Putting 'rich' in Zurich

The iconic building of Paradeplatz stands among the enchanting symphony of lights at night. [Photo by Nam Nai Choi / for China Daily]

Zurich guilds were first founded in 1336 when the city was still governed by knights and aristocracy.

I am fascinated by the legacy of the Zurich guilds and how they fit in society nowadays. Whenever I visit some of the historical shops in Zurich, I can't help asking the shop owner or manager: "Are you a guild member?"

Roberto Quaglia says: "Yes. I was invited to join the Guild of Tailors, Cloth Shearers and Furriers 12 years ago. There are only two tailors among 120 members in our guild. I am very proud to be one of them."

But why only two tailor members in the guild? I am puzzled.

"Zurich guilds nowadays are more for business and social networking rather than tradesmen's associations. For our guild, we have bankers, lawyers and businessmen," Quaglia explains.

The Quaglia family started their tailoring business when Roberto's grandfather came to Zurich from Italy. Roberto's father learned to become a fine Italian tailor through an apprenticeship. As the third generation, Roberto himself went to tailor school for both men's and women's clothing. He then opened his own shop on Bahnhofstrasse, the main shopping street, for tailor-made men's suits and women's fashion under his own brand name.

Quaglia's motto is "dress to fit". But fine Italian tailoring has to be more than that. My husband Troy magically turns into a good-looking model with a trim and fit Quaglia suit, which costs a reasonable CHF 2,500 5,000 ($2,800-$5600).

Zurich is home to luxury and quality. Many "one-of-a-kind" product and experience can be found here.

Franz Turler is a member of the Zurich Guild of Saffran and fourth-generation owner of the Turler Watch and Jewelry Heritage shop on Paradeplatz. This is a special place where one can choose to spend a few thousand francs for a Swiss watch, a million francs for a Burmese Ruby jewelry set, or just to have an up-close-and-personal look of the "Model of the Cosmos the Turler Clock".

The very finely constructed astronomical clock with five movement components (planetarium, tellurion, globe, horizon and perpetual calendar) is precious for both the layman and enthusiast.

It is a realization of Franz Turler's dream to create a clock of unique perfection. In collaboration with master watchmakers Jorg Sporing and Ludwig Oechslin, the clock took nine years to build. About 1.2 tons of brass was used, and 251 individually crafted wheels on 155 pinions make up the complicated wheelwork.