Horology (the study of time measurement) underwent a transformation at the beginning of the 16th century.
During this time (1509-1530), the first portable (3-inch long, wearable) clock was invented in Germany.
While Germany was leading the innovation in timepieces, France – the other pioneer in the field – was famous for its craftsmanship.
Around the same time, a religious movement called Protestant Reformation started in Europe, challenging the Catholic Church’s authority.
Germany and France were the most affected by this movement, and many reformists fled from these countries in fear of persecution by the Church.
Several French Protestants who left France in the 1520s settled in Geneva, Switzerland.
Switzerland was primarily peaceful, and the Protestants soon gained influence there.
Then in 1536, Genevans declared themselves ‘Protestant’ by taking a public oath, i.e. majority in the city adopted the Protestant faith.
And John Calvin (one of the leaders of the Protestant movement in France) became the spiritual leader who, under the new religion, advocated a simple & austere form of Christianity.
It was a religious dictatorship that banned citizens from wearing jewellery, among other pleasures, forcing the local jewellers and goldsmiths to find a new craft – watchmaking.
Also, in winter, the lands were covered in snow, so the farmers had to look for alternate occupations, such as stonecutting, pottery, diamond work, etc., during winters.
With an increased demand for watches in the 18th century, these ‘farmers-craftsmen’ started making different parts of watches, which were then put together by an assembler.
This type of home production and assembly, called établissage in French, was very efficient & resulted in high-quality products leading to the rise of Swiss watchmaking and its international reputation.
And when in the 19th century, the mass production of watches in factories began, it favoured Switzerland because of its high number of watchmaking experts.
These factors and innovations by various French-born Swiss-trained watchmakers established Switzerland as the ultimate watch destination.
