Cover Corum headquarters in La-Chaux-de-Fonds Corum headquarters in La-Chaux-de-Fonds Hong Kong-based Citychamp Watch & Jewellery Group Limited has divested its stake in Corum to a group of Swiss investors It marks Corum’s return to 100 per cent Swiss governance just in time to celebrate its 70th anniversary is supported by a team that shares his long-term vision: to reignite Corum’s creative force and reaffirm its singular identity "We have a tremendous opportunity to restore Corum’s rightful place in Swiss watchmaking I grew up with this company and went through every high and low with the teams we’re putting bold creativity and innovation back at center stage and building on Corum’s unique DNA,” said Mehmedovic Read more: Why the Breguet Classique Souscription 2025 is the perfect tribute to 250 years of legacy Above Corum CEO Haso Mehmedovic Corum CEO Haso Mehmedovic Corum is beloved for its Admiral nautical watches and the unconventional Bubble with its oversized crystal But it is perhaps best known for the Golden Bridge linear movement its parts arranged vertically along the central axis of the watch making the bridge appear as if it is floating.  See also: Audemars Piguet’s Ilaria Resta on the brand’s 150-Year legacy Above The Golden Bridge and its groundbreaking linear movement The Golden Bridge and its groundbreaking linear movement Above Corum Admiral 45 Openworked Tourbillon Corum Admiral 45 Openworked Tourbillon This year will focus on consolidation and laying the groundwork with a full global relaunch expected in mid-2026 “We will be reinforcing our distribution bringing Corum back into the spotlight for collectors and enthusiasts around the world,“ Mehmedovic asserted.  Austin Butler and Breitling: Timeless cool meets modern legacy The ultimate watch enthusiast’s bucket list: 10 must-visit manufactures and museums Breitling acquires Gallet—the watch that took flight with the Wright brothers Confirming the truth of this statement is the inherent purpose of the GMT Watch Safari and an observation made during our recent visit to Breitling Chronométrie in La Chaux-de-Fonds The consistency of the brand – propelled into a new dimension under the leadership of Georges Kern since 2017 – is confirmed on the outside through its branding The meteoric growth enjoyed by Breitling Chronométrie involves two buildings totaling 6,000sqm linked by a corridor and evoking an airport terminal as well as an additional 1000sqm area rented in a neighboring property more than 300 people work meticulously to create the movements as well as assemble and case up some 200,000 timepieces a year – of which 85,000 are equipped with in-house calibers At the brand’s historic headquarters in Grenchen Breitling employs a further 200 people (for bracelet assembly alongside other manufacturing sstages and shipping) not to mention another 80 in Zurich dedicated to sales and marketing support a commitment expressed as early as 1999 and reinforced in 2009 with the creation of the first in-house caliber – of which Breitling now has a dozen The brand makes no secret of the fact that in order to support its expansion it also works with an extensive network of sub-contractors for hands Upon entering the four-storied building with its wide open staircases and visuals of planes and pilots adorning the steel and glass walls one cannot help drawing comparisons with an airport This is very much the Breitling world and passengers should prepare to fasten their seat belts Mannequins evoking the famous Breitling Pilots and coffee tables shaped like aircraft propellers blend into the decor paintings by retro-modern German artist Jürg Öring add color and interest amid the ultra-modern Swiss-made machinery Breitling’s pioneering spirit is evident in these machines since the brand was the first to use dry (lubricant-free) machining on such a large scale component assembly and watch-head assembly More than 40 professions coexist here and processes are constantly optimized Large bay windows overlooking the forest edges and hills behind the building complete the picture Breitling is known for its efficiency and methodology Dry machining is not only more environmentally friendly with each line under the responsibility of a daytime operator and dedicated to a special operation (chamfering The obsession with quality means that each watch undergoes 1,000 checks during its manufacturing process and is delivered to boutiques after eight months This perfectionism means that certain tools have to be replaced twice a month and all component offcuts are recycled: two tons of shavings reduced to powder and recycled every month.  Machinery is devoted to serving human needs with the automation of many tasks enabling the “bulk” of certain operations to be handled more quickly It is nonetheless definitely men and women who devote their skills to ensuring quality meticulously verifying aspects that machines cannot detect skilled specialists spot certain small defects – with the naked eye or binoculars – and correct them by means of a few experienced touches Laminar flow technology in sensitive workshops sucks up all dust all externally sourced components are carefully checked when entering the premises sometimes to the nearest thousandth of a millimetre This rigorously disciplined attitude pays off which has a positive impact on the sales price for customers When customers are invited to visit the premises hospitable lounge complete with its Breitling bar awaits them an ideal place in which to relax and admire the collection Femke Bol took half a second off her European 400m hurdles record with 50.95 at the Resisprint La Chaux-de-Fonds meeting in Switzerland to become just the second woman in history to break 51 seconds for the discipline It is the third-fastest performance of all time behind only the 50.65 world record set by Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone at the US Olympic trials in Eugene last month and the former world record of 50.68 McLaughlin-Levrone clocked in Eugene in 2022 the world champion and Olympic bronze medallist set her previous best of 51.45 in London in July last year She will go up against McLaughlin-Levrone in the race for Olympic gold at the Paris Games in August Finishing second behind the Dutch hurdles ace at the World Athletics Continental Tour Challenger event in La Chaux-de-Fonds was Kemi Adekoya while Jessie Knight won another race in 54.59 Bol's compatriot Nadine Visser and Poland's Pia Skrzyszowska both set PBs in a close 100m hurdles final, Visser improving her Dutch record to 12.36 (1.6m/s) to set a meeting record and Skrzyszowska finishing just 0.01 off the Polish record with 12.37 Visser had earlier taken 0.04 off her own national record with 12.42 in the heats South Africa’s three-time world U20 medallist Benjamin Richardson ran a meeting record of 9.86 (1.9m/s) to win the 100m who claimed world U20 4x100m gold and 100m silver in 2021 before getting 100m bronze in 2022 dipped under 10 seconds for the first time improving on his previous PB of 10.08 that he equalled in the heats to beat Ronnie Baker (9.95) and Ebrahima Camara (9.98) Richardson returned to finish a close second in the 200m breaking another barrier with his first sub-20.00 run as he clocked 19.99 (0.8m/s) to finish behind Ryan Zeze of France with 19.90 Switzerland's 2022 world indoor 60m champion Mujinga Kambundji equalled the meeting record with 10.90 (1.4m/s) – just 0.01 off her own national record – in the women’s 100m final Her compatriot Salome Kora was second in 10.95 Jessica-Bianca Wessolly went quickest in the 200m races Another meeting record fell in the men's long jump as home star Simon Ehammer leapt 8.36m Salwa Eid Naser ran a meeting record of 49.66 to win the 400m ahead of Henriette Jaeger the 21-year-old taking almost a second off her PB with 49.85 Anthony Pesela won the men’s 400m in 44.99 Results WATCHPRO Corum is back under Swiss ownership after the watchmaker’s sales director bought the business from Hong Kong-based Citychamp Watch & Jewellery Group Limited Financial details have not been disclosed but the deal was described as “a constructive agreement with Citychamp” Corum was founded 70 years’ ago in La Chaux- de-Fonds and specialised in stretching traditional boundaries in haute horology through iconic