Histoire de l'Horlogerie - Phases de Lune

Geneva: the historic birthplace of Swiss watchmaking

Two key factors made Geneva a major hub for watchmaking in the 16th^e century: the arrival of French Huguenots in the city, who were true master watchmakers bringing considerable expertise with them. Then, the importance of the Christian religion in society at the time. It encouraged craftsmen to create ornaments that were less ostentatious than gold and precious stone jewelry, favoring instead the creation of more understated pieces. These are fundamental elements in the history of watchmaking.

Vue sur la ville de Genève, berceau historique de l'horlogerie suisse, depuis sa cathédrale, créant un contraste marquant entre l'ancien et le moderne. — A view of the city of Geneva, the historic birthplace of Swiss watchmaking, as seen from its cathedral, creating a striking contrast between the old and the new.

Première montre bracelet. Breguet, destiné à la Reine de Naples, date de 1810, élément marquant de l'histoire de l'horlogerie. — The first wristwatch. A Breguet watch made for the Queen of Naples in 1810, a landmark in the history of watchmaking.

The^e19th century, the wristwatch, and the quest for precision

The first wristwatch appeared in the 19th^e century, in 1810. It was a model by Abraham-Louis Breguet, commissioned exclusively for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples. Thus, the Breguet No. 2639 became the pioneering model of what is now an essential accessory. In the 20th century, the wristwatch became established and precision became a major commercial marker. In 1973, the COSC (Official Swiss Chronometer Testing Institute) was founded to provide recognized and standardized certification of accuracy.

Since 1990, “mechanical luxury” and “Swiss Made” rules

From the 1990s onwards, mechanical watches underwent a major repositioning as luxury items, heritage pieces and highly complicated timepieces, while quartz watches remained central to other segments.
In terms of origin, the “Swiss Made” label was reinforced: for a watch to be considered “Swiss Made,” a Swiss value threshold applies to the finished product (not just the movement), with a minimum of 60%.

Paysage typiquement Suisse, avec des montagnes enneigées en arrière-plan et un point de vue avec un chalet et un drapeau suisse en premier plan.

Sources

https://www.hautehorlogerie.org/fr/watches-and-culture/bibliotheque/geneve-une-immense-fabrique-de-montres

https://www.breguet.com/fr/maison-breguet/1801-1823/commande-de-la-premiere-montre-concue-pour-etre-portee-au-poignet

https://www.cosc.swiss/fr/histoire-cosc

Girard-Perregaux, © Cristian – stock.adobe.com

What is a moon-phase complication?

A moon-phase complication is a watch component that displays the evolution of the lunar cycle, from new moon to full moon.

This is done using a lunar printed with two moons, partially visible on the dial. This disc moves forward a little each day to reproduce the actual cycle, which lasts 29 days, 12 hours and 44 minutes.

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