The International Museum of Horology, french: Musée international d'horlogerie, italic=no, is a
horological
Horology (; related to Latin '; ; , interfix ''-o-'', and suffix ''-logy''), . is the study of the measurement of time. Clocks, watches, clockwork, sundials, hourglasses, clepsydras, timers, time recorders, marine chronometers, and atomic clo ...
museum 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 loc ...
, Switzerland. It is owned and operated by the city of La Chaux-de-Fonds.
History
In 1865 the Watchmaking School of La Chaux-de-Fonds had the idea of putting together a collection of old clocks, which was mainly used for didactic purposes. For 35 years, the clocks and watches in the collection were displayed solely for the use of students and teachers, until
Maurice Picard Maurice may refer to:
People
*Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr
*Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor
*Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and Lo ...
, a watch-making industrialist and
Jew
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...
of French origin, gave impetus to the idea of creating a museum. The town council was receptive to the idea, and on March 24th 1902, the town authorities signed the foundation deed of the Watchmaking Museum, originally located in the same building as the school. The collection gradually grew and the museum was enlarged three times, in 1907, 1952 and 1967.
It eventually became clear that the premises were no longer suitable for a permanent and functional display of the whole collection. The Committee of the Museum therefore suggested to the Municipality of La Chaux-de-Fonds that a foundation should be set up with the purpose of promoting the construction of a new building. Opened in 1974 under the name of Musée international d'horlogerie, this was characterized by a conception and techniques in the avant-garde of architecture and museography.
Both
Le Locle
Le Locle (; german: Luggli) is a Communes of Switzerland, municipality in the Canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland.
It is situated in the Jura Mountains, a few kilometers from the city of La Chaux-de-Fonds.
It is the third smallest city in Switz ...
and its geographical twin town
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 loc ...
have now been recognised as an UNESCO
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
, for their horological and related cultural past.
Antide Janvier
Antide Janvier (1 July 1751 – 23 September 1835) was a French clockmaker.
Life
Antide Janvier was born in a village in the Jura (département), Jura, and learned the basics of his trade from his father, and was educated in Latin, Greek ...
La Chaux-de-Fonds.
File:2008-AHS-CH-MIH 009chronoBreguetcrop.jpg, Marine Chronometer No. 3153 by Breguet & Fils Breguet or Bréguet may refer to:
* Breguet (watch), watch manufacturer
**Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747–1823), Swiss watchmaker
**Louis-François-Clement Breguet (1804–1883), French physicist, watchmaker, electrical and telegraph work
* Bréguet ...
, double barrels, La Chaux-de-Fonds.
File:2008-AHS-CH-MIH 029JaquetDroz ca 1780 InvIV-2-9.jpg, Bracket clock with base by Pierre Jaquet Droz
Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...
La Chaux-de-Fonds.
File:2008-AHS-CH-MIH 037crop-BerthodMiniChroncrop.jpg, Minitayre marine chronometer
A marine chronometer is a precision timepiece that is carried on a ship and employed in the determination of the ship's position by celestial navigation. It is used to determine longitude by comparing Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), or in the modern ...
by Ferdinand Berthoud
Ferdinand Berthoud (born 18 March 1727, in Plancemont-sur-Couvet, Principality of Neuchâtel; died 20 June 1807, in Groslay, Val d'Oise), was a scientist and watchmaker. He became master watchmaker in Paris in 1753. Berthoud, who held the posi ...
La Chaux-de-Fonds
References
* Baillod Gil, "The beating heart of worldwide horology", in ''watch around'', n.012, automn 2011-winter 2012, pp. 70–73
* Bosshart, Nicole, "International Museum of Horology – La Chaux-de-Fonds", in BUJARD Jacques; TISSOT Laurent (2008), ''The Territory of Neuchâtel and its Horological Heritage''. Chézard-Saint-Martin: Editions de la Chatière, pp. 351–354, .
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{{Authority control
Horological museums in Switzerland
La Chaux-de-Fonds
Museums in the canton of Neuchâtel