collections including the Bubble and Golden Bridges families But the business has not kept pace with a changing market under Citychamp’s ownership and does not even feature in the top 50 Swiss watchmakers in Morgan Stanley’s annual report which requires turnover of CHF 50 million to make the cut began his career aged 18 as a watchmaker at Corum in 2011 and built on that technical knowhow as he moved into more commercial roles culminating in his position as international sales director He will now assume the role of CEO and chairman for Corum “Corum was the very first brand I applied to after graduating in 2011 — and I never looked back I grew up with this company and went through every high and low with the teams,” Mr Mehmedovic recalls He is promising a reboot for the brand in 2026 but with a focus on its historic archive “We have a tremendous opportunity ahead: to restore Corum’s rightful place in Swiss watchmaking we’re putting bold creativity and innovation back at centre stage bringing Corum back into the spotlight for collectors and enthusiasts around the world,” Mr Mehmedovic promises Corum currently has around 300 watch retailers worldwide and is promising them a brighter future built on “strong sustainable foundations with curated partnerships to ensure sterling after-sales service for clients” Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article Le Corbusier was an influential architect and city planner whose designs combined functionalism with bold sculptural expressionism. He belonged to the first generation of the so-called International school of architecture which promoted such characteristics as clean geometric forms and open efficient spaces Le Corbusier was also a recognized writer and artist Some of Le Corbusier’s most well-known projects were the buildings Villa Savoye, Colline Notre Dame du Haut, and the Unité d’Habitation at Marseille, France; the unbuilt prototype for mass housing, Maison Dom-Ino; the master plan for Chandigarh India; and the book Toward a New Architecture (1923) wherein he famously declared “a house is a machine for living in.” Le Corbusier was born Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris to a family of watchmakers He later married the fashion model Yvonne Gallis Le Corbusier had no formal training as an architect At 13 he left primary school to learn enameling and engraving of watch faces at the École des Arts Décoratifs at La Chaux-de-Fonds decided that Le Corbusier should become an architect and gave him his first practice on local projects At age 77, Le Corbusier died of a heart attack while swimming off the coast of the French Riviera fought against the “styles” of the past and against elaborate nonstructural decoration Among the most famous are Urbanisme (1925; The City of Tomorrow Quand les cathédrales étaient blanches (1937; When the Cathedrals Were White that can be distinguished in Le Corbusier’s work; the second period covers the years from 1944 to the architect’s death in 1965 The 31-year-old forward has decided to commit to the Swiss League team He will stay in La Chaux-de-Fonds until 2028 “Every season, he proves that he's one of the best players in the league. He's a complete sportsman who, match after match, demonstrates all his talent," Loïc Burkhalter, team manager of HC La Chaux-de-Fonds said about the reasons for the early contract extension of Toms Andersons The captain of the Bees is in his fourth season with HCC he has recorded 18 goals and 35 assists in 42 games for them Keen to exploit Schwarz Etienne’s high level of vertical integration the brand’s full potential is about to be unleashed the 1902 Petite Seconde collection marks a new chapter in the brand’s design language the three-hand dress watch in three dial colours reveals a refined sector dial design and the movement heralds the return of the brand’s signature finger bridges Schwarz Etienne is a diamond in the rough and is often better known for its private label activities than its own watches As part of an independent watchmaking group owned by entrepreneur Raffaello Radicchi Schwarz Etienne manufactures its watches and movements in-house and provides movements to third-party brands like Ming The first representatives of the new 1902 collection have 39mm titanium cases with a thickness of 10.9mm and polished and satin-brushed finishes the lightweight properties of titanium enhance comfort Available in three colours – silver, slate grey or rose gold – the dials are reminiscent of old-school sector dials a format that is enjoying a revival these days also known as scientific or railroad dials divide the dial into distinct geometric segments to enhance legibility the dials of the 1902 models play with different levels and share a white peripheral railway-style minutes track with thicker black markings on the quarters and Arabic numerals at 5-minute intervals the wider opaline-finished chapter ring hosts the applied and polished indices alternating between elongated and rounded arrows at 3 6 and 9 o’clock with double arrows at noon and rectangular indices The indices at 5 and 7 o’clock are truncated to accommodate the framed and slightly raised small seconds counter with its external white railway track and snailed interior produces a circular separation between the chapter ring the lance-style hour and minute hands have a sandblasted facet and a polished facet the movement features four elegant finger bridges one of them securing the 3Hz balance wheel The three models are paired with alligator or calfskin straps with a rubber lining and a titanium pin buckle. The retail price is CHF 18,000. More information at schwarz-etienne.ch The price is a shocker and I find the polished bezel too distracting but maybe SE has losen contact to its roots For this price I would go for a A.Lange Saxonia or PP Calatrava in precious metal for instance or save some more money for a Moritz Grossmann – all of them with much more refinded movements 6 minutes 30 seconds was the total duration of the storm in 2023 where violent gusts of wind blew through the city Damage to buildings came to around CHF 117.15million Damage to trees amounted to CHF 5.25 million.  Private insurers paid tens of millions of francs Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Janik Loosli will have to sit out one game and pay a 600 CHF fine The punishment is the consequence of his second ejection from a game On January 18, he received a second game misconduct penalty against the GDT Bellinzona Snakes This means he is automatically suspended for one game The 26-year-old forward has recorded eight goals and nine assists through 35 games a daring brand relying exclusively on LinkedIn to market its first watches establishing itself as a key player in Swiss watchmaking as well as its deep connection to the canton of Neuchâtel the brand is unveiling a limited-edition trilogy: three exceptional Masterpieces designed and created in the canton of Neuchâtel A true immersion into the heart of a métier d’art this series highlights the region's richness through three acts each dedicated to iconic symbols enhanced by miniature acrylic paintings These creations also incorporate the prestigious tourbillon complication showcasing the brand’s technical and artistic excellence This unique trilogy celebrates the authenticity and exceptional expertise that define BA111OD while paying tribute to the artistic and watchmaking heritage of the canton of Neuchâtel BA111OD has stood out for its daring spirit The research conducted by Neuchâtelois Thomas Baillod uncovered a lineage of watchmakers in his family dating back to 1775—a heritage that further deepens his bond with this tradition-rich region BA111OD unveils a limited-edition trilogy in three acts Designed by Senior Designer Liliane Murenzi and powered by a tourbillon crafted in La Chaux-de-Fonds by watchmaker Olivier Mory this series of timepieces is rooted in the grand tradition of contemporary haute horlogerie while embodying the brand’s commitment to offering exceptional and accessible pieces Featuring a 44mm titanium case and a manual winding mechanical movement with a 100-hour power reserve these watches are distinguished by their exceptional dials Each model showcases one of three iconic views of the canton of Neuchâtel sketched by artist Célestine Sahli