The unique Prix Gaïa honours the very best: those contributing to the reputation of watchmaking, its history, its technology or its industry. An institution of global renown, the Musée international d'horlogerie in La Chaux-de-Fonds – a city whose economic and social history is closely linked to watchmaking – awards this prize in recognition of the spiritual heirs of watchmaking culture embodied in the museum's collections, and in the city itself.
This year, the Prix Gaïa jury, comprising figures active in the watchmaking field, nominated:
Laurent Barotte - winner in the Craftsmanship - Creation category
for his expertise in the field of clock restoration, for his contagious passion and for the ambition shown in the projects he has led with his students in restoring monumental clocks in public spaces.
Nico de Rooij - winner in the History - Research category
for his outstanding career dedicated to research in micro-technology, for the pioneering role he has played in the processes of producing miniaturised silicon-based sensors and actuators, and for his contribution in sharing these technologies with the watchmaking industry.
Edouard Meylan - winner in the Entrepreneurship category
for his bold career and the entrepreneurial approach he has taken with the brand H. Moser & Cie. while defending fine mechanical watchmaking and exercising complete independence in component and product development and communication.
Horizon Gaïa
grant Alongside the three categories used to honour leading figures in the watchmaking world, Horizon Gaïa, an incentive grant made possible thanks to the generosity of the Watch Academy Foundation, is being awarded to encourage new talent in the fields recognised by the Prix Gaïa: Craftsmanship - Creation, History - Research, and Entrepreneurship. The grant will finance all or part of an individual project.
The Horizon Gaïa scholarship has been awarded to Julien Gressot, a PhD student completing his doctoral thesis in the History of Technology at the University of Neuchâtel.
His thesis project aims to give an overview of the scientific and technological heritage of the Neuchâtel Observatory and is entitled "Inventorying, preserving and sharing an exceptional heritage of science and technology. Retracing the history of the Neuchâtel Observatory through the history of its scientific instruments".
