Watchmakers Heritage Biennial: behind the scenes

Watch fairs have a reputation for being grandiose. They were called Baselworld. Today they are called Watches and Wonders. Tomorrow they may be called Basilia — time will tell, as the Anglo-Saxon saying goes.

But there is one event that retains a family-friendly and authentic format. One that allows visitors to get to the heart of watch brands and institutions. An event held every two years, attracting between 4,000 and 5,000 people: the Watchmaking Heritage Biennial. It will take place this year from Thursday, October 29 to Sunday, November 1. Its president, Denis Clerc, an architect by profession, reveals its inner workings in an exclusive interview.

The Biennial is a large-scale event, but remains curiously little attended compared with the industry’s major gatherings. Who takes part?

In terms of brands, this year we will have a total of 37 participating companies, adding to a group of cultural institutions, particularly museums. This is a significant number. It includes brands taking part for the first time, such as Corum and La Joux-Perret, as well as maisons returning to the event, such as Eberhard & Co and Girard-Perregaux. They join long-standing participants such as Audemars Piguet, Cartier, Jaquet Droz, Patek Philippe, Tudor and Zenith, among many others.

As for visitors, they are very diverse, but they are essentially couples with children. They are mainly people who are already interested in watchmaking, but who are curious to go further, to see behind the scenes and learn more.

What will be new this year?

In addition to the new participating brands mentioned above, the main innovation will be the Pass. This is a single document that will allow visitors to register to discover several companies and have free access to various locations.

This tool will strengthen visitors’ commitment to the project by allowing them to go further in their journey. It will also address the issue of people who register but do not show up on the day. This was a problem for us because, by definition, those reserved places could not be offered to other people who genuinely wanted to attend.

The Pass will also be a modest means of financing our activities. We are offering it at a single, very affordable price of just CHF 10. Finally, we have decided to make the entire event free for anyone under 18.

What attendance are you expecting?

That is difficult to say, because it is not possible to add up the number of visits made over the four days, as the same person may make several visits. A target of 5,000 people in 2026 seems reasonable.

Which leaves you some room for growth, given the size of the area involved and the number of maisons taking part...

Absolutely! We are also seeing that participating brands are becoming increasingly proactive and eager to get involved. We support them by publishing several guides that help place urban planning at the centre of their watchmaking activities. We have also recently included Saint-Imier as a third urban centre of interest, alongside La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle (Saint-Imier joined the event in 2021 for the 10th Biennial, ed.).

Is there not a risk that the major brands will overshadow the event at the expense of smaller players, particularly subcontractors?

No, I do not think so, because our institution, the Fondation Urbanisme Horloger, is independent. We are only supported by companies that do not participate in the Biennial. For example, we are financed by traditional banks and various local organisations. Our resources are not unlimited, but they give us complete autonomy.