and reproduced in miniature acrylic painting by the artisans at Atelier Blandenier lends each piece an incomparable uniqueness dedicated to Neuchâtel and symbolized on the dial by a miniature depicting the iconic contours of the city perfectly embodies the authenticity at the heart of the brand's identity By drawing from the history and heritage of this city BA111OD celebrates profound values of tradition and precision while remaining true to its innovative spirit creating timepieces that blend heritage and daring The second chapter celebrates the Neuchâtel mountains Often referred to as the "Swiss Grand Canyon," the Creux du Van is a spectacular natural amphitheater located in the canton of Neuchâtel With its towering cliffs and nature reserve housing unique wildlife and flora this iconic location inspires the daring spirit at the heart of BA111OD's creations The final act pays tribute to the watchmaking hubs of Le Locle and La Chaux-de-Fonds highlighted on the dial through a miniature of La Chaux-de-Fonds As the historical cradle of Swiss watchmaking and a UNESCO World Heritage Site La Chaux-de-Fonds epitomizes exceptional watchmaking expertise This legacy directly inspires BA111OD in designing its timepieces constantly pushing the boundaries of excellence The Exclusive BA111OD Trilogy: A Collector's Set and an Unforgetable Immersive Experience priced at CHF 9,400 per timepiece or CHF 26,000 for the complete set which includes the three pieces as well as an unprecedented immersive experience exploring the canton of Neuchâtel To discover these exceptional creations and learn more about the trilogy, visit www.ba111od.com The Swiss League team announced today that the 29-year-old forward will not return to La Chaux-de-Fonds next season "Le Matin" reported at the end of October 2024 that HC Sierre had issued an offer for a long-term contract to Julien Privet, but the deal has never been confirmed. For now, it is at least clear that Privet will not play for HC La Chaux-de-Fonds this season Privet had been part of HCC's organization for the past five seasons he recorded three goals nd 13 assists in 35 regular-season games He added one goal to his tally in the postseason (six games) the forward has signed an early two-year extension with the Swiss League team As HC La Chaux-de-Fonds announces, they have extended the contract with David Eugster until 2028. It would still have been valid until 2026. Predominantly a player for the main squad, the 25-year-old forward also works as head coach of their U13 juniors. He joined the club from EV Zug in 2021 "We have an excellent team here and I feel good at HCC" "We also have a team capable of playing for titles." Since becoming a part of La Chaux-de-Fonds The 27-year-old defender has taken to the ice today for the first practice session with his new team the Bees are dealing with a few injured players and an eight-game suspension inflicted on Anthony Huguenin This season, his second with EHC Winterthur March collected seven assists in 45 games with them As "Arcinfo" reports, the 32-year-old forward was injured in the game against the GCK Lions on Thursday Sondre Olden collided with his teammate Steven Owre but continued to play feel the effect of the collision yesterday and is now out indefinitely due to an upper-body injury As for the rest of the infirmary, Julien Privet is less severely injured than anticipated. He is, however, not yet ready to play. It is still not clear how long Gillian Kohler and Steven Macquat will be out of HC La Chaux-de-Fonds' lineup Three people were found dead in an apartment in La Chaux-de-Fonds on Friday – but it’s thought the killings were two days earlier a married couple and their 17-year-old daughter They say they believe the 38-year-old father first killed his daughter and then his 42-year-old wife and then himself.  Friends and family told the press they’re shocked – they didn’t see any arguments in the family One neighbour says they lived beyond their means They owned three cars and had a nice house The neighbour suggested they move to cut their rent – but he refused.  How To Wear It The Cartier Tank Cintrée In-Depth Examining Value And Price Over Time With The ‘No Date’ Rolex Submariner Watches In The Wild The Road Through America, Episode 1: A Model Of Mass Production One fatality was reported in the town and Sellita's factory was damaged A massive storm ripped through the Neuchâtel Mountains on Monday leaving massive damage in its wake in La Chaux-de-Fonds which hit the region at 11:30 am local time resulted in the fatality of a construction worker as a crane fell in the winds which exceeded 135 mph According to police sources, police and over 80 firefighters responded to calls for what was deemed a "probable tornado" by the local weather service, with massive damage to homes and what is now reported as at least 40 injuries That damage also had a major impact on the Sellita movement factory and its team "The entire roof of a neighboring company detached and hit our three buildings," said Dr Sellita's Head of Innovation and Marketing one person was in the building at the time and was quite severely injured They are in the hospital right now but are doing okay." A car is destroyed next to one of Sellita's damaged buildings after a violent storm hit the area in Le Cret-du-Locle near La Chaux-de-Fonds According to local media one person was killed when a crane fell (Photo by Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images) Photos of the Sellita facilities show major damage to the exterior and broken windows "We are cleaning up right now and are confident we can reopen after the holidays on August 14th," says Chaulmontet the reconstruction itself (especially the outside of the buildings) will take much longer but we will do all possible to reopen as soon as possible Sellita is pivotal for a large part of the industry and we do all possible to deserve the trust placed in us and serve our clients large overhead powerlines were downed across roads and homes and destruction of forested areas was reported shows a view of a house whose roof has been blown off after a violent storm hit the area in Le Cret-du-Locle near La Chaux-de-Fonds nearby manufacturers like La Joux-Perret – only 500m from Sellita – remained relatively unscathed the board of La Joux-Perret (the brands' parent company) was quickly convened yesterday to assess the damage the indications are that the tornado was over 250 feet wide and was unlike anything the area had experienced in nearly 100 years everybody is safe," Savary said in an interview with Hodinkee and there was just some minor water damage and damage to the roof or there would have been about 10,000 more people in La Chaux-de-Fond Injuries certainly would have been much more severe." he's unsure how quickly repairs to buildings and factories can be done Savary said the region experiences yearly storms but generally only deals with hail that causes damage to cars and property The last storm of this magnitude was in 1926 out of around 7,000 habitations in La Chaux-de-Fonds In an interview with local BFMTV, resident Alan Marmy called the storm "total chaos," leaving no time for any resident to react or prepare neither on smartphones nor a sound alert in town; no alert," he told the station was that due to the exceptional nature of the event "it was not possible to take protective measures; the thing was unimaginable and still is now." When asked about the possible impact on the movement supply chain – considering the widespread use of Sellita movements estimated by industry sources at well over a million movements a year – Chaulmontet admits that the damage to their facility comes at a difficult time "The year has been tense as the industry has been overheating recently," he says "But we hope and believe that it will not impact deliveries the logistics and parts departments have not been impacted The assembly lines have been impacted though but shall be repaired by August 14th." and the police have asked the population to avoid going to La Chaux-de-Fonds to repair infrastructure and make the area safer to reach and rail traffic could continue to be interrupted at La Chaux-de-Fonds station for some time Representatives from Cartier shared that no staff was injured and there was only minor