Watchmaking

Museums & Manufactures

Among the many museums dedicated to watchmaking, Jura & Three-Lakes is home to the unique International Watchmaking Museum in La Chaux-de-Fonds, which tells the story of time and its measuring instruments. For the most passionate ones, prestigious watchmaking factories offer exclusive guided tours, such as the Zenith Manufacture which opened its "monde étoilé" (starry world) to the public in 2018. 

Watchmaking workshops

However, there is nothing quite like experiencing the genius of watchmaking by stepping into the shoes of a watchmaker and learning about this ancestral know-how during a workshop. The apprentice of a day will have the opportunity to assemble their own Swiss watch. Wherever you stay in the Jura & Three-Lakes region, you will find a watchmaking course close by that suits your wishes and your watchmaking knowledge.

Watchmaking town planning

The guided tours of the towns of Le Locle and La Chaux-de-Fonds, built in the 19th century by and for the watchmaking industry, illustrate the symbiosis between industry and urban planning that has shaped the region. These cities have both been recognised as UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 2009.

Automatons & music boxes

Finally, the town of Sainte-Croix, the world capital of the musical box, is home to masterpieces of mechanical art and automata, notably in the CIMA Museum and the Baud Museum. Not forgetting the REUGE Ltd. factory, which produces innovative mechanical movements much appreciated by heads of state and royal families throughout the world.