Do you like watchmaking, and you want to learn more and know better its history and heritage? So, several choices are available to you: first reading beautiful books, and there are many in the field, or if you can also directly discover the ancient watchmaking of your eyes amazed directly in museums …

Let’s go to the discovery of some museums not to be missed.

Patek Philippe Museum

Located in the heart of Geneva, the Patek Philippe Museum is housed in the premises of an old industrial building dedicated to the watchmaker, a perfect setting to display the superb collections of the house. On entering, we are immediately amazed by the luxury of the place and the beautiful layout that has been made.

In total, the Patek Philippe museum offers 4 different stages, one per floor. The first will make us discover the history of the venerable manufacture with, as a bonus, a library. The second stage allows us to see the history of watchmaking from the 16th to the 19th centuries with remarkable pieces including automatons. The third step allows us to discover the Patek Philippe collection with the highlight of Caliber 89, a beautiful piece of a rare complication. The last stage, on the ground floor, allows us to discover real watchmaking workshops.

If you are visiting Geneva and you like watchmaking, then do not miss this museum under any circumstances. You will be able to discover there not far from 2 000 pieces of which some of exception. More info on this article.

MUSEUM OF THE TIME OF BESANÇON

In France too you will be able to see magnificent collections dedicated to the measurement of time. For this, you must go to Besançon, the capital of French watchmaking. In the city bisontine, you will have to go to the Museum of Time to discover the history of watchmaking from the sixteenth century until today.

Visiting this museum is an opportunity to discover exceptional pieces like the Leroy 01 “the most complicated watch in the world”. You can then discover the great changes that took place around the middle of the twentieth century with the appearance of electronics working Quartz or through the atom. Part of the museum is also dedicated to microtechnology and nanotechnology and another to Foucault’s pendulum.

More information : http://www.mdt.besancon.fr/.

International Watchmaking Museum La Chaux-de-Fond

At the heart of watchmaking Switzerland, at La Chaux de Fond, is the International Watchmaking Museum. Created in 1974, it contains, by far, the most important collection dedicated to the measurement of time and therefore to watchmaking.

Consisting of several thousand pieces, this fabulous collection allows us to see watches and clocks from the 16th century to the present day, as well as tools, accessories, workshops, paintings or engravings that allow us to better understand the history of the world. Swiss and international watchmaking. Among the exceptional pieces that you can discover: Giovanni Dondi’s Astrarium, superb watches or clocks signed by Ferdinand Berthoud, Breguet and Le Roy or automatons by the famous Pierre Jaquet-Droz.

More information : http://www.chaux-de-fonds.ch/musees/mih.

Omega Museum

 

If you like this brand, then do not miss the Omega Museum located in Biel (Biel). This is the unique opportunity to discover the immense heritage of this iconic brand of Swiss watchmaking.

In total, the Omega Museum allows you to admire 4,000 pieces that trace the 160 years of history of the house. Several collections are available to you: the first 100 years of the brand, the pioneering spirit, watches of the conquest of space, sports timing or a retrospective of the largest ranges of the house: Speedmaster, Seamaster and Constellation.

If you do not have the chance to go to Switzerland, then the website dedicated to the museum will allow you to discover it from your home. Not bad is not it !

 

Of course, there are many other watchmaking museums in Switzerland and the rest of the world, but those presented to you are considered some of the most beautiful in the world …