damage to their building Calls to a number of other watch manufacturers in the region were not returned – likely due to the holiday – and TAG Heuer had no comment at this time about any potential damage we will update this story if more information becomes available Editor‘s note: This story has been updated after comment from Cartier was provided Introducing The Doxa Sub 200, Now With A Steel Bezel Introducing Seiko Prospex 1968 Heritage Diver’s GMT 60th Anniversary Edition SPB519 Introducing The Tudor Black Bay Chrono "Carbon 25" Business News Rolex Will Raise U.S. Prices In Response To Tariffs Six Of The Coolest CPO Rolex Watches I Saw In London's Old Bond Street Rolex Boutique Reference Points The Cartier Tank Louis Introducing The Christopher Ward C12 'Loco' (Live Pics) Hands-On Tudor's Black Bay Pro Gets A Surprisingly Dramatic Facelift With An Opaline Dial User login the Banco de España (Bank of Spain) Exhibition Hall is putting on an exhibition of portraits taken by American photographer Annie Leibovitz of their majesties the King and Queen of Spain and of the former governor Pablo Hernández de Cos. It will also feature a selection of the clocks guarded by this institution Curated by Yolanda Romero from Banco de España the exhibition brings together more than 50 pieces by twenty-four artists or artistic collectives The oldest of them is Triumph of Love and Eternity over Time a tapestry by Jan Leyniers based on the design of David Teniers III Alongside these works you will be able to see  around twenty clocks mostly from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries as well as several from the twentieth century The exhibitions features items on loan from six institutions: National Heritage the National Museum of Science and Technology the Musée International d´Horlogerie La Chaux-de-Fonds and the Gerardo van Waalwijk van Doorn Collection The concept of the clock is also present in the gallery’s latest two additions: the portraits of King Felipe and Queen Letizia and that of Governor Pablo Hernández de Cos commissioned by the Bank and taken by renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz, who was awarded the Prince of Asturias Prize for Communication and Humanities in 2013 This is the first time that the traditional easel painting has been replaced by a medium such as photography which revolutionised the portrait genre following its creation in the nineteenth century a central figure in contemporary photography and the author of iconic portraits in the visual culture of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries The artist is committed to minimising apparatus in her approach characterised by absolute freedom and awareness of her artistic intentions allowing her to generate historically relevant images The King wears a high-ranking uniform of Captain General of the Army and the clothing worn by the Queen is composed of two historical pieces loaned especially for the occasion by the Fundación Antoni de Montpalau from its collection.  Free admission (tickets must be reserved in advance) Sundays and bank holidays during December: 11am-2pm Last admission is half an hour before closing Check out which exhibitions are currently showing in Madrid The headquarters of the Bank of Spain is home to this exhibition hall which displays the artistic collection held by this institution These are some of the most outstanding art galleries in the city The city’s new official sightseeing and tourist travel pass Our online store (in Spanish) sells artisan souvenirs The Museum of World Athletics (MOWA) is delighted to announce the addition to its collection of the bodysuit worn by the Netherlands’ Femke Bol when she smashed her own European 400m hurdles record on 14 July 2024 Bol’s competition uniform will be on public display in the MOWA Heritage Exhibition Tokyo 2025 in the Japanese capital from the beginning of July and will permanently enter the museum’s digital platform in 3D later in 2025 World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said: “World Athletics warmly thanks Femke Bol for her kindness and generosity in donating to our museum the bodysuit which she wore when setting the European 400m hurdles record in La Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland last year “Her 50.95 run there makes the garment donated to the Museum of World Athletics extra special Femke is one of only two athletes to have gone under 51 seconds in history and her personal best is only headed by three world records “We are delighted that Femke’s bodysuit joins the 1948 London Olympic memorabilia of an earlier flying Dutch woman which was donated by her daughter to the MOWA in 2018 We are honoured to have these two great champions and record-breakers from the Netherlands represented in our heritage collection.” World and Olympic champion and world record-holder Bol commented: “I am pleased that my bodysuit is being inducted into the Museum of World Athletics whose collection includes competition items from the first female Olympic champion at 400m hurdles Nawal El Moutawakel and multiple global champions Nezha Bidouane and Jana Pittman “I hope by donating my European record suit to the museum it will not only interest athletics fans but might help inspire young girls to chase their own dreams in life.” Bol’s performance at the Resisprint International a World Athletics Continental Tour Challenger meeting in La Chaux-de-Fonds on 14 July last year was one of major significance It took her through the 51 seconds barrier her finishing time of 50.95 slicing a chunk of precisely half a second off the European record she had set in the London Diamond League meeting in 2023 it was the third-fastest women’s 400m hurdles time in history behind Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s 50.65 at the US Olympic Trials in Eugene the previous month and the US athlete’s previous world record of 50.68 which she set at her national championships in 2022 Bol subsequently moved to fourth on the global all-time list following the stunning 50.37 that McLaughlin-Levrone uncorked in the 2024 Olympic final in Paris but the Dutch athlete’s barrier-breaking performance in the north-west of Switzerland was momentous given its status as a major watch-making centre in the Jura Mountains where Zola Budd plodged barefoot through the mud to her second world cross country title back in the mists of 1986 In the modest setting of Stade de la Charriere She pulled clear of Bahrain’s Kemi Adekoya down the back straight flawlessly implementing the stride pattern she had been perfecting under the guidance of her Swiss coach Laurent Meuwly: 14 to hurdle seven then 15 for the final three flights down the home straight 2.14 seconds clear of Asian record-holder and 2016 world indoor 400m champion Adekoya Bol clasped her hands to her face when she saw the digits on the trackside clock Although accustomed to improving in leaps and bounds (her previous European records of 51.45 in London in 2023 and 52.03 in the Olympic final in Tokyo in 2021 having come in chunks of 0.58 and 1.24 seconds) the young woman from Amersfoort in the heart of the Netherlands was clearly not expecting such a huge step “I can’t believe it,” the near-breathless Bol confessed to the trackside interviewer in the Olympic cauldron of Stade de France Europe’s greatest ever one lap female hurdles exponent was left in an equally incredulous state In attempting to keep up with McLaughlin-Levrone’s searing pace in the first 300m of the Olympic final Bol hit a metaphorical brick wall at the head of the home straight she faded to a second successive Olympic bronze as her nemesis from New Jersey scorched to her breathtaking new world record figures of 50.37 with Anna Cockrell securing the runner-up spot for a US one-two “I screwed it up,” Bol lamented while the seemingly untouchable McLaughlin-Levrone now boasts the three fastest times in history the depth of Bol’s brilliance in the women’s 400m hurdles cannot be denied She owns 20 of the 50 quickest marks of all time; the Olympic champion and world record-holder is responsible for 12 of them Bol has already amassed a glittering array of major championship medals – not just as a 400m hurdler but also as the fastest indoor women’s 400m runner in history and as an anchor leg relay runner