Mussee Internationale d'Horlogerie
Encyclopedia
Musée International d'Horlogerie (MIH) is a museum located in La Chaux-de-Fonds
, Switzerland
, dedicated to horology
, which is the study of time, timekeeping and timekeeping devices (primarily clocks and watches). The museum is owned and operated by the city of La Chaux-de-Fonds
.
Historically the city of La Chaux-de-Fonds is considered one of the focal points of the Swiss watchmaking industries and the home of one of the countries famous watchmaking schools. The museum grew out of the study collection of the school, and is considered today among the broadest and most comprehensive watch and clock museums of the world. In addition to constantly changing temporary exhibits the museum features permanent displays from its vast collection of watches and clocks throughout history. While the collection is obviously strong on Swiss pieces it covers most places where timekeepers were made in any quantity.
To just get a general overview of the holdings will take at least an hour, a highlights tour will be half a day, but it is easy to spend more time there. Visitors who make a trip to La Chaux-de-Fonds to see MIH will typically also want to visit the Musée d'Horlogerie du Locle
a smaller horological museum in the neighboring town of Le Locle
, which complements MIH.
Both Le Locle
and its geographical twin town La Chaux-de-Fonds
have now been recognised as an UNESCO World Heritage Site
, for their horological and related cultural past.
Outside of the museum, on its roof, is a major 20th century carillon
clock.
In addition to its permanent exhibits MIH regularly produces special temporary exhibits on various aspects of timekeeping or time.
La Chaux-de-Fonds
La Chaux-de-Fonds is a Swiss city of the district of La Chaux-de-Fonds in the canton of Neuchâtel. It is located in the Jura mountains at an altitude of 1000 m, a few kilometres from the French border. After Geneva and Lausanne, it is the third largest city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, dedicated to horology
Horology
Horology is the art or science of measuring time. Clocks, watches, clockwork, sundials, clepsydras, timers, time recorders and marine chronometers are all examples of instruments used to measure time.People interested in horology are called horologists...
, which is the study of time, timekeeping and timekeeping devices (primarily clocks and watches). The museum is owned and operated by the city of La Chaux-de-Fonds
La Chaux-de-Fonds
La Chaux-de-Fonds is a Swiss city of the district of La Chaux-de-Fonds in the canton of Neuchâtel. It is located in the Jura mountains at an altitude of 1000 m, a few kilometres from the French border. After Geneva and Lausanne, it is the third largest city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of...
.
To just get a general overview of the holdings will take at least an hour, a highlights tour will be half a day, but it is easy to spend more time there. Visitors who make a trip to La Chaux-de-Fonds to see MIH will typically also want to visit the Musée d'Horlogerie du Locle
Musée d'Horlogerie du Locle
The Musée d'Horlogerie du Locle, Château des Monts is a municipal museum specializing in horology, located in Le Locle, Canton of Neuchâtel, Switzerland...
a smaller horological museum in the neighboring town of Le Locle
Le Locle
Le Locle is a municipality in the district of Le Locle in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland.It is situated in the Jura mountains, a few kilometers from the city of La Chaux-de-Fonds....
, which complements MIH.
Both Le Locle
Le Locle
Le Locle is a municipality in the district of Le Locle in the canton of Neuchâtel in Switzerland.It is situated in the Jura mountains, a few kilometers from the city of La Chaux-de-Fonds....
and its geographical twin town La Chaux-de-Fonds
La Chaux-de-Fonds
La Chaux-de-Fonds is a Swiss city of the district of La Chaux-de-Fonds in the canton of Neuchâtel. It is located in the Jura mountains at an altitude of 1000 m, a few kilometres from the French border. After Geneva and Lausanne, it is the third largest city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of...
have now been recognised as an UNESCO World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
, for their horological and related cultural past.
Collection
Major highlights of the exhibits include:- One of the few existing full size replicas of Giovanni de'Dondi's Astrarium, the fabled clockwork driven 14th century mechanism showing the movement of sun, moon and the planets.
- A comprehensive exhibit on the history and chronology of the "Pendule neuchâteloise"
- Several outstanding clocks by major French master clockmakers, including Abraham-Louis Breguet, Antide JanvierAntide JanvierAntide Janvier was a French clockmaker.He was born in a village in the Jura, and learned the basics of his trade from his father, and was educated in Latin, Greek, mathematics and astronomy by a local abbé...
, Julien Le RoyJulien Le RoyJulien Le Roy was a major 18th-century Parisian clockmaker and watchmaker.He was born in Tours in 1686, and by the age of 13, had already made his first clock. In 1699, he moved to Paris for further training. He became maitre horloger in 1713 and later juré of his guild...
, Robin etc.
- One of the pioneering early weight driven marine chronometers by Ferdinand BerthoudFerdinand BerthoudFerdinand Berthoud was a Swiss chronometer-maker.-Career:He was born at Plancemont, Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Having served his apprenticeship with his brother, Jean-Henri, a pendulum maker, he set up a clockmaking business in Paris in 1745 and gained a great reputation for the excellence and...
- A unparalleled collection of antique machinery to make parts and components for watches
- A superb musical organ clock by Pierre Jaquet-DrozPierre Jaquet-DrozPierre Jaquet-Droz was a Swiss-born watchmaker of the late eighteenth century. He lived in Paris, London, and Geneva, where he designed and built animated dolls, or automata, to help his firm sell watches and mechanical birds....
- A large collection of antique tower clock movements covering several centuries of technological innovation
- A significant collection of precision pendulum clocks, including examples by Strasser & Rhode, Sigmund RieflerRiefler escapementThe Riefler escapement is a mechanical escapement for precision pendulum clocks invented and patented by German instrument maker Sigmund Riefler in 1889...
, ZenithZenith (watchmaker)Zenith SA is a Swiss watch manufacture started in 1865 by Georges Favre-Jacot at the age of 22, in Le Locle in the canton of Neuchâtel.Zenith has a long reputation for the quality and precision of their watches, with 1,565 1st-place precision awards to date...
and F.M. Fedchenko
Outside of the museum, on its roof, is a major 20th century carillon
Carillon
A carillon is a musical instrument that is typically housed in a free-standing bell tower, or the belfry of a church or other municipal building. The instrument consists of at least 23 cast bronze, cup-shaped bells, which are played serially to play a melody, or sounded together to play a chord...
clock.
In addition to its permanent exhibits MIH regularly produces special temporary exhibits on various aspects of timekeeping or time.
Affiliated organizations
- Associated with the museum is a first rate conservation workshop which conserves and restores their own pieces as well as doing work for other horological museums.
- The library of the museum (technically part of the City Library of La Chaux-de-Fonds) is considered the most comprehensive specialized horological library in Switzerland, and its holdings are cataloged within the RERO union catalog (www.rero.ch).
- Also affiliated is "L'Institut l'homme et le temps" a research and publishing arm that studies the role of time and timekeeping instruments in society.