Ludwig Oechslin (born February 10, 1952) is a Swiss

watchmaker A watchmaker is an artisan who makes and repairs watches. Since a majority of watches are now factory-made, most modern watchmakers only repair watches. However, originally they were master craftsmen who built watches, including all their part ...

, designer and inventor.

Life

Ludwig Oechslin was born in

Gabicce Mare Gabicce Mare, also named Gabicce (Romagnol dialect, Romagnol: ''Gabéc''), is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pesaro e Urbino, in Italy, region Marche. It is located about northwest of Ancona, north of Pesaro, and is close ...

. In 1972, he embarked upon a degree course in

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landsca ...

at the

University of Basel The University of Basel (Latin: ''Universitas Basiliensis'', German: ''Universität Basel'') is a university in Basel, Switzerland. Founded on 4 April 1460, it is Switzerland's oldest university and among the world's oldest surviving universit ...

, Switzerland, going on to graduate in 1976. In 1983 was awarded a PhD in Philosophy, specialising on the history of Research, and received a scholarship to study

theoretical physics Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental physics, which uses experim ...

and

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, g ...

at the

University of Bern The University of Bern (german: Universität Bern, french: Université de Berne, la, Universitas Bernensis) is a university in the Swiss capital of Bern and was founded in 1834. It is regulated and financed by the Canton of Bern. It is a compreh ...

, Switzerland. Parallel to these studies, he also studied to become a watchmaker and was awarded a diploma as a Swiss master watchmaker in 1993. In 1995 Oechslin habilitatiated in Pre-Industrial Technical Archaeology at the

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (colloquially) , former_name = eidgenössische polytechnische Schule , image = ETHZ.JPG , image_size = , established = , type = Public , budget = CHF 1.896 billion (2021) , rector = Günther Dissertori , president = Joël Mesot , a ...

(ETHZ), Switzerland. Oechslin is married with three children.

Work

Ludwig Oechslin got widely known for this restoration of the

astronomical clock An astronomical clock, horologium, or orloj is a clock with special mechanisms and dials to display astronomical information, such as the relative positions of the Sun, Moon, zodiacal constellations, and sometimes major planets. Definition ...

in the

Vatican Library The Vatican Apostolic Library ( la, Bibliotheca Apostolica Vaticana, it, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana), more commonly known as the Vatican Library or informally as the Vat, is the library of the Holy See, located in Vatican City. Formally es ...

, known as the ''Farnese Clock'', and for the time he spent as Director of the International Museum of Horology in

La Chaux-de-Fonds La Chaux-de-Fonds () is a Swiss city in the canton of Neuchâtel. It is located in the Jura mountains at an altitude of 1000 m, a few kilometers south of the French border. After Geneva, Lausanne and Fribourg, it is the fourth largest city l ...

, Switzerland (2011-2014). During this period, he managed the project leading to the release of the MIH watch by the International Museum of Horology. Oechslin also constructed a replica of the

Antikythera Mechanism The Antikythera mechanism ( ) is an Ancient Greek hand-powered orrery, described as the oldest example of an analogue computer used to predict astronomical positions and eclipses decades in advance. It could also be used to track the four-yea ...

and developed the extremely complicated astronomical ''Türler Clock'', which was built between 1986 and 1995 by Jörg Spöring for ''Türler Uhren & Juwelen'' jewelers in Zurich, Switzerland. Since 2018 the ''Türler Clock'' has been on display at the International Museum of Horology. In the early 1980s Oechslin started to work for

Ulysse Nardin Ulysse Nardin SA is a Swiss luxury watchmaking company founded in 1846 in Le Locle, Switzerland. The company became known for manufacturing highly accurate marine chronometers and complicated timepieces used by over 50 of the world's navies from ...

, where he developed numerous watches, including the ''Freak'' model, which went on to gain international acclaim. He also designed the Astrolabium Galileo Galilei wristwatch, mentioned in 1989 in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most complex watch ever made. In 2006 Oechslin founded his own watch company O''chs und junior'' in Lucerne, Switzerland, together with his partner Beat Weinman. Oechslin currently collaborates with a number of universities such as ETH Zürich and the Université de Neuchâtel, and is a member of the jury of multiple organizations.

Awards

2016: Hommage à la Passion of the Swiss Foundation High Horology 2009: Special Jury Prize at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève 1995: Prix Gaïa (histoire-recherches) of the International Museum of Horology

References

External links

Interview with Dr. Oechslin on Fifthwrist-Radio (Podcast)Foundation High Horology about Ludwig Oechslin

Ludwig Oechslin in watch-wiki

* ttps://www.theartofliving.info/lifestyle/watches/062017_ludwig-oechslin-the-watchmaker-who-places-the-universe-on-your-wrist/ The Art of Living profile of Ludwig Oechslin
EuropaStar article about Ludwig Oechslin

WatchTime article profile of Ludwig Oechslin

UBS Magazine article about Ludwig Oechslin

RobbReport article about Ludwig Oechslin

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oechslin, Ludwig 1952 births Living people People from the Province of Pesaro and Urbino Swiss watchmakers (people) University of Basel alumni Italian emigrants to Switzerland University of Bern alumni Swiss clockmakers