There are books that tell the story of movements, and others that tell the story of places. L'histoire de l'horlogerie à la Vallée de Joux by Marcel Piguet belongs to the second category — but it does so with such documentary intelligence that it becomes a key work for understanding the very origin of Haute Horlogerie. Reissued in 2016 by Simonin, expanded and beautifully illustrated, this 160-page book is the personal favourite of Antoine Simonin, the historic watchmaking publisher — and it is easy to see why.
An 1895 booklet turned art book
Originally, the work was a modest 87-page booklet published in 1895 by Marcel Piguet, a member of one of the great watchmaking families of the Vallée. This founding text traces, step by step, the history of the trade deep in the Vaud Jura: the arrival of the first watchmakers in the 17th century, the organisation of home-based établissage, village specialisation, the emergence of the great houses — Audemars Piguet, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Blancpain, Breguet — all born, or reborn, within ten kilometres of the lake.
The 2016 reissue fully preserves Piguet's original text, printed on a buff-coloured background that visually distinguishes it from the new material. Around this historical core, Daniel Aubert wrote contemporary texts that extend the narrative to the present day, and above all new photographic campaigns — from the ground and by drone — envelop the whole. The result is not a simple illustrated coffee-table book: it is a continuous dialogue between 1895 and 2016, between the original booklet and the Vallée as it still lives today.
Drone views: the Vallée as it has never been seen
The most spectacular contribution of the 2016 edition is photographic. The landscapes of Le Sentier, Le Brassus, L'Orient and Lac de Joux have been captured by drone, giving those who know the Vallée from the ground a genuine revelation. We finally see the geography that shaped everything: the elongated shape of the lake, frozen for six months of the year, the isolation of the valley between the Risoud and the Dent de Vaulion, the way the workshop-farms line up like a string of beads along the single road. One aerial image makes it clear why the farmers of the Vallée, to survive the winter, had to become watchmakers.
The 150 photographs alternate between black and white — for archives, portraits of établisseurs, old workshops — and colour, for contemporary landscapes and present-day gestures. This deliberate use of two palettes reinforces the temporal weave: history in black and white, the living Vallée in colour.
The gesture, filmed by Philippe Dufour
The second unique contribution of the 2016 edition is the participation of Philippe Dufour, arguably the last independent watchmaker of the Vallée to work entirely in the old way, and one of the most respected figures in contemporary Haute Horlogerie. Dufour supervised the photo campaign documenting traditional machine tools: the rounding-up lathe, the fixed graver, manual bench lathes. Each photograph shows not only the machine but the gesture required to operate it: the position of the hand, the support of the elbow, the angle of the gaze.
This is a rare and precious thing: the gestural memory of an endangered trade, fixed by one of the few who still masters it. Dufour, who has trained a generation of apprentices in hand-finishing (bevelling, internal polishing, anglage), makes here a documentary contribution that alone would justify buying the book.
Who is this book for?
For enthusiasts of fine watchmaking who want to understand where the great signatures of the Vallée come from — not just their calibres, but their terroir, their families, their language. For collectors who want to place an Audemars Piguet, a Jaeger, or a Grand-Louis back into the landscape that gave rise to them. For watchmaking school students who want to link the theory learned in class to the real history of a place and to an établissage vocabulary that now survives only here. And for anyone who simply loves the beauty of a beautiful book — 235×250 mm format, sewn-thread binding, generous paper — devoted to an exceptional trade.
Antoine Simonin sums it up best: “The challenge has been met, since the book opens a dialogue between history and the people of yesterday and today.” It is also an ideal gift for introducing this magnificent valley, while avoiding tourist clichés.
History gives context, practice gives skill: combine this reading with the modules of our online watchmaking course, following the plan in how to learn watchmaking online.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I buy L'histoire de l'horlogerie à la Vallée de Joux?
From Éditions Simonin (Neuchâtel), who publish and distribute it, and from specialist watchmaking booksellers such as Watchprint (Lausanne) or MisterChrono (France). The book is available only in French.
Do you need prior watchmaking knowledge to enjoy it?
No. The book is as much a work of regional history and photography as it is a watchmaking book. A non-specialist reader will find a fascinating account of home-based établissage and a unique human geography; the seasoned enthusiast will additionally find the technical vocabulary and gestures.
How does it differ from the original 1895 edition?
The 2016 edition preserves the entire 1895 text (printed on a buff background) and adds: contemporary texts by Daniel Aubert, more than 150 black-and-white and colour photographs, drone views of the Vallée, and photographic documentation of machine tools supervised by Philippe Dufour. The format has also been enhanced (235×250 mm, sewn-thread binding).
Want to understand the cradle of Haute Horlogerie? The Décalibre curriculum places every gesture, every calibre and every great house in their historical context — from the Vallée de Joux to La Chaux-de-Fonds, from the Piguet booklet to Dufour's workshop.