Deployant
Quick visit: Girard-Perregaux in La Chaux-de-Fonds
We had the opportunity to visit Girard-Perregaux Manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds last November, and here is our account of the tour and photographs.
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Deployant
We had the opportunity to visit Girard-Perregaux Manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds last November, and here is our account of the tour and photographs.
Revolution
At the beginning of the week, TAG Heuer ambassador Patrick Dempsey traveled to La Chaux-de-Fonds to visit the brand’s workshops for the first time and learn more about its rich heritage and strong connection to motor racing. Both actor and racer, Dempsey first met TAG Heuer’s CEO Jean-Claude Biver at the 24 Hours of Le […]
Hodinkee
La Joux-Perret shows how the right movement can spark a whole new story, as the quiet powerhouse behind Arnold & Son and Angelus.
Hodinkee
One fatality was reported in the town and Sellita's factory was damaged.
Monochrome
Headquartered in a beautiful century-old villa in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, the fascinating watch brand Schwarz Etienne is your typical independent watchmaking company. The company’s origins date back to 1902, when founding husband-and-wife Paul-Arthur Schwartz and Olga Etienne got married. From then on, the company would grow continuously, with the descendants of the founding duo also […]
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One thing that makes a watch series interesting to us is variety. We love it when a series can transform like a chameleon without losing its recognizability. The March LA.B AM2 collection does exactly that. The watche...
Hodinkee
What We Know Swiss sport isn't limited to just skiing, soccer, and ice hockey. The Alpine nation is a tennis force. Besides the GOAT himself and Rolex testimonee extraordinaire Roger Federer, Switzerland has produced Grand Slam champs Martina Hingis and Stan Wawrinka; the Swiss team won the Davis Cup in 2014, while current WTA player Belinda Bencic took home singles gold at the Tokyo Olympics. The global center for fine watchmaking is also a hub for tennis greatness. And with that in mind, Zurich's Maurice de Mauriac is serving up the latest iteration of its tennis-themed Rallymaster series, the Rallymaster Swiss Tennis. A limited edition of 130 pieces in tribute to the 130th anniversary of Swiss Tennis is launching today at the Swiss Open in Gstaad. This isn't the first Rallymaster, that's for sure. Designed by California creative and keen-eyed collector Carlton DeWoody (with whom I once drove to Geneva from La Chaux-de-Fonds - but that's a story for another time), the sporty and practical Rallymaster has been produced in a slew of editions, taking inspiration from the Grand Slams, as well as modern tennis style and culture. With a brushed stainless steel case measuring 39 millimeters in diameter and 12mm thick, and 100 meters of water resistance, the Rallymaster is designed to take you just about anywhere, from the tennis court to the beach and beyond. As Tim Vaux recently revealed, Russell Crowe is a fan of lawn tennis, and a Wimbledon-themed Rallymaster III sits pro...
Hodinkee
Cartier has always chosen to tell time a little differently. From the first Santos wristwatch in a distinct square case, to its compelling mystery clocks, the unorthodox Tank à Guichet, the counter-intuitive Santos-Dumont Rewind, and the magic of the Masse Mystérieuse, it's a mainstream maison that has rarely approached the art of telling time by running with the pack. Roy Davidoff (left), a vintage watch dealer and expert, and Kari Voutilainen (right), the renowned independent watchmaker, were among the panel of judges tasked with ranking the unique projects submitted for the Cartier Prize for Watchmaking Talents of Tomorrow. That unique sensibility is at the heart of the Cartier Prize For Watchmaking Talents of Tomorrow. It's an accolade that's been awarded 28 times over three decades. But Cartier has rarely spoken about the initiative that began way back in 1995. For its latest edition, we were given a glimpse into the process in which watchmaking students from Switzerland, France, and Belgium were tasked with creating a timepiece based on the motion of a pendulum and the theme of "reading and understanding time differently." The resulting creations from 11 finalist watchmaking students, tasked with building a piece in just 80 hours over three months, displayed both technical prowess and artistic expression, conveying bold and surprising approaches to telling time within the Cartier design language. Prizes were awarded at a ceremony in La Chaux-de-Fonds at C...
