transpires in all aspects of the boutique, not only the watches for sale, but also the decoration. One nice touch that somewhat combines both is that he always tries, when possible, to match the watch with some original memorabilia from the brand back when it was made.
Pricing is reasonable, which is something you will often find to be the case in hubs of the watch industry, as opposed to more cosmopolitan cities such as Zurich or Geneva.
What you will find: mostly vintage watches, with the occasional more recent pre-owned. Omega (of which Juval is also an authorized service center) is probably the most prominent brand, with, in particular, an impressive collection of Speedmasters. Heuer and Breitling are also usually well represented.
Price range: very broad, from a few hundred CHF to above 20k, for rare items.
Location: Rue des Musées, 26 - 2300, La Chaux-de-Fonds (Google Maps)
Open Hours:
Tuesday to Friday: 1.30 pm to 5 pm
Saturday: by appointment (contact +4132 534 2763 or info@juval.ch)
SWE Rating: Excellent
Website: juval.ch
SWE tip: If you are travelling to Switzerland and looking for something special, for instance, a birth-year Speedmaster, you can contact Julien Vallon ahead of time and he may be able to have a look. Of course, this is the case for most vintage resellers, but his network is particularly deep, in particular when it comes to Omega vintage pieces.
SWE tips for any vintage / pre-owned purchase:
Confirm whether the watch is in working order, and if it is guaranteed.
Ask whether there is a known service history on the watch.
If the box has its original papers / warranty, that's always preferred, but it should not be a deal-breaker especially if it is truly vintage (30+ years).
If the watch has luminescent material on the dial and hands, ask the seller if it is radium (typically until the 1960s), tritium (usually until 1999), or luminova / superluminova (to date). Radium and tritium are radioactive substances. While tritium has very low radioactivity and is considered safe on a watch, the Swiss government advises against wearing a watch containing radium. That said, many vintage enthusiasts actually value radium due to its aesthetically pleasing patina and consider the risk to be low.