of near-superhuman powers she happens to be the reigning world champion gold in Budapest in 2023 having followed silver behind McLaughlin-Levrone in Oregon the year before She also has European 400m hurdles golds from 2022 and 2024 Femke Bol wins the 400m hurdles at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 (© Getty Images) Bol is the world indoor champion and world indoor record-holder having clocked 49.17 in claiming the title in Glasgow in March last year Her 49.26 at the 2023 Dutch Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn shattered the ancient 49.59 global mark set by Jarmila Kratochvilova of Czechia in 1982 She improved that to 49.24 at the 2024 Dutch Indoor Championships a fortnight before her glorious Glasgow performance Bol claimed the European outdoor 400m crown in Munich in 2022 in 49.44 East Germany’s world record-holder in the one-lap event In securing an unprecedented 400m hurdles-400m flat double in Munich and uncorking a 48.52 anchor leg to take her country to victory in the women’s 4x400m relay the formidable Femke emulated the historic deeds of the original Flying Dutchwoman a three-time gold medal winner at the 1950 European Championships in Brussels Bol has been a woman possessed in the last two global outdoor championships At the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 after dramatically falling within sight of victory in the mixed event she made up a deficit of 10 metres to snatch victory for the Netherlands in the final of the women’s 4x400m relay She was equally awesome in the mixed Olympic final in Paris last year taking her country from fourth to first with a 47.93 anchor leg The trailblazing Bol might be confining herself to the relays at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn over the next three days but stand by for more deeds of devastation by the dazzling young Dutchwoman Simon Turnbull for World Athletics Heritage Three styles of the “Victory Tourbillon” watch (GetTrumpWatches.com)Watch expert says $100K Trump gold watch only costs $25K to make Introducing “Victory Tourbillon”: 122 diamonds But the internet’s favorite Swiss watch technician – Alexander Colvin, aka @thewatchregulator – said that the watch is only worth probably a quarter of its price The Victory Tourbillon’s movement was made in La Chaux-de-Fonds who founded the watchmaking company BCP Tourbillon Mory’s productions were known to be accessible and affordable (A Wired article pointed out that Mory’s tourbillon was Colvin compared the Victory Tourbillon to a $7,350 ballard Onyx Tourbillon that BCP made: We can clearly see that the level of finishing on the Trump tourbillon versus the finishing on the 7,500 dollar watch is far making me believe that this is probably the very cheapest tourbillon that BCP manufactures One gram of gold costs about $65; Trump claimed that his watch has 200 grams Colvin’s friend Shanyn Linklater, aka @shanyn.the.jeweller added that the 122 Very Slightly Included 1 (VS1) diamonds on the watch were unlikely to cost more than $1,500 Colvin kindly added the cost of manufacturing the watch and said that the watch is worth $25,000 at most so I subtracted that by the materials cost we’re left with about $7,500 in other production charges According to the GetTrumpWatches website these watches are sold by a company called TheBestWatchesonEarth LLC (Please excuse us briefly while we rename Sherwood News “TheBestNewsPlaceOnEarth”) just know that the shipping starts “October/November/December,” so only pre-orders are being taken at this point Kohl’s has fallen more than 40% since Buchanan started the job in January UnitedHealth reported spending $1.7 million protecting its C-suite Bookings for China-to-US shipping containers are down 44.5% from the same time last year New Treasury data shows a surge in border tax earnings from tariffs though they still fall short of some figures Trump’s been touting Stanley and Yeti’s distinctive insulated tumblers come from China What these big cups could cost after trade war increases might cause you to spit out your drink (adsbygoogle=window.adsbygoogle||[]).push({}) Girard-Perregaux has been a continuous presence in La Chaux-de-Fonds The Swiss city was the birthplace of Constant Girard the inventive watchmaker who later wed Marie Perregaux in 1854 a marriage of two names that has since become synonymous with Haute Horlogerie While the blending of two surnames is not uncommon in this rarefied segment of the watch industry Girard-Perregaux is the only firm to have a double-barrel name forged by love La Chaux-de-Fonds is a city dedicated to watchmaking The city’s tall buildings and the distinctive arrangement of streets are designed to optimise natural light illuminating workshops where hand-eye coordination are of paramount importance These characteristics form part of the terroir imbuing each Girard-Perregaux timepiece with its distinctive character Framing the city are verdant vistas that assume warm golden tones on summer evenings Moved by the beauty of this picturesque landscape Girard-Perregaux has created an additional expression of its famous La Esmeralda Tourbillon ‘A Secret’ Eternity Edition it does source components from local specialists a tradition that harks back to the 18th century and the foundation of what has since become known as ‘the watchmaking town’ La Esmeralda Tourbillon ‘A Secret’ Eternity Edition is a collaborative effort drawing on the skills and expertise of local specialists 99% of the components that form this watch originate from La Chaux-de-Fonds Unwavering in his quest for chronometric excellence Constant Girard created several highly precise pocket watches His achievements in this field led to his timepieces winning numerous prizes an exceptional pocket watch that was awarded a gold medal La Esmeralda featured three bridges made of gold The savonette case of the pocket watch was also elaborately engraved and the dial was dressed in white Grand Feu enamel the legend of La Esmeralda lives on in exquisite wristwatch form with La Esmeralda Tourbillon ‘A Secret’ Eternity Edition La Esmeralda Tourbillon ‘A Secret’ Eternity Edition is housed in a 43 mm pink gold case It features Three Gold Bridges in a matching hue and is endowed with a honey colour Grand Feu dial bezel and buckle are intricately engraved and pay homage to the historic pocket watch of 1889 The dial is enlivened with a combination of sunray and circular guilloché expertly imparted by hand using a traditional rose engine lathe At the heart of the watch sits the Signature Tourbillon with Three Gold Bridges Equipped with a discreet white gold micro-rotor the movement offers the convenience of automatic winding and plays host to golden engravings referencing the patent filed for the Tourbillon with Three Bridges movement in 1884 Enriched with a cornucopia of refined finishes the Manufacture calibre GP09600 perpetuates the Maison’s reputation for crafting the finest expressions of watchmaking.   the case is dressed in honey-toned Grand Feu enamel This artisanal technique is executed at the Maison’s sister company Employing a Champlevé technique imbues the surface with a fade-free allure The rear of case is intricately engraved with a fluted pattern and adorned with three galloping horses found on the historic pocket watch The significance of the equine scene is a secret never to be revealed This latest addition to the Bridges Collection pays tribute to Constant Girard’s exceptional pocket watch chronometer of 1889 showcasing the rare skills and talents of the Manufacture’s craftspeople La Esmeralda Tourbillon ‘A Secret’ Eternity Edition Honey celebrates the rich hues that colour the landscape of La Chaux-de-Fonds a place where Haute Horlogerie is alive and well The La Esmeralda Tourbillon ‘A Secret’ Eternity Edition Honey is available on request through all Girard-Perregaux authorized retailers worldwide and is limited to 18 pieces Your invitation has been successfully sent Please search for a friend to connect first HC La Chaux-de-Fonds aims to compete in the promotion-relegation playoffs for the National League President Olivier Calame is optimistic about their chances Unlike last year, when their bid was denied due to delays in the Mélèzes rink renovation, HC La Chaux-de-Fonds’ current application is