Hodinkee
What We Know TAG Heuer has said this is the year of the chronograph. In reality, for the storied brand from La Chaux-de-Fonds, that means it's the year of the Monaco. With a series of new releases for 2026, including updated versions of the core Monaco collection with an in-house chronograph movement and updated titanium case, as well as tweaked dial design and, most significantly, the innovative and bar-raising movement tech of the new Evergraf, TAG has leaned into the square-shaped timepiece that debuted back in 1969 and affirmed its position as the brand's flagship and iconic model. So for the Formula 1 Louis Vuitton Grand Prix de Monaco 2026 this weekend, it shouldn't be a surprise that TAG is unveiling a new limited edition version of the Monaco to mark the occasion. The surprise here is that it isn't a chronograph. Rather, it's a time-only jump hour, utilizing the noted Spin Time movement from fellow LVMH property La Fabrique du Temps. It's called the TAG Heuer Monaco Speed 12, and it is certainly a unique and unprecedented interpretation of the mighty Monaco. Measuring 40 millimeters in diameter, the brushed case is made of grade 5 titanium, with the crown on the right rather than the left, which is now obligatory on the Monaco chronograph. It features a sapphire crystal on both sides, meaning the skeletonized case is effectively transparent outside of the dial architecture at the center. The design inspiration here is a 12-cylinder combustion motor, and the ...
Hodinkee
What We Know Last September, Girard-Perregaux released the Laureato Fifty, a 200-piece limited edition marking the collection's 50th anniversary. Continuing to build on that, the La Chaux-de-Fonds manufacture has announced four new Laureato references today, in 36mm and 39mm sizes. All four share the same octagonal case and GP4800 movement—the 39mm options are a rose gold-toned 18k dial with Clous de Paris motif and date display, and a deep blue in-house enamel dial over the same pattern. The 36mm gets the same rose gold-toned dial minus the date, and a silver-toned Clous de Paris dial with a gem-set bezel carrying 64 brilliant-cut diamonds totaling approximately 0.55 carats. Everything comes on a steel integrated bracelet with a triple-folding clasp and 4mm micro-adjustment. Water resistance is 150 meters. The GP4800, first introduced last year, is an automatic movement running at 4 Hz with a 60-hour power reserve. Its architecture draws from GP's Three Bridges lineage, with the balance bridge crafted in rose gold. All four are available now, with pricing as follows: the 39mm blue enamel is $24,500; the 39mm rose gold-toned dial is $23,100; the 36mm rose gold-toned dial is $23,100; and the 36mm diamond-set is $24,200. What We Think When I covered the Laureato Fifty last October, my main critique was that GP had only offered a grey dial. That's now been addressed, with the brand offering a variety of options. Another improvement worth noting: the two-tone bracelet has be...
SJX Watches
Phillips’ spring auction season heads east for The Hong Kong Watch Auction: XXII on May 30 – 31. In addition to a strong roster of complications from big brands, and interesting indies as usual, there is a strong showing from the more artistic side of watchmaking spanning gemsetting, enamelling, hand engraving, and wood marquetry. Lot 1010 – Jaquet Droz Magic Lotus Automaton Pierre Jaquet-Droz (1721 – 1790) was an extraordinarily skilled automata maker from La Chaux-de-Fonds, his most famous work being The Writer, which can write up to 40 pre-programmed characters, dipping his quill into an ink pot at intervals. Today, Swatch Group uses his name for métiers d’art watches and automata; this watch is both. The onyx dial adds lapidary into the mix. It is a two-train watch — turning the crown one direction winds the movement, while the other winds the animation, which is tripped by a button in the crown and runs for an unusually long four minutes on a full wind. The koi swims around the dial, moving its tail back and forth and dives slightly to pass underneath the floating foliage (which is made of gold). A floating lotus flower opposite the koi acts as a visual counterweight. The petals clutch a yellow sapphire — or is it a red ruby, or a blue sapphire? It changes as the flower passes under the leaves or dial. Finally, while the koi is cavorting around the dial, the dragonfly is hard at work keeping track of the movement’s 68-hour power reserve. That movement...
