In the 18th and 19th centuries, Swiss watchmakers created technical masterpieces in the form of iconic luxury watches. The most important inventors include: Pierre Jaquet-Droz (1758-1790) specialized in the manufacture of automaton and musical clocks. Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747-1823), who invented the tourbillon in 1801. Antoine Norbert de Patek (1812-1877) and Jean Adrien Philippe (1815-1894), with the company Patek Philippe, are considered the inventors of the winding crown. Louis Elisée Piguet (1836-1924), whose perpetual calendar is considered one of the most fascinating and sought-after complications in fine watchmaking.
These watch brands have survived to this day, demonstrating technical precision and a traditional consistency in the human approach to time. Today, they represent an intangible cultural heritage for mankind.
Timepieces are measuring instruments that make the passing of time unmistakably visible. They act as signaling devices for the ephemeral. In contrast to this are the Alps, which have grown over millions of years and form a backdrop for the supposedly infinite. However, it is clear that the seemingly idyllic snow-covered Alpine landscape with its ice glaciers is under threat.

Louis Elisée Piguet 1891, 140 x 100, ink, impact metal gold, acrylic on canvas

Abraham-Louis Breguet – Patent application 1798 for escapement with constant force, 100 x 100, ink, impact metal gold, acrylic on canvas

Abraham-Louis Breguet – from the workshop booklet, 100 x 140, ink, impact metal gold, acrylic on canvas

Abraham-Louis Breguet – Patent for the constant-force escapement of the 19th Ventôse, 100 x 100 cm, mixed media on canvas