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The Watchmaking heritage biennial is back this autumn

After a three-year absence, the Biennale du patrimoine horloger (watchmaking heritage biennial) will once again be open to the public from 31 October to 3 November 2024. The event will reveal the heart of 31 watchmaking companies in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Le Locle and Saint-Imier, through “open day” events, some 150 guided tours and hands-on workshops. It's a unique opportunity to discover the wealth of expertise in the Neuchâtel mountains and the Grand Chasseral.

The programme for this 11th edition reflects the diversity of the watchmaking heritage in the three towns, from subcontractors to major brands, not forgetting the certification laboratories.

In Le Locle, the Tudor and Kenissi manufacturing facilities that were inaugurated in 2021 will be welcoming the public for the first time for nine exclusive guided tours, while Tissot and Ulysse Nardin will be making a comeback. Horlyne, Schneider&Co and Schwarz Etienne will be participating in the event for the first time, in La Chaux-de-Fonds; as will Arcofil and Groupe Froidevaux in St-Imier.

In a new feature for this year, registrations for visits to 19 of the participating companies (for which places are limited) is to be done exclusively via the new www.urbanisme-horloger.ch booking platform. Some tours can still be booked through the companies, while seven sites can be visited without registering.

The 11th edition of the Biennale du patrimoine horloger will also benefit from a wider circle of sponsors, with the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (FH) joining the event as main sponsors, to support the promotion of Swiss watchmaking, as it is already doing in Switzerland and internationally, via social networks and its exhibition dedicated to the Swiss watch.

The President of the FH, Yves Bugmann, will be one of the participants at the opening round table (Thursday 31 October, 6.30pm, L'Heure bleue), alongside Alain Delamuraz (CEO Jaquet-Droz), Fanny Queloz (Director of Arts & Design Manufacture), Alain Ribaux (Neuchâtel State Councillor in charge of the economy) and Cédric Bassin (Director of the CEFF and member of the Professional Training Commission of the Swiss Watch Industry Employers’ Association). Speaking to Neuchâtel journalist Gabriel de Weck, they will discuss how to perpetuate and maintain watchmaking expertise in the Jura Arc.

October 03, 2024