Fondation Haute Horlogerie
Pont de la Machine, 1
Geneva - Switzerland
From 06 June 2024 to 02 September 2024
'Watches and Talents' The Human Essence of Watchmaking. A multimedia exhibition that unveils watchmaking through the prism of artisanal and industrial know-how, narrated by those who perpetuate them.
Horology’s singular talents abound on the Pont de la Machine
The exhibition 'Watches and Talents', designed by Watches and Culture by FHH, will highlight the work of eight talented professionals working behind the watchmaking scenes, through video portraits filmed by director Thibault Vallotton, presented alongside everyday objects of their quotidian, each telling their unique story.
Entertainment program
For the duration of the exhibition, Watches and Culture by FHH organises conferences on various watchmaking themes.
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- conference
Craftsmanship and the human value in watchmakingDozens of professions participate in building what the industry is today: technical, artistic and industrial. Discover why the human hand is indispensable.
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- conference
Horological complicationsWatchmaking is... complicated! Discover the main watch complications and why they were developed.
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- conference
Craftsmanship and the human value in watchmakingDozens of professions participate in building what the industry is today: technical, artistic and industrial. Discover why the human hand is indispensable.
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- conference
Craftsmanship and the human value in watchmakingDozens of professions participate in building what the industry is today: technical, artistic and industrial. Discover why the human hand is indispensable.
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- conference
Moon PhasesAstronomical observations, the planets and the Moon have been used by Mankind to structure the passage of time and find their bearings. Today, celestial bodies, and the Moon in particular, decorate our watches. Let's find out more about moon phases and why watchmakers display them.
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- conference
Horological complicationsWatchmaking is... complicated! Discover the main watch complications and why they were developed.
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- conference
Craftsmanship and the human value in watchmakingDozens of professions participate in building what the industry is today: technical, artistic and industrial. Discover why the human hand is indispensable.
Hidden artisans
Great talents are revealed within the infinitesimal. Uncommon skills are demonstrated within ordinary objects. A single watch mechanism is the culmination of the specialised knowledge of dozens of hidden artisans. The techniques they master are very little-known, whether in the decorative arts or in industrial applications. However, they do have qualities in common within both these universes, including an extremely precise use of space, exquisitely meticulous craftsmanship, and the humble assertion that perfection does exist.
Craftmanship
Entering the world of these craftsmen, it's hard not to be struck by the talent at work.. Whether in shaping a cutting tool, plucking bristles from a brush, regulating a spring of a single hair’s width, or mixing coloured pigments, experience speaks for creativity. The human hand always guides the machine, and artistic craftsmanship always involves incredible dexterity. In watchmaking, it comes with the intense pride of contributing to a great project.
The exhibition
The “Watches and Talents” exhibition is an invitation to explore these rare and even mysterious professions that are as little-known as they are essential to high watchmaking. The event reveals the human hands that bring soul to a timepiece. Each one brings its own special touch. Each one embodies the fascinating, secret world of watchmaking.