Biennale du patrimoine horloger

The opening ceremony of this watchmaking weekend was held on the evening of November 2^nd in the magnificent setting of the Théâtre L’Heure bleue in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis took part in a round table discussion with Anne Bisang, Director of the Théâtre populaire romand (TPR), François Thiébaud, President of Tissot, and François Hainard, President of Club 44. The debate, which focused on the theme of “the contribution of watchmakers to the Neuchâtel Mountains and Switzerland, yesterday, today and tomorrow”, generated pleasant discussions in which certain messages were conveyed, such as the one expressed by François Hainard regarding the plan to install some 150 clocks on the Pod (the town’s “Champs-Elysées”) designed to affirm the pride with which the world watchmaking capital bears its name.

From Saturday morning onwards, brands, subcontractors, workshops, museums and schools opened their doors to the public in order to introduce their know-how to the many curious visitors. For the first time, Breitling Chronométrie offered guided tours through its production and watchmaking workshops. Pascal Ricci, Production Manager, proudly described the entire manufacturing process of the in-house movements. Among the 50 or so options available, many brands had responded to the call, including Greubel Forsey, Girard-Perregaux, Corum, Zenith, Tissot, Ulysse Nardin and Schwarz Etienne. Visits to manufacturers of watch cases, bracelets, watchmaking tools or jewellers – and the list is by no means exhaustive – also proved extremely popular. A small tourist train provided a chance to get a more global view of the towns’ watchmaking urban planning.

The day’s rich programme was enriched by other activities, such as film screenings featuring the film Hugo Cabret, and a Cooking Timing activity presented at the FabLab. And on Sunday, to close this flourishing weekend, the traditional autumn watch exchange was held at the Musée international d’horlogerie (MIH).

While the visitors were largely local, others came from the surrounding cantons and even from Belgium. Interested in the watchmaking profession, a young Belgian man and his father made the trip to the Neuchâtel mountains in order to take advantage of the opportunity to discover several companies whose doors are rarely open to the public.

In 2019, the Biennial will change its habits and present a ‘UNESCO 10^th anniversary special edition’ since it has already been a decade since the towns of La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle were listed as World Heritage Sites. Two new stakeholders have already been announced, namely the watchmaking companies Jaquet Droz and Cartier. So make a note in your diaries! The 9th Biennale du patrimoine horloger will take place from November 1^st to 3^rd 2019.

November 22, 2018