MAN AND TIME
The exhibition takes you on a captivating journey through time. Unique in its architectural and museographic design, the Musée international d’horlogerie houses the world’s greatest collection devoted to the measurement of time. From sun dials to atomic clocks through pendulums, clocks, watches, automata, machines as well as tools from the 16th century to the present day, the exhibition unveils mysteries of time and retells the technical, artistic, social, economic and cultural history of watchmaking in Switzerland and around the world in a very vivid and didactic manner, spanning over 2000m2.
TO THE NEAREST FEMTOSECOND !
Dive into the infinitely accurate! The search for precision has been a catalyst for the development and the innovations in the watchmaking field since the 16th century. From World War II, such precision has moved from watchmakers and astronomers to scientists: time is now defined through observation of physical phenomena and not through astronomical observation anymore. The femtosecond – equivalent to 10-15 – (or a quadrillionth) of a second is the most precise fraction of a second ever measured. Such a degree of precision is imperceptible to human beings, but has nevertheless become necessary to daily life organisation: geo-tracking, transportation, telecommunications have become efficient thanks to this extreme precision.
NEW ACQUISITIONS IN 2022
Our collection is able to grow regularly thanks to donations and purchases. Every year, the International Watchmaking Museum acknowledges the generosity of its donors with a 12-month exhibition of new acquisitions from the previous year. From 23 March 2024 to 28 February 2025
The Association des amisMIH
La Chaux-de-Fonds – Switzerland
Rue des Musées 29
2300 La Chaux-de-Fonds
032 967 68 61
amis@mih.ch
fr