A region, its people, their expertise

The highly technical and artistic expertise in watchmaking and mechanical art is largely concentrated in the Franco-Swiss Jura region. From Besançon to Biel via Morteau, Le Locle and La Chaux-de-Fonds, and from Geneva to Schaffhausen via the Vallée de Joux, Sainte-Croix and Solothurn, the Jura Arc is dotted with ‘centres of watchmaking expertise’. The specific skills required for mechanical art are mainly concentrated in Sainte-Croix.

Generations of mechanics, watchmakers and artists have superseded one another throughout the Jura region, leaving a strong cultural and architectural mark. At the same time, practices have been constantly reinvented and improved, skilfully combining tradition and innovation.

The socio-cultural values inherent in these skills, such as high precision, punctuality, perseverance and workmanship, appear to be a foundation of the regional identity of the Jura Arc and are recognised worldwide.