Nowadays, wearing a watch is not only for telling the time: it’s more of a jewellery item. Mechanical watches in particular, which conceal a complex interior life, are true wonders of technology and a feast for the eyes. At the Centre Horloger in Neuchâtel, visitors themselves can lend a hand.

In a mechanical watch, a spring is caused to oscillate with the aid of an array of driven wheels. The wheels’ movement is intermittently halted with the aid of a so-called “escapement”, thus enabling oscillation at regular intervals. The interior of a simple mechanical watch is comprised of some 130 parts – more complex watches even consist of several hundred individual parts, including watch spring, balance wheel, escapement, clockwork, watch hand mechanism, etc. In addition, the so-called complications play a significant role, displaying other types of information besides “just” the time. Common extras are weekday and month displays, and stopwatch mechanisms.

Don the watchmaker’s apron, meticulously assemble the many individual parts to make a timepiece, and listen to the anecdotes of the professional watchmaker – the Centre Horloger in Neuchâtel offers courses in making pocket and wrist watches. Interested watch fans are provided with a three-hour insight into the secret of watchmaking.