backed by a profit reported at the end of the 2023-2024 season Calame believes the city's recent public presentation of the new rink project will help alleviate previous concerns from the National League Calame has proactively engaged in discussions with National League officials emphasizing the need to avoid a repeat of last year’s situation The president is hopeful for a more favorable reception this time with a decision expected by late November or early December The National League Licensing Commission has informed the Swiss League club that they do not currently fully meet the required criteria One of the two Swiss League clubs that applied for promotion - the other being EHC Olten - HC La Chaux-de-Fonds has been denied the possibility to get promoted to the National League HCC's case was harder compared to the past given that the National League has recently tightened the requirements for a promotion The increase in share capital approved at the annual general assembly last June, which would have increased equity, could not be carried out in 2023 due to the delay in approving the construction loan for the new ice rink. New infrastructure is therefore vital if HC La Chaux-de-Fonds is to meet the promotion criteria. Despite this year's negative application, the board of directors of HCC is optimistic about the future and confident in the political authorities: "We are well aware that promotion can only make economic sense if new infrastructure is guaranteed. The demands of the National League are such that we need certainty if we are to try to join it, and then stay in it for the long term". World champion Femke Bol ran 50.95 to break her own European record in the 400m hurdles at the Resisprint La Chaux-de-Fonds meeting in Switzerland which is also the third-fastest performance in history behind Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s 50.68 world record from 2022 and her most recent world record of 50.65 to win the U.S – You can watch the race here – La Chaux-de-Fonds sees quick sprint performances each year as the city sits at around 1,000 meters above sea level. For context, South Africa’s Benjamin Richardson won the men’s 100m in 9.86 but entered the day with a 10.08 personal best. – Bol’s previous personal best was 51.45 from last summer’s London Diamond League. – Bol and McLaughlin-Levrone have not raced each other in the 400m hurdles since the 2022 World Championship final in Eugene. Their only previous race before that was the Tokyo Olympic final, where McLaughlin won gold and Bol took bronze. – The first round of the women’s 400m hurdles at the Paris Olympics is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 4th. Chris Chavez launched CITIUS MAG in 2016 as a passion project while working full-time for Sports Illustrated. He covered the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and grew his humble blog into a multi-pronged media company. He completed all six World Marathon Majors and on Feb. 15th, 2025 finally broke five minutes for the mile. You May Also Like was born of ex-journalists, ex-pros, and superfans who came together to geek out on running. By spotlighting athletes and their stories, we’re on a mission to modernize track and field media coverage and give fans a home to engage with their favorite sport. Track and field news straight to your inbox Design By Butter Studio Code By Buena Suerte there is a harmonious valley in which watch-lovers can meditate if there is a monastery in which they can discover inner peace – then Cartier’s new Maison de Métiers d’Arts in La Chaux-de-Fonds is likely to be that Shangri-La It’s a place where one can admire and concentrate on the meticulous effort that makes the dials of haute horology Cartier has transformed an old barn into a state-of-the-art watchmaking facility they’ve fulfilled the manufacture’s goal of providing a space that blends the company’s rich history with its current innovative watchmaking techniques The ground floor sets the mood in blending the old and the new and period furniture that provides a conversational environment for visitors The main lobby that leads to the other floors of the facility is a modern structure of glass and light The first floor of the Maison houses the 28 craftsmen for the Métiers d’Art They are spread of two floors – one contains jewelry crafts and the other enamel and marquetry There’s also a mezzanine that serves as a showroom for exhibitions one can discover a range of artistic crafts that range such as intaglio engraving Cartier's artisans employ techniques such as granulation Imagine sowing gold granules by flaming them in charcoal dust and individually fusing them on a gold plate to create a relief An actual example would be Cartier’s panther motif watch below whose relief is composed of 3,800 gold beads fused to the dial over 360 hours Watching these techniques is akin to traveling back in time This kind of artisanship has been documented in Troy Filigree entails twisting gold and platinum wires The filigree work on the Ronde Louis Cartier panthers motif watch took 10 days to complete It is also where bezels are encrusted and polished by a master gem-setter The second floor of the Maison is the craftsmen’s domain This is where artisans apply stone mosaics and marquetry from wood or straw Cartier’s master enamelers also reside on this floor They choose from a plethora of silica samples to grind by hand until reaching the desired hue which is then painted on the dial and fired in succession at over 800° C And we don’t have to generalize the enamel work in which the powder is contoured by hand-shaped metal margins in which the motif is traced out using gold thread and produces a stained-glass effect There’s painted enamel mixed with oil and brushed on and Grisaille enamel in which multiple layers are applied in succession and it gets this intricate all in the name of wrist-art Cartier houses a collection of artistic crafts that are open to exhibition and range from 19th-century clocks to early-20th-century wristwatches this exhibit is a brief synopsis of Cartier’s longstanding pedigree in the world of fine craftsmanship it’s a reminder that Cartier’s artistic abilities come as a package deal with its watchmaking aptitude and thus make it a frontrunner in haute horology irrespective of the playing field Cover Greubel Forsey Balancier Convexe S2 41.5mm and Double Balancier Convexe 42.5mm Greubel Forsey Balancier Convexe S2 41.5mm and Double Balancier Convexe 42.5mm we don’t always talk about big numbers but these two are striking in their impact It sums up some of Greubel Forsey’s own convictions which put it more than ever in the vanguard of disruptive haute horlogerie the independent atelier will be 20 years old—youthful by the standards of centuries-old maisons it is nonetheless rich in achievements that many would envy including seven fundamental inventions that have propelled the escapement to new horizons of performance that the atelier intends to reinforce.  Read more: How a group of watch artists is making horology fun with playful artworks and pop culture references The 20 million figure isn’t an expense but an investment: Greubel Forsey will more than double its property footprint in La Chaux-de-Fonds from 21,500 to about 59,000 sq ft a token of confidence in the atelier’s future daring since it has also doubled its production by 2022 with 180 timepieces delivered to top-level collectors: “collectors but above all connoisseurs,” as Antonio Calce Calce aims to push the boundaries of excellence even further but also by opening an R&D department dedicated solely to decoration—an unprecedented approach in haute horlogerie.  See also: Discover the Richard Mille RM 07-01 Automatic watch Michelle Yeoh wore to the Oscars 2024 Greubel Forsey is widening the gap between itself and the traditional players in the world of haute horlogerie Each timepiece now aims to make a double difference both in terms of technique and chronometry thanks to high-precision movements based on its own inventions; and in terms of aesthetics by pushing current finishes to the limit while already working on those of the future It’s an aggressive strategy that aims to set new standards for haute horlogerie in the 21st century.  