Morbier - les Chalettes: the oldest watchmaking school in the world?
Antide Janvier is a gifted and ambitious young watchmaker.
Strangely enough, he has left his parents, who live comfortably in the town of Saint-Claude, to set up a watchmaking school in a hamlet on the borders of the kingdom of France and Switzerland: Les Chalettes in Morbier.
Antide Janvier was nearly 21 years old at the time, had already worked in Besançon and was familiar with Paris.
Why did he leave his family to retire to these rather inhospitable mountains?
Our young watchmaker had come to an agreement with several wealthy merchants in the town of Morez to set up this school and pass on his knowledge to the young people of the region. He was paid for his work.
The Chalettes school, supported by local industrialists, was one of the first watchmaking schools in the world.
A bundle of eight technical documents from this school was found in a workshop in Morez in 2024.
The book "Antide Janvier - horloger du roi" presents these documents and provides an insight into the incredible success of this genius watchmaker, who was close to King Louis XVI, then a revolutionary and a Freemason. Presentation and book signing on 25/10/25 at Morez town hall at 4pm.
Antide Janvier is a gifted and ambitious young watchmaker.
Strangely enough, he has left his parents, who live comfortably in the town of Saint-Claude, to set up a watchmaking school in a hamlet on the borders of the kingdom of France and Switzerland: Les Chalettes in Morbier.
Antide Janvier was nearly 21 years old at the time, had already worked in Besançon and was familiar with Paris.
Why did he leave his family to retire to these rather inhospitable mountains?
Our young watchmaker had come to an agreement with several wealthy merchants in the town of Morez to set up this school and pass on his knowledge to the young people of the region. He was paid for his work.
The Chalettes school, supported by local industrialists, was one of the first watchmaking schools in the world.
A bundle of eight technical documents from this school was found in a workshop in Morez in 2024.
The book "Antide Janvier - horloger du roi" presents these documents and provides an insight into the incredible success of this genius watchmaker, who was close to King Louis XVI, then a revolutionary and a Freemason. Presentation and book signing on 25/10/25 at Morez town hall at 4pm.
Prices
| Min | Max | Information(s) complementaire(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free of charge | 0 | ||
Dates and time
From 16h00 at 18h00
Saturday 25 October 2025 from 4pm.
