19th-century watchmaking

If the classical era saw the miniaturisation and refinement of watchmaking mechanisms, as well as the emergence of the watch itself, the 19th century is marked by a process of industrialisation in the sector: industry gradually replaces small-scale artisans. This is the period in which the mechanisation of work makes large-scale production possible, and further democratises the acquisition and use of timepieces. Discover the history of watchmaking during this period.

Transition to the industrialisation of watchmaking

19th-century watchmaking embraces the principles of mechanised work: machine tools, mass-produced from Europe to the United States, are not intended to replace human activity as such, but rather to limit the risks linked to imprecision, for operations that cannot tolerate any error whatsoever. With this mechanisation and industrialisation of watchmaking in mind, Vacheron & Constantin created, as early as 1839, a complete series of machine tools dedicated to watch manufacturing. This was also the era in which major watchmaking establishments emerged, such as that of Jean-François Bautte, who, from 1830 onwards, brought together some 120 artisans and 180 workers across all watchmaking trades. The timepiece becomes more widely accessible, but the industrialisation of watchmaking is not the only factor: the inventiveness of artisans drives them to imagine models that are both simpler and more attractive, greatly popularising the use of chronographs. The design, as early as 1810, of the wristwatch by Abraham-Louis Breguet (offered to Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples), and that, in 1842, of the keyless winding watch by Adrien Philippe, both contribute to the universalisation of watch use. All that remained was to lower manufacturing costs so as, consequently, to reduce the purchase price and enable ever more people to own one: this is what Georges-Frédéric Roskopf managed to do when, in 1867, he produced a so-called “workers'” watch (also known as “the Proletarian”); made in La Chaux-de-Fonds, consisting of 57 parts instead of the roughly 200 traditionally required, it was sold at the exceptionally low price of 20 francs. Through this, 19th-century watchmaking also experienced a form of democratisation.

Competition from across the Atlantic

From the mid-19th century onwards, the Swiss watch outstripped its English sister: Swiss production accounted for more than half of the global industry (around 70% circa 1870). However, this new status was quickly threatened by the rise of American-style industrialised watchmaking. As part of a genuine industrial revolution in watchmaking, mechanisation combined with an efficient principle of division of labour (Taylorism) tended to call into question the dominance of the Swiss établissage system. The Americans know how to do it—and prove it. The 1876 World’s Fair, held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was marked by the brazen dominance of the world’s first industrial watch manufacture, Waltham Watch Company, founded in 1850 by Aaron Lufkin Dennison: one could see the very first automatic screw-making machine there, as well as the first assembly line dedicated to watchmaking movements. At the end of the line, watches selected at random were examined by a duly appointed jury, which awarded Dennison’s firm the gold medal in the first global chronometry competition. Swiss watchmakers, prompted by articles in specialist newspapers, were urged to respond; they then became aware of the power of American industry in this field, and, in return, Switzerland accelerated its own mechanisation process. The industrialisation of watchmaking no longer had limits on either continent.

Universal Time

The 19th century was also the century in which Universal Time was imposed. The cause: the railway revolution. As technical advances in trains led, as a corollary, to faster long-distance travel, the profusion of local timetables (different from village to village) became a real headache not only for train conductors, but also for travellers, who could never rely on an exact time. As a result, in 1847, England imposed a single time across the entire territory, based on that of London. In the United States, the problem was even more acute, given the great distance separating East and West. The transcontinental railroad, completed in the aftermath of the Civil War, stretches some 4,000 kilometres; how can one rely on Washington time when travelling in San Francisco? In 1876, it was decided to segment US territory into five time zones. These precedents led to the time revolution of 1883: during the Rome Congress, world powers decided to divide the Earth’s circumference into 24 equal zones, separated by 15 degrees of longitude (i.e., one hour); the starting point was the Greenwich meridian in England. The imposition of Universal Time responds, in a certain way, to the industrial revolution in watchmaking: it is because more and more watches are being made and sold, and because timepieces travel just about everywhere, that it has become necessary to rely on a single fixed reference time.

Major 19th-century watchmakers

Among the names in watchmaking that shaped the 19th century, note:

• Louis-Benjamin Audemars (1782–1833): an emblematic figure in luxury watchmaking, founder of the Swiss house Louis Audemars & Cie.
• Jean-François Bautte (1772–1837): founder, in Switzerland, of the Moulinié & Bautte manufacture (in 1793), later becoming Moulinié, Bautte & Cie.
• Airy George Bidell (1801–1892): English; Director of the Greenwich Observatory, he conducted numerous studies on the various parts of watches (escapements, gear wheels, the influence of magnetism on chronometers, the “Airy formula” on disturbances affecting an oscillator’s period, etc.).
• Friedrich-Wilhelm Bessel (1784–1846): a German astronomer and mathematician, he designed the circular-arc involute pendulum.
• Abraham-Louis Breguet (1747–1823): a Swiss watchmaker adopted by Paris, he improved the so-called “perpetual” watch (wound by the movements of the person wearing it) and developed numerous inventions of his own (the gong spring, various escapements, the pare-chute, the Breguet overcoil, the Tourbillon, the wristwatch, etc.). Although he lived much of his life in the 18th century, some of his inventions date from the beginning of the 19th, hence his presence on this list.
• Georges-Auguste Léschot (1800–1884): Swiss; inventor of the first machines used to manufacture the various parts of a watch, with the aim of producing interchangeable components.
• Louis Monet (1768–1853): (French) inventor of the chronograph.
• Adrien Philippe (1815–1894): this French watchmaker partnered with Norbert Patek to found the house of Patek Philippe in Geneva. Among other things, he invented a watch with keyless winding and hand-setting via the crown.
• Georges-Frédéric Roskopf (1813–1889): this German watchmaker invented the watch that bears his name—well-made and affordable for ordinary people.