An early winter morning in Le Brassus overlooking the Lac de Joux.
Thomas Kern
The master watchmaker is already at work, assembling a classic Grande Complication made up of over 600 pieces.
Thomas Kern
Drawers and boxes like these contain thousands of spare parts dating back a hundred years. If a historic watch needs a part, searching among the boxes for two or three hours is often more efficient than making a new one from scratch.
Thomas Kern
An individual steel part is heated over an open flame until it oxidises and turns blue.
Thomas Kern
A Grande Complication: it includes an alarm striking on independent gongs, a perpetual calendar, deadbeat seconds, and a chronograph with jumping seconds (fifth of a second indication).
Thomas Kern
A wall-mounted tool that holds watches to check whether the automatic movements are wound up properly.
Thomas Kern
A watchmaker with one of his most important tools - the loupe.
Thomas Kern
At the factory in Le Locle, cutting-edge technology is used in the production of the watches.
Thomas Kern
In Le Locle, the use of materials never previously used in watch making, like carbon fibre, has produced unusual results.
Thomas Kern
A rack of tiny plastic containers containing hundreds of even smaller pieces waiting to be polished and assembled.
Thomas Kern
A selection of calibres of different sizes and materials.
Thomas Kern
A tourbillon cage polished on a boxwood disc.
Thomas Kern
An axle made for a limited-edition chronograph. This part is entirely handmade.
Thomas Kern
Automated greasing of calibres during the assembly process.
Thomas Kern
Even at Audemars Piguet, some watches are made in larger quantities.
Thomas Kern
Calibres are placed in containers and conveyed from one watchmaker to the next.
Thomas Kern
Each watchmaker carries out a specific task.
Thomas Kern
A view of the entrance to the Vallée de Joux.
Thomas Kern
Assembling Swiss watches in the Jura mountains.
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Thomas Kern was born in Switzerland in 1965. Trained as a photographer in Zürich, he started working as a photojournalist in 1989. He was a founder of the Swiss photographers agency Lookat Photos in 1990. Thomas Kern has won twice a World Press Award and has been awarded several Swiss national scholarships. His work has been widely exhibited and it is represented in various collections.
A glimpse inside the workshop of one of the most famous Swiss watchmakers, Audemars Piguet. Timepieces are developed and assembled not far from the French border in Le Brassus and since 1986 at a subsidiary in nearby Le Locle. All photos Thomas Kern, swissinfo.
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