Video
At Watches and Wonders 2026, Cartier presented a Santos de Cartier Chronograph with refined, tamer dimensions that brought the design down from Cartier's XL sizing to its large size – in line with the popular time a...
SJX Watches
Jérôme Biard is good at keeping secrets. As chief executive of Roventa-Henex (Roventa), he needs to be. The historic manufacture in the sleepy Swiss village of Tavannes builds watches for dozens of watch brands — some are internet-native ‘micro-brands’ while others are historic names with 19th-century roots. Naturally, few of the firm’s customers choose to reveal this arrangement, preferring the unstated implication of in-house expertise. We went inside this secretive manufacture to see a different side of the Swiss watch industry. Roventa-Henex CEO Jérôme Biard in his office in Tavannes. A short history of Roventa-Henex To better understand Roventa, it’s worth examining the history of watchmaking in Tavannes, a small village in the canton of Bern just 16 km from Biel/Bienne. Watchmaking came to Tavannes relatively late — in the 1860s — nearly two centuries after the first Swiss watches were made. Despite its late start, Tavannes quickly became a major centre of industrial watchmaking in the 1890s when Henri Sandoz — with the backing of two prominent families from La Chaux-de-Fonds — opened an industrialised factory based on the American model of production, complete with the latest American machine tools. By 1905, Tavannes Watch Co.’s factory employed more than 600 workers, making it Switzerland’s third-largest watch factory after Longines and Omega. By 1914 its staff had doubled, and the factory was producing more than 3,000 watches per day. Tav...
Hodinkee
This week on The Business of Watches, we're in La Chaux-de-Fonds to speak to Pascal Béchu, who heads not one, but two Swiss watchmaking brands, Angelus and Arnold & Son. Pascal Béchu, the CEO of Angelus and Arnold & Son They're both specialized, low-production, high-horology watchmakers, with very different back stories. While Angelus is a historic Swiss brand known for its repeaters, chronographs, and long power reserve movements, Arnold & Son celebrates the work and innovation of one of history's most important (British) watchmakers, John Arnold. While quite different in their product and strategies, the two brands share the same parent company in Japan's Citizen Group, and both work closely with movement maker La Joux-Perret, with whom they share manufacturing and office space in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Pascal Béchu is in charge of both marques. He talks about the history and the future for both brands, some recent successes in the form of celebrity clients for Arnold & Son, and a GPHG prize for Angelus. He also discusses prices and the impact the strong Swiss franc and the soaring price of precious metals are having on corporate strategy and planning. And a quick bit of housekeeping, this conversation was recorded just before Watches & Wonders and the new novelties launched by both brands, including the Angelus 'Tinkler' quarter repeater, so these new watches are not discussed on the podcast. But first, we round up the latest business news with the most recent ...
SJX Watches
One of the highlights in Christie’s upcoming Geneva auctions taking place on May 11, 2026, is the Audemars Piguet “Coussin Tortue” single-button chronograph wristwatch, serial number 41’849. It is an exceedingly rare watch, being one of a batch of three examples that were the first ever chronograph wristwatches made by Audemars Piguet (AP). Moreover, the watch has been in the same family since new, and is consigned by a descendent of the original owner who bought the watch in 1943. Also notably is the fact that this watch has been comprehensively – but sympathetically and artfully – restored by AP. This “cushion turtle” wristwatch has a platinum case and two-tone, solid gold dial, while the movement is a LeCoultre, just like the others in the batch of three watches. The first of the three was in white gold, following by two in platinum, including this example. Interestingly, this watch was delivered to retailer Veuve Louis Goering in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1937, but only sold six years later. The tepid demand for such watches perhaps explains why, according to Christie’s, AP made a total of six single-button chronograph wristwatch movements, but the remaining three were only cased and sold over a decade after this one. Restored perfectly Besides being extremely rare and also unexpectedly beautiful, this watch stands out for having been enjoyed “extensive” restoration at Audemars Piguet. Ordinarily restoration would be frowned upon, but the watch was pre...
