Places to Travel for Watches - Le Locle
Le Locle is a small city in the western part of Switzerland in the Jura mountains that is full of things to do when it comes to watches. Le Locle is located in the canton of Neuchâtel and has a population of around 10,000 as of 2018.
Along with visiting historical sites of Switzerland such as Mont Castle and seeing the beautiful buildings in the city, the city is home to multiple watch manufactures. Some of the larger ones are:
Favre-Leuba: A great manufacture that has some very enticing vintage watches such as their version of a Reverso.
Mido: A great entry level watch that can be a gateway to a lifetime of collecting.
Zodiac: Amazing history with iconic watches such as the Sea Wolf.
Tissot: Another great entry level watch company.
Ulysse Nardin: Has amazing history of divers watches.
Zenith: Known for their influential history of the chronograph and the El Primero movement.
Montblanc: They have really come into the watch industry well within the last 20 years.
Certina: Known for their production of frequently used movements.
Another trip that one must take is to visit the Musée d'Horlogerie du Locle (Watch Museum of Le Locle) where one can get immersed in the history of horology. THere are three main collections that make up the museum; Collection of Maurice Yves Sandoz which is an amazing collection of mechanical music boxes and singing birds from the 18th and 19th century; Collection of Henri Jeanmaire of marquetry clocks from Louis 16th era; and Collection of Alfred Huguenin which tracks the history of the pendulum.
Its a beautiful city and a perfect representation of Switzerland and the values of Swiss watchmaking.
Enjoy!
