UNESCO inscription

Inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (UNESCO) marks international recognition of the contribution made to cultural diversity and human diversity by the skills in watchmaking and art mechanics.

These skills make it possible to create mechanical objects designed to measure and indicate time, and to set automata and music boxes in motion or into playing music.

These highly technical and artistic skills are particularly abundant in the Franco-Swiss Jura Arc. Here, mechanics, watchmakers and craftsmen have succeeded one another for generations, leaving their mark on the region in technical, cultural and architectural terms. At the same time, practices are constantly being recreated and improved, oscillating between tradition and innovation.

The socio-cultural values inherent in these skills, such as high precision, punctuality, perseverance and the quest for a job well done, are essential elements of the regional identity of the Jura Arc and are recognised worldwide.