#The timepiece gentleman controversy full#
#The timepiece gentleman controversy series#

This watch was originally owned by Louis-Joseph Nompar de Caumont who held the title Duc de La Force, a member of one of the noble families from the Dordogne, and provides an excellent example of the array of skills Breguet was able to deploy inside a gold case.įinally, we have the golden dial of a quarter repeater watch from 1810 which also includes a jumping-hour hand, thermometer, and an anticlockwise date hand in the sub-dial at 10. The first, which was sold in 1791, combines an automatic movement with a minute repeater, moon phase, date, power reserve, and jumping-hour hand. The next two are a little more complex in appearance, and incorporate some of the complications Breguet has become known for. Able to count beats from between 60 to 130 per minute, this is perhaps not what you would expect from the man who invented the tourbillon, but impressive in its practical application all the same. It was designed for the Royal Navy of Russia in 1822 with only one purpose: to set the pace of a march. Perhaps the most simple looking of them all, one piece has a silver guilloché dial with a single central hand and sub-dial at 6 o’clock.

#The timepiece gentleman controversy full#

We focused on three pieces in their collection which show the full breadth of Breguet’s skill and the spectrum of what he was able to offer his clients. While we don’t have to space here to detail every display, we have highlighted important points along the way which are worth paying attention to.

#The timepiece gentleman controversy series#

This series of cases covers everything from the very first wristwatches, adapted from trench watches in the First World War, up to the current domination of smart watches in today’s market. This represents a timeline of watchmaking, starting at the far end, by the workshop, and moving chronologically all the way back up to the entrance. And while it may seem a tad disorientating at first, with the spaceship-like display cases dotted around this first floor, we suggest you take an immediate left turn to a row of red, square cases. Its neck-craning scale stands in stark contrast to the majority of the other exhibitions found in the museum. This view will be familiar to those who attend the Prix Gaïa as this is the spot in which they are held every year. When this auditorium was originally designed, it was purposefully made to fit the height of two of these wooden panels.

The mural, presented on wooden panels, was produced for the Swiss pavilion at the World Exhibition in Brussels in 1958 by Hans Erni. As you cross this bridge, however, remember to turn around and admire the mural painted on the wall opposite, overlooking the Hans Erni auditorium.

To get the best view of these mechanisms, you have to walk over a bridge which takes you right underneath them. About 70 percent of those who live and work in the surrounding area are attached to the watchmaking industry in one way or another, and they are all working in the traditions that are housed in the MIH, so it makes sense that it is the most-visited museum in the city, with more than 35,000 patrons stepping through its doors every year. This is not just a sealed capsule of high watchmaking, but rather a living, breathing space where these marvels are kept alive, and its fully equipped restoration workshop means the MIH has the ability to bring long-forgotten timekeepers back to life.īuilt into the hillside that makes up the storied town of La Chaux-de-Fonds, the museum really is part of the fabric of its community. The Musée International d’Horlogerie (MIH) is something of a hidden treasure in the land of watchmaking, housing great works by Abraham-Louis Breguet, Antide Janvier, George Daniels, and many other celebrated names. Built into the heart of La Chaux-de-Fonds, you will find a Brutalist, troglodyte museum housing the history of horology.