SJX Watches
It is somewhat counterintuitive to think that New York-based jeweller Jacob & Co. is one of the fastest growing brands in the mostly stagnant Swiss watch industry. In fact, Jacob & Co. is now a watchmaker first and a jeweller second by turnover – watches account for 75% of the brand’s revenue today. This success is party due to the brand’s open-minded approach to movement making and the surprising (and often risky) projects it has produced, from the first 31-day wristwatch in 2006 to the world’s fastest tourbillon in 2026. One of Jacob & Co.’s specialties is dial-side automata - micro-mechanical sculptures that that can be activated on demand. Alongside the launch of the flagship Godfather II, Jacob & Co. expanded its range of automata watches with new sapphire editions of the Bugatti Tourbillon, a malachite-dialled Casino, and new editions of the provocative Oil Pump. The Bugatti Tourbillon Sapphire Jacob & Co. is not the first watch brand to collaborate with celebrated carmaker Bugatti, but the collaboration is more than a mere commercial tie-up. In fact, the two companies share a manufacturing partner - Concepto - a La Chaux-de-Fonds-based specialist in components and white-label movements. Bugatti enlisted Concepto to produce the fully analogue instrument cluster of its latest hypercar - the aptly named Tourbillon. This was a delightful return to tactility in a world of digital displays and ubiquitous touchscreens. This three-way collaboration contin...
SJX Watches
Greubel Forsey’s Balancier Convexe S² recently took its final bow, making way for the ‘baby blue’ edition of the Balancier 3. Positioned as the brand’s entry level model now that production of the the dressier Balancier Contemporain has concluded, the Balancier 3 is a 22-piece limited edition that introduces a novel finishing technique for the Y-shaped titanium bridge that transverses the dial. Initial thoughts For fans of sport watches who thought the end of the Convexe S² might be a signal that Greubel Forsey is backing away from its Convexe collection, the launch of a new - albeit limited - series of the Balancier 3 is welcome. The brand’s sporty case format debuted shortly before controversial tenure of former CEO Antonio Calce, who seemed to see the Convexe case as a vehicle for rapid growth akin to that of Richard Mille. But his efforts at scaling production ran into the immutable limits of hand craftsmanship. His ouster was followed by something of a return to form for one of the leading lights of La Chaux-de-Fonds, which subsequently backed away from some of the more simplified watches launched under Mr Calce. The Balancier 3 manages the difficult task of being a casual watch built with utmost dignity. While this is technically the brand’s entry level watch, and a sport watch at that, it is finished more thoroughly and to a higher level than most grand complications from the great houses of Geneva. If we’re splitting hairs - and at this price ...
Video
The rhythm of music and dance, captured in a watch that performs on the highest level to tell time two ways: this is the L. Leroy Osmior Bal du Temps Tourbillon Minute Repeater. It marks the long-awaited return of a f...
Monochrome
Founded in New York in 1921 by Romanian-born brothers Benjamin, Oscar, and Ralph Lazrus, Benrus relied on Swiss production, centred in La Chaux-de-Fonds, and during the 1930s and 1940s, it became known for its pilots and military watches. Early models such as the Flyer and Airman were popular among the airline pilots, helping establish the […]
Worn & Wound
One of the most useful watch complications in horological history is also one of its most forgotten. The ring of a mechanical alarm may seem like a lost artifact, like a rotary phone dial or a manual transmission, all once the necessities of 20th century civilization. And yet, functionality of a settable and mechanical-winding alarm into the tiny confines of a wristwatch is an impressive mechanical feat, one underrated among dive bezels, world timers, pulsations scales, and tachymeters. The alarm watch was meant for the everyman, whether they’re travelers, titans of industry, or merely early risers. Just like there is appreciation for a watch’s ability to do more than just tell time, there is the aural sensation for a watch to produce something more for the senses than just sight. Eterna was the first to patent an alarm caliber as early as 1908, eventually introducing an alarm wristwatch in 1914 at the Swiss National Exhibition in Berne. It was an impressive achievement, but it wouldn’t last: there was the problem that the alarm could only sound for less than 10 seconds, barely enough to rouse a moderate sleeper, as well as the fact that when the alarm was set, accuracy suffered. However, the Eterna did achieve something significant: it spurred Vulcain, in nearby La Chaux-de-Fonds, to begin developing its own alarm mechanism in 1942. The resulting Vulcain Cricket, debuting in 1947, fixed its predecessor’s shortcomings: namely, separate barrels for the alarm s...
