The harsh light of true

The early winter evenings awaken the spy in all of us all by revealing glimpses of the activities hidden by daylight. The phenomenon is particularly apparent in city centres where we can look into the lit-up interior of a glass office building as if it were the cross section of an anthill. It is also apparent in the watchmaking hinterland. Take the road from Fleurier to Sainte-Croix for example. On the left as you enter the village of Buttes, a long building has taken over a football field. By day you might pay it no attention, but nightfall turns it into a show window displaying an impressive array of numerically controlled machine tools, lined up as if on parade and working to full capacity under the control of technicians. The same unforgiving light could equally reveal a different reality : deserted workshops, a stage without actors, the truth behind the claimed prosperity.

The autumn equinox heralds the season of self-congratulation with its watchmaking prizes and awards. The spotlights are sometimes illuminating, sometimes not. Having launched the first of these prizes nearly 20 years ago with a major publisher and as a member of a number of international juries, it is not for me to condemn the various “watch of the year” and other awards that ritually hail the arrival of new models. At least they bring together the worst and the best of the new products, and should one question the objectivity of the judgements, the reply is invariably that it’s a matter of taste. At most I can admit puzzlement at the infinite number of categories into which the watches are divided. One might almost believe that some have been especially created to satisfy one or other manufacturer.

There is however one award that leaves no room for subjectivity. The Le Locle International chronometry competition throws a merciless scientific light on the intrinsic qualities and reliability of the competing watches – you will find a full report on this contest on our website www.watch-around.com. The verdict of this remorseless trial is unequivocal, but nonetheless one-sided. It cannot judge the emotional value of the products, which might well be greater than their technical value. But when both are combined, watchmaking reaches its summit.