Mechanical watchmaking and art receives cultural heritage recognition
Adjusting the mechanism on an android, an automaton reproducing human gestures such as writing and drawing. It is animated by an exclusively mechanical system made up of cams, gears, levers and springs.
Alain Margot
The craftsmanship of mechanical watchmaking and art mechanics has been added to UNESCO’s List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
This is in recognition of the living tradition that characterises the region of the French-Swiss Jura Arc, according to the Federal Office of Culture.
“The Jura Arc is an area in which craftsmanship remains particularly dynamic thanks to the presence of highly qualified craftspeople and companies that promote the skills and a full range of training options,” said UNESCOExternal link, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
“Historically, entire families were involved in the practice, developing apprenticeship practices and professional and family alliances. Skills were initially learned in training schools. Nowadays, practitioners also share their know-how via online blogs, forums and tutorials and collaborative open source projects.”
External Content
UNESCO said that as well as serving an economic function, the skills have also shaped the architecture, urban landscape and everyday social reality of the regions concerned.
“The practice conveys many values such as good workmanship, punctuality, perseverance, creativity, dexterity and patience, and the infinite quest for precision and the intangible aspect of time measurement give the practice a strong philosophical dimension.”
The candidature was launched jointly by Switzerland and France in March 2019.
More
More
Swiss watchmaking presented for UNESCO recognition
This content was published on
Swiss watch-making know-how spans craftsmanship from Geneva to Schaffhausen along the Jura mountain range that divides Switzerland from France. The manufacture of automatons and music boxes in the St. Croix region is also part of the package, the Federal Office of Culture said on Monday. Several craftspeople, companies, schools, museums and associations transmit these techniques…
The Federal Office of Culture said in a statementExternal link that watchmaking and artistic mechanics encompassed the art of watchmaking along the Jura Arc from Geneva to Schaffhausen and from Biel to the French city of Besançon, as well as the manufacture of music automatons and music boxes, which is typical of the Sainte-Croix region in Switzerland.
The watchmaking industry in La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle was already inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2009.
More
More
World heritage bid timed to perfection
This content was published on
The two neighbouring towns in canton Neuchâtel joined nine other Swiss sites that already benefit from the Unesco label, with the agency committee recognizing the merits of the region’s unique architecture. The World Heritage Committee decided to inscribe La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle on the list at a meeting in Seville, Spain. “The site presents…
Direct trains to run from Zurich to Florence and Livorno
This content was published on
The Swiss Federal Railways and Trenitalia will offer direct trains from Zurich to Florence and Livorno and vice versa from 2026.
Number of Swiss armed forces exceeds specified limit
This content was published on
The Swiss armed forces had an effective headcount of around 147,000 as of March 1, 2024. This exceeds the upper limit of 140,000 specified in the army organisation by 5%.
More than 400,000 cross-border commuters now work in Switzerland
This content was published on
More than half of all cross-border commuters were resident in France (around 57%). Large proportions also lived in Italy (23%) and Germany (around 16%).
Amherd and von der Leyen discuss ongoing Swiss-EU negotiations
This content was published on
Swiss President Viola Amherd and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have met and talked about the ongoing negotiations between Bern and Brussels.
This content was published on
One million francs, 34 million euros and around 830 kilos of gold: this is the fortune that two Swiss nationals are accused of having moved across borders for at least four years.
Girls in female-dominated classes earn more later on
This content was published on
At the age of 30, women from school classes with a 55% share of girls earn $350 more per year than women from classes with a 45% share of girls.
This content was published on
Geneva-based luxury goods group Richemont reported a downturn in performance for the first half of its 2024/25 financial year. Both sales and profit declined.
Embattled Swiss watch industry targets mainland China
This content was published on
In an attempt to make up for a Covid-related loss of income, manufacturers are focusing more on mainland China as well as easing off the bling.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.