SJX Watches
Nestled in the Jura Mountains, La Chaux-de-Fonds has been a cradle of Swiss watchmaking ever since its watchmaking school, the Technicum, opened in 1865. For aspiring watchmakers, the climax of their training was traditionally the creation of a montre école – or what’s known as a school watch. This is the story of Hugues Bürki, a Technicum alumnus, who built what would become a record-breaking school watch, and who would later make horological history as a movement engineer. Hugues Bürki. Image – author The Technicum The watchmaking school of La Chaux-de-Fonds was founded in 1865. In its early days, the school occupied rooms inside the modestly named ‘Technicum’, a local vocational-technical school. By 1885, the school’s own building had been inaugurated, yet the name Technicum stuck. In 1933, in the wake of the global economic crisis, the nearby watchmaking schools in La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle were merged to form the Technicum Neuchâtelois. The Technicum in the 1960s. Image – author It demands attention that both divisions of the Technicum Neuchâtelois had a particularly strong focus on high-precision chronometry at the time compared to other watchmaking schools in Switzerland, which specialised in other domains, such as the construction of complications and traditional finishing techniques. In fact, some of the innovations in chronometry we associate with brands like Longines can actually trace their roots to the Technicum Neuchâtelois, including...
Monochrome
Founded in 2021, Bianchet is a young independent brand based in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, specialising in contemporary tonneau-shaped timepieces that merge advanced materials with architectural mechanics. The brand’s designs are rooted in the Golden Ratio (1.618), which influences the proportions of its cases, bridges, and even its rotors. Last year’s model B 1.618 UltraFino Carbon […]
Monochrome
Simple solutions to complex problems could well be Dr Ludwig Oechslin’s overriding philosophy. Former curator of the Musée international d’horlogerie in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Oechslin studied archaeology as an undergraduate and obtained a PhD in Philosophy – with a scholarship to study theoretical physics and astronomy – and became a Swiss master watchmaker in 1983. Bringing […]
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Counting down to showtime. In two years, LA28 will begin, and the world will unite for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Following 1932 and 1984, this will be OMEGA’s third edition in Los Angeles as Official Timekee...
Teddy Baldassarre
What is a Co-Axial Movement? More specifically, what is the now-famous Co-Axial Escapement that has become a standard feature on most all Omega watches? In short, it's both a radical concept by one of the modern era's most revered watchmaking geniuses and the culmination of a Swiss watch brand's longtime dedication to improving watchmaking accuracy. Here is the story of Omega's co-axial movements. [toc-section heading="Early Omega Movements"] While it is best known these days for its signature watch models, like the Speedmaster “Moonwatch” and the James Bond-worn Seamaster, Omega has also been a pioneer in movement-making since nearly the beginning. The company was founded in 1848 by 23-year-old watchmaker Louis Brandt (with family, above) in the Swiss village of La Chaux-de-Fonds. Originally called La Genérale Watch Company, and eventually renamed Louis Brandt et Fils after Brandt’s sons joined the business, it originally produced key-wound pocket watches from parts supplied by local artisans, After the growing company moved from La Chaux-de-Fonds to the more bustling town of Bienne, in the Swiss Canton of Bern, it pioneered a series of industrial watchmaking techniques and also began making its own in-house movements. The first one, called the Labrador, launched in 1885 in a now-legendary series of pocket watches. Nearly a decade later, in 1894, came the company’s chef d’oeuvre, the 19-ligne Omega Caliber, which was notable at the time for its enviable acc...
