The International Museum of Horology, , is a horological museum in

La Chaux-de-Fonds La Chaux-de-Fonds (; archaic ) is a Swiss city in the canton of Neuchâtel. It is located in the Jura Mountains at an altitude of 992 metres, a few kilometres south of the French border. After Geneva, Lausanne, Biel/Bienne, and Fribourg, ...

, 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, a Jewish French watch-making industrialist gave impetus to the idea of creating a museum. The town council was receptive to the idea, and on March 24, 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 (; ) 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 Switzerland (in Swit ...

and its geographical twin town

have now been recognised as an UNESCO

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

, for their horological and related cultural past. File:2008-AHS-CH-MIH 021Janvier crop.jpg, Tall case clock with multiple complications by

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, 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 Jaquet-Droz (; 1721–1790) was a watchmaker of the late eighteenth century. He was born on 28 July 1721 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, in the Principality of Neuchâtel, which was then part of the Kingdom of Prussia. He lived in Paris, London, and ...

, La Chaux-de-Fonds. File:2008-AHS-CH-MIH 037crop-BerthodMiniChroncrop.jpg, Miniature

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), and the time at t ...

by Ferdinand Berthoud, La Chaux-de-Fonds.

History

See also

References

Further reading