She held the rank of colonel in the Army, and served as the Secretary of Women's Social Work, helping establish programs and centers in Switzerland.

[2][3] When she was eighteen years old, von Wattenwyl travelled with her older sister to Paris and London, where they stayed with relatives.

[1] She joined the Salvation Army, much to the concern of her family and friends, as activities of the Holiness movement were forbidden in Switzerland.

[1] She became a pastoral assistant to the revivalist clergyman Franz Eugen Schlachter and worked as a translator for William Booth when he visited Switzerland.

[1][3] She was later imprisoned for her work, which was still illegal at the time, and was the last Swiss Salvation Army officer to be sentenced to prison in Basel.