Worn & Wound
Laurence Bodenmann has served as the Heritage Director of Zenith for a decade. She’s also a member of the scientific committee for The Watch Library, a non-profit public interest foundation established in 2021 to document, preserve, and share watchmaking archives. While Bodenmann has become a staple of the industry, her role in watches was mere happenstance or rather came out of necessity. It spurred from a summer job at the International Museum of Horology in La Chaux-de-Fonds while trying to earn some extra money during her pursuit of a degree in anthropology. “I was always interested in logic – when I was young, I first thought I wanted to be a math teacher,” she recalls. “But as I got older, I realized what interested me most was how different people approached reasoning,” Bodenmann continues, “and how factors like cultural context and economical or sociological diversity informed their thought process. I found it fascinating to observe how one person would approach an object or problem in one way and another person would do it completely differently.” While Bodenmann didn’t initially expect to find herself in the world of horology, we can see why it’s been such a natural fit. The entire watch industry revolves around her astute observations as a teenager. Every person within a manufacturer – from the watchmaker sitting at a bench to the executives running the brand – is faced with the same object – a timepiece – and many of the same probl...
Monochrome
Schwarz Etienne is one of the rare independent manufactures that does everything under one roof: design, movement development, finishing and assembly in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Since Florian Brossard took the helm in 2024, the brand has sharpened a clear, contemporary identity built on technical depth. That work was visible earlier this year with the launch of […]
SJX Watches
In order to mark the spiral hairspring’s 350th anniversary and celebrate its inventor Christiaan Huygens (1629 – 1695), Japanese watch retailer Shellman presents a two-week exhibition event in Tokyo, The Origins of Time = Astronomy. Opening November 19 and slated to run through December 2, the Shellman exhibit is a collaboration with the Musée International d’Horlogerie (MIH) in La Chaux-de-Fonds, and showcases the larger extent of Huygens’ work, from horology to optical observation devices. Themed around the Dutch scientist credited with building the first pendulum clock and with inventing the hairspring, the exhibit also explores larger fields of horology, with a focus on astronomy and modern independent watchmaking. Original drawings showing early attempts at making a sprung balance. Beyond his practical applications in horology, Huygens left marks on many other scientific fields, from geometry to physics and astronomy. He notably discovered Saturn’s largest moon Titan and cemented the wave theory of light propagation. One could say that he was interested in the celestial bodies as much as he was in understanding motion and measuring time here on Earth. In his honour, the exhibit leans on the astronomical theme as well. The exhibition is accompanied by a selection of special watches available for sale. Visitors will have the chance to acquire the world’s smallest wristwatch planetarium, the Planetarium Christiaan Huygens Limited Edition, created by the Du...
SJX Watches
Appointed Managing Director of Girard-Perregaux (GP) in early 2025, Marc Michel-Amadry has over two decades of leadership experience spanning both the auction world and fine watchmaking. A former head of Sotheby’s Switzerland and Chief Commercial Officer of IWC, he steps into the role at a pivotal moment for GP, which has spent the past three years refining its identity as an independent brand, alongside its sister brand Ulysse Nardin in the Sowind Group. I sat down with Mr Michel-Amadry not long after he took office to discuss what he has in store. Our conversation touched on the enduring relevance of the Laureato, the renewed importance of in-house innovation, and his plans to restore GP to its former glory. The interview was edited for length and clarity. SJX: You’ve covered a wide range of the industry, having worked with niche brands, major brands, and big groups. Tell us how you ended up at GP. MMA: People often tell me I don’t have a typical career path. Usually, you start somewhere and stay within the same group. But for me, every step has to have a purpose. I’ve always wanted to work for a brand that means something. By coincidence, I was born in La Chaux-de-Fonds - the home of GP. It’s a brand I’ve always followed. I met Luigi Macaluso early in my career and was struck by the sophistication and beauty of the brand. Beyond its know-how and history, GP has always expressed its own design because everything is in-house. Luigi “Gino” Macaluso, forme...
Video
Probably the best part of wearing and collecting GREAT watches is the fact that you do not need thousands of dollars to do so: Today, we’re looking at affordable icons all under $500 that you’ll actually wear and...
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