Above Model wearing Greubel Forsey Balancier Convexe S2 41.5mm (Photo: Alex Teusche) Model wearing Greubel Forsey Balancier Convexe S2 41.5mm (Photo: Alex Teusche) Some of the timepieces already herald these approaches among them a pair of titanium Balancier watches—one measuring 41.5mm and one 42.5mm—but that’s not the point These two models focus on the heart of Greubel Forsey’s specialist watch: the escapement They magnify the atelier’s convex case—a geometry that has become a must-have among collectors the Balancier Convexe S2 is more modern and offers an unprecedented perspective The height under the glass provided by the convex case profile enables the movement to express itself fully The lower quarter of the timepiece features the collection’s signature large balance wheel Taking advantage of every available millimetre it is inclined at a 30° angle and suspended from a satin-brushed openworked bridge with hand-polished chamfers the dial is as close as possible to the sapphire crystal The central hands have never appeared so high creating the illusion of being able to literally touch the passage of time.  In case you missed it: The 3 best perpetual calendar watches for leap year 2024 Above A close-up of the double balance wheel of the Greubel Forsey Double Balancier Convexe 42,5mm A close-up of the double balance wheel of the Greubel Forsey Double Balancier Convexe 42,5mm The second timepiece offers another interpretation of the balance wheel The previous Double Balancier dated from 2022 but had not been developed to fit into a 42.5mm case Achieving this meant rethinking the movement’s layout and adjusting its finishing The new case ensures optimum comfort on the wrist while taking into account Greubel Forsey’s own ergonomic and quality requirements thus offering a unique setting for the spherical differential visible between six and seven o’clock the centrepiece of this high-flying composition This story was originally published on worldtempus.com Evelyne Genta on Gérald Genta’s lasting legacy in watchmaking Alexandre Mille on his biggest watchmaking challenge and why it’s a ‘good problem’ for the brand Jean-Claude Biver reveals the first watch that bears his name The Swiss League playoffs start on Tuesday but only La Chaux-de-Fonds and Visp are eligible for promotion EHC Basel is knocking on the door of Switzerland's best ice hockey league again - or so you might think the Basel team relegated defending champions La Chaux-de-Fonds to second place in the qualifiers in a thrilling finish but promotion to the National League is currently not an issue in the traditional football city on the banks of the Rhine Sports director Kevin Schläpfer recently spoke of a "decision of reason" in the BZ Basel Only three years after promotion to the Swiss League and the associated return to professional ice hockey the gap between the highest and second-highest Swiss leagues is huge in both sporting and economic terms - promotion is a real feat The teams from Neuchâtel and the Valais are the only ones entitled to promotion and if they win the play-off final at the beginning of April could play the league qualifier against the play-out loser of the National League it would be a big surprise if the same 14 clubs were not in the top league next season the championship title remains (for the time being) the ultimate goal The first hurdle in the knockout phase is the GCK Lions who surprisingly advanced to the final a year ago only qualified for the play-off quarter-finals on the last matchday and appear to be a feasible opponent Basel struggled to cope with the role of favorites a year ago when they crashed to a 4-1 defeat against Visp in the first playoff round coached by Heinz Ehlers until the end of the season face a delicate task this year with the derby against cantonal rivals Sierre The duels between Thurgau (3rd) and promoted Chur (6th) and La Chaux-de-Fonds (2nd) and Olten (7th) also promise to be very exciting especially as Olten can count on a number of returning players after a difficult qualifying campaign with countless injuries Olten coach Christian Wohlwend exuded a lot of confidence in an interview with the Solothurner Zeitung: "I am convinced that we can overcome the La Chaux-de-Fonds hurdle." The game will be played in a best-of-7 format we now go hands-on with their dial-side micro-rotor flying tourbillon watch The La Chaux-de-Fonds Tourbillon is the first Tourbillon movement presented by Schwarz Etienne since it embarked on a vertical integration strategy a few years ago, when Raffaello Radicchi invested in the company to reinvigorate this century-old brand (read our introduction article about the brand here) It is an iteration of a family of movements which commenced with the presentation of the MSE (Manual Schwarz Etienne) caliber in 2012; a nice 13’’’ ¼ lignes twin barrel movement with 6 bridges It was followed by the ASE (Automatic Schwarz Etienne – 2013) the ISE (Irreversible Schwarz Etienne – 2015) and then the TSE (Tourbillon Schwarz Etienne -2016) that we are reviewing here the caliber TSE121.00 is a large automatic movement with its micro-rotor on the dial side together with the ballet of the tourbillon adds a lot a visual depth and dynamism to the watch face Schwarz Etienne opted for a flying tourbillon a skewed construction: the absence of an upper bridge provides an unhindered view of the mechanical processes taking place  It is fully developed and manufactured in-house including its balance wheel and even the hairspring The power reserve is 3.5 days and it runs at a frequency of 21’600 vibrations per hour barrel and tourbillon on the main plate forms a nice balance It is finely decorated with Geneva stripes The elegant case is rendered in steel or pink gold and despite its rather large diameter (44 mm) it wears well thanks to its wrist-hugging cambered lugs and it has a round opening around the tourbillon It features a concave bezel framing a sapphire crystal It is superbly finished with alternate satined / polished surfaces while the crown is engraved with the brand’s logo The Tourbillon La Chaux-de-Fonds is paired with a qualitative alligator strap with alligator lining and a folding buckle. For more information, visit www.schwarz-etienne.com craft and beauty (Credit: Neuchâtel Tourism)It’s a small hard-working Swiss mountain town – not the rich streets of Geneva – that’s home to the most exquisite and pricey timepieces on the globe 1,000m up in the Jura mountains – one of Switzerland’s most scenic regions – means the air is crisp the clouds are close and the mountain peaks are closer including many surprisingly stealthy Art Nouveau apartment block lobbies (none of which look like you can just walk into but all of which you can) and the tucked-away abstract chrome monument dedicated to Louis Chevrolet the motor company-founding race car driver who was born and raised here in the 1870s and ‘80s was born on one of the streets facing Chevrolet’s monument four months earlier who was also born and raised in La Chaux-de-Fonds about a decade after Chevrolet and Cendrars this would be more than enough to build a tidy tourist business on hard-working town and not much for showing off that’d I’d never heard of this town before arriving And I certainly had no idea that it’s where the world's most expensive watches are made La Chaux-de-Fonds is essentially the watchmaking capital of the world home to the workshops or corporate headquarters of Rolex and Patek Philippe two of the first men to make a success of Swiss watchmaking started their workshops in the middle of the 18th Century in Geneva is where Swiss watchmaking became the world standard It was here that Daniel Jeanrichard (1665-1741) developed a system of apprenticeship and cultivated watchmaking as a local cottage industry Karl Marx held up the town and its system as an example of efficient industrialisation in his seminal work Das Kapital this small town was producing five times the number of watches than in all Geneva’s workshops combined La Chaux-de-Fonds remains the administrative As we ducked out of one of the Art Nouveau apartment block lobbies hidden behind thoroughly quotidian-looking front doors aunt and grandfather all work or worked in the watchmaking business explained that the buildings were laid out this way in the early 19th Century to maximize the amount of sunlight