The sound filling the temporary space inside the Bucherer flagship store, currently being renovated, was nothing like the ticking of a watch.

The rumble shook the flimsy walls and reverberated off the concrete floor.

And everyone loved it.

It was the sound of the latest Bucherer Blue Edition, this time a Harley-Davidson with a watch and a diamond solitaire ring built into the gas tank.

This was the first time that Bucherer has done something outside of watches and jewelry in the Bucherer Blue Editions. According to Patrick Graf, Chief Commercial Officer, the idea for this new project came to him when he idly walked into a custom Harley shop, Bündnerbike, in the hinterlands of Switzerland. He was looking for a way to push Bucherer into the future and for a project that would bring the company together – the management and the watches and the jewelry divisions.

Graf pitched the concept without even a drawing to Jörg Bucherer, the chairman of the board of directors. “I was worried about what he would say, because we are a very traditional company with a lot of heritage,” Graf remembers. “But he was very receptive to the idea. He then started telling me about the Harley he had when he was young, and then in two minutes, he had made up his mind. He said to get to work.

“Our goal was to make the most exclusive, most expensive Harley-Davidson motorcycle ever made, and we did it,” he adds with a smile. “When I showed Mr. Bucherer the finished product, he walked around it about 15 times, then he told me to not be so quick to sell it. ‘I might to keep this for myself,’ he said to me. It takes a lot to impress a man like Mr. Bucherer, so this was a great compliment.”

The bike started its life as a Screamin’ Eagle version of a Softail Slim. Jürg Ludwig, Jr., the director of Bündnerbike was quick to point out that in order to call it a Harley-Davidson, 51% of the parts have to be original Harley. The 100 BHP bike is a showpiece for Bucherer and will be making the rounds of Bucherer stores around the world. Its first stop is Selfridge’s in London and I planted a bug in his ear about bringing it to Las Vegas for the American watch shows at the beginning of June. “This bike could be a nice bridge for Bucherer and Tourneau in America, with the iconic Harley-Davidson brand,” Grabb adds.

Sascha Moeri, CEO of Carl F. Bucherer was on hand for the unveiling. “I was involved from the very start, because they needed us on board to make the watch part happen,” he explains. “We designed and created a special watch winder that would isolate the one-off Carl F. Bucherer watch from the vibrations of the engine and the road, while keeping the watch wound. The buyer of the bike gets another piece unique TravelTec 2 to wear off the bike, as well. I love the bike and can’t wait to see who buys it.”

Judging by the reaction of the press and Bucherer’s watch partners present at the conference, Bucherer’s first foray outside of strict watch and jewelry projects was a success. It’s certainly interesting, catches attention and makes people sit up and take notice.

Grabb mentioned that since the word has gotten out about the Bucherer Blue Harley-Davidson, many other big brands have approached them about similar collaborations.

“This Harley has set the bar super high, so we’ll see what else we can come up with,” he says with a smile.