La Chaux-de-Fonds | Home of Fine Watchmaking

What city in Switzerland is best known for watchmaking? You might want to say Geneva. While many famous watch brands are headquartered in this international city, most inventions, know-how and talents come from smaller towns in the so-called Watch Valley. One town has become particularly famous for fine watchmaking. Want to find out why it is La-Chaux-de-Fonds?

Get to know the home of fine watchmaking

What do Patek Philippe, Girard-Perregaux, TAG Heuer and Ulysse Nardin have in common? They all manufacture their calibres in La Chaux-de-Fonds (CdF)! The watchmaking city was founded as early as 1656. Since it has become the most important centre of the watchmaking industry, its growth and prosperity is mainly bound up with it.

Today, the town’s grid street plan reminds one of New York City because in 1794, La Chaux-de-Fonds was rebuilt after a devastating fire. Besides watches, the city is known for being the home of famous architect Le Corbusier. Also, the car maker Louis Chevrolet was born there.

The climate in the Jura is harsh. Some refer to the area around La Chaux-de-Fonds as Siberia of Switzerland. With –41°, it holds the record for the lowest temperature ever recorded in Switzerland. The trees along its main street are trimmed at a height of 1,000 metres above sea level and make CdF the highest city in Europe.

In order to withstand the harsh winters, people in La Chaux-de-Fonds had to find an additional source of income. Hence, they specialized in the craft of precision mechanics because they could complete many tasks from home. For example, families completed several parts of mechanical pocket watches at their homes, before supplying them to local workshops. There, watchmakers assembled them to functioning timepieces, which then got sold to retailers in cities like London, Paris or New York.

Jaquet Droz - The philosophy of the unique

One of the pioneers in CdF's watchmaking history was Pierre Jaquet-Droz. He was born in 1721 on a small farm but took a serious interest in clockmaking and precision mechanics. He produced a series of “grandfather” clocks featuring increasingly sophisticated movements. They soon outclassed anything that had yet been produced! He even enhanced his watchmaking movements with music and marvelous automata. It didn't take long for the wealthy and demanding clientèle to discover his extraordinary creations.

Today, Jaquet Droz is best knows for their automations and in-house Ateliers d’Art. The latter has the aim to preserve the centuries of special expertise that define the brand’s identity. The meticulous work involved in miniature painting, carving, engraving and paillonnée enameling is highlighted in some exceptional pieces in their collection. For example the Magic Lotus Automaton. This masterpiece features a hand-engraved and hand-painted white mother-of-pearl dial and black onyx subdial. Its marvelous decoration in 18-karat red and yellow gold requires a lot of manual work of highly skilled professionals. Featuring a mechanical automaton movement with push-button, this masterpiece offers a magnificent mechanism animating pond, carp and lotus flower. It is the result of age-old craftsmanship!

Another classic of the brand is the Grande Seconde, a piece inspired by a pocket watch created in the 18th century. The hour and minute display at 12 o’clock overlapping the seconds counter at 6 o’clock. It has become the distinct look for Jaquet Droz' timepieces.

One of our favorite watches by Jaquet Droz is the sporty yet elegant looking Grande Seconde Skelet-one Ceramic. It is simplistic, clean and comes with the distinct Jaquet Droz look. Yet, the skeletonization and rather prominent crown add a sophisticated touch!

Schwarz Etienne - Manufacture since 1902

In 1902, another watch manufacturer enters the picture. The industrialization is disrupting Europe's economy and Paul Arthur Schwarz and his wife Olga Etienne decide to go ahead and found the company Schwarz Etienne. This La Chaux-de-Fonds based family business specializes in manufacturing mechanical movements for other watch brands or sophisticated clients such as the Vatican and Leonid Brezhnev, former President of the Soviet Union.

Today, Schwarz Etienne develops and sells watches under their own brand name, gradually becoming recognized as a fully-fledged manufacturer with distinct qualities: creativity, innovation and expertise!

Our favorite watch from their current collection is the Tourbillon PSR. The movement of this breathtaking timepiece is manufactured entirely in-house, even including the hairspring! Two of the main features are the small second retrograde complication at 11 o'clock and the tourbillon at 1 o'clock. In addition, it is powered by a visible micro rotor.

While the two steel versions come with either green Aventurine fine stone or blue Opal fine stone, the rose gold features Hematite Specularite fine stone. These fine details really do the trick for us!

Greubel Forsey - Art of invention

One of the latest actors to enter the stage of fine watchmaking is Greubel Forsey. They impersonate the new age of manufacturing high-end timepieces. Without a rich history to bank on, Robert Greubel and Stephan Forsey decided to dedicate themselves entirely to improving the performance of existing complications but also to invent innovative mechanisms since 2004.

In 2009, Greubel Forsey moved into their new manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds. It is an architectonic masterpiece! Combining a painstakingly restored farmhouse from the 17th century and the actual atelier. The latter houses the development and production workshops. Its sloping roof gives the impression that it could have risen from the ground!

Only few know that Greubel and Forsey have invented a series of new complications. With the Invention Piece 1 they open up whole new vistas for their first major invention: the Double Tourbillon 30°! Four years of meticulous research were devoted to developing this revolutionary mechanism.

While the Invention Piece 1 symbolizes a milestone for Greubel Forsey, the GMT collection has won our hearts. It displays a spinning globe as a real-time reproduction of the Earth’s rotation, offering an intuitive view of time all over the world as well as a day/night indication.

The latest addition to this iconic collection is the GMT Sport. A newly developed titanium case positions this GMT in a "sports" league of its own. The limits of ergonomics and wrist comfort have definitely been pushed back with the launch of this timepiece. A totally new case form, perfectly round from above, while revealing the accentuated arched and ovoid shape from other angles, was invented by for this watch. Additionally, lugs and strap were integrated in order to achieve a functional form that perfectly fits any wrist. It is definitely one of our favorite watches ever manufactured in La Chaux-de-Fonds!

We hope to have given you a comprehensive overview of the watchmaking industry in La Chaux-de-Fonds including some notable manufacturers. Get in touch with us if you are interested in knowing more about watchmaking in Switzerland!

Interested in reading more about fine watchmaking in the Watch Valley? Read this blogpost about Jaeger-LeCoultre's manufacture in the Vallée de Joux!