that could flood into the first-floor workshop windows I could imagine how the town must have been with lone craftsmen bent over their workbenches each making a tiny part that would contribute to the thousands of watches being made Many of these original workshops have been turned into apartments now but small open-door shops still populate those same streets where third- and fourth-generation craftspeople continue to make the mainsprings bridges and balance cocks that power some of the world's most exquisite and pricey timepieces Given La Chaux-de-Fonds’s watchmaking history, it’s little surprise that the town is also home to the International Clock-making Museum One of my favourite exhibits explained how a pocket watch designed between 1796 and 1800 by Breguet told the time with little pins that would jab its owner in the hand allowing him to check the time without pulling it out of his pocket and potentially revealing his boredom to the person — boss emperor or spouse — in whose company he found himself The museum also has the world’s first quartz timepiece: the upright four-drawer filing cabinet-sized contraption that almost killed La Chaux-de-Fonds more than 11,000 people — 47% of the workforce — were employed by the town’s watch companies that number had dropped to just a little more than 7,000 as the industry struggled with the advent of the quartz watch Watchmakers had laboured for centuries to keep time as precisely as possible perfecting the basic mechanical system of transferring energy from a coiled spring through an escapement to the balance wheel to create as close to perfectly regular oscillation as possible with watches that were accurate to within seconds a day which took advantage of the mineral’s much more stable rate of oscillation made watches accurate to within seconds a year – at prices in the dozens rather than the hundreds or thousands of dollars being charged for mechanical Swiss watches in the 1970s it looked as though Swiss watches were going the way of the buggy whip decided they could compete on luxury and craftsmanship rather than accuracy the Swiss industry is more profitable than it’s ever been – but the war hasn’t been won La Chaux-de-Fonds’ next quartz-sized challenge will be to measure up against the technology behind products like the iWatch the watches produced by Apple and Google may be even more accurate than quartz how technology will measure up against craftsmanship this go around only time will tell Many of the workshops in La Chaux-de-Fonds offer free tours After learning some history — it was the first company to manufacture all watch parts under one roof and the first to manufacture in large numbers after Kaiser Wilhelm ordered 2,000 Girard-Perregaux watches for his naval officers in 1880 — my tour guide Willy Schweizer and I walked through the various work rooms where parts made in La Chaux-de-Fonds’ smaller workshops are assembled by master watchmakers Another room was devoted entirely to engraving each part craftspeople from around the world are being drawn to the industry’s explosive growth with worldwide sales more than doubling from 2000 to 2014 Schweizer told me that each worker at Girard-Perregaux gets their own 6,500 euro watch after working for the company for two years and the most expensive watch I’d seen was a 450 euro Tissot with most people wearing less expensive Swiss brands like Certina or Hamilton After a day or so exploring La Chaux-de-Fonds They’re not the 0.1% found so often in Geneva’s diplomats Zurich’s bankers and on the slopes of Gstaad La Chaux-de-Fonds is a different kind of Switzerland It’s the type of place that gave birth to the monied juggernaut by working hard and making things Where do you rank in our tribe of worldly readers? 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Reynier Mena became the first Cuban man to break 20 seconds for 200m winning the half-lap sprint at the Resisprint International – a World Athletics Continental Tour Challenger meeting – in a stunning 19.63 on Sunday (3) a bronze medallist over both sprints at the 2013 World U18 Championships was a convincing winner and was delighted to see that his race had a legal wind reading (1.2m/s) France’s Meba Mickael Zeze crept inside 20 seconds with a 19.97 PB while Italy’s Filippo Tortu was third in 20.15 The 25-year-old Mena also broke 10 seconds over 100m for the first time earlier in the afternoon clocking a PB of 9.99 to finish second to Sri Lanka’s Yupun Abeykoon It was Abeykoon’s first foray into sub-10-second territory and he becomes the first man from South Asia to break the barrier Several national records were broken in the women’s events too Israel’s Diana Vaisman won the 100m in a national record of 11.06 (1.2m/s) to beat two-time world 200m champion Dafne Schippers (11.13) Line Kloster set a Norwegian record of 53.91 to win the 400m hurdles she clocked a wind-assisted 22.51 to win her heat of the 200m Olympic finalist Beatrice Masilingi was fastest in that event winning her heat in a season’s best of 22.29 (1.9m/s) just 0.03 outside the PB she set last month Cuba’s Roger Iribarne won the 110m hurdles in a PB of 13.26 (1.7m/s) who ran 9.98 seconds during the Resisprint La Chaux-de-Fonds to set a new national record will be making his second Olympic appearance for The Gambia later this month in Paris Camara thanked the AlmightyAllah for giving him the health and strength to be able to make it to the Olympics again “I feel excited because it is not everybody that gets the opportunity to secureback-to-back Olympic Games appearances,” Camara said Camara observed that every athlete would want to win a medal during the Olympic adding that every country will bring their best athletes  Camara stated that his aim is to repeat his recent success in Switzerland noted that his training was going well at the moment with his coach in his training camp He noted that this year’s Olympic Games will be different with fans returning to the stadiums to cheer them up (unlike the Tokyo Olympic Games when stadiums were closed to fans due to Covid-19.) he appealed to them to continue supporting and praying for them saying they will do their best to make proud Nesta gained his first international experience in 2013 at the African Youth Championships in Warri, where he finished fourth in the 100-meter run in 10.91s Two years later he reached seventh place over 100 meters at the Junior African Championships in Addis Ababa in 10.91 s and finished sixth in the 4 x 100 meter relay in 42.00 s He then took part in the Africa Games in Brazzaville for the first time and was eliminated there with a timing of 10.60 s and 40.09 s in the 100 meters and 4 x 100 meter relay in the preliminary round respectively In 2017 he reached the semi-finals over 100 meters at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Baku in which he was eliminated with 10.66 seconds he finished fourth with the relay in 40.20 s The following year he participated in the Commonwealth Games held in the Australian Gold Coast over 100 meters with 10.50 s and with the relay team clocking 40.57s. He also ran the 200-meter race with a timing 21.58 s but that was not enough to qualify him for another round In 2019 he finished seventh over 100 meters at the African Games in Rabat in 10.33s and finished fourth in the relay in 39.44 s while he was eliminated in the semifinals over 200 meters with 20.82 s He also qualified for the World Championships in Doha , where he was eliminated with 10.38s in the preliminary round Ebrima secured a place in the final of the Men’s 100 metres race of the 13th African Games The 27-year-old finished 2nd position in the semifinal with a timing of 10:45 seconds The athlete showed a magnificent performance after finishing 1st position with a timing of 10:49 second during his heat 1 in the 100 metre race He broke the national record on Sunday in Switzerland during the Resisprint La Chaux-de-Fonds the TAG Heuer factory in La Chaux-de-Fonds It’s the perfect place to continue our exploration of our legendary savoir faire walk past the TAG Heuer museum and you’ll be led to the place where all the magic happens Sunlight pours in through the large glass windows The expert watchmakers sit on their stools with long-armed table lamps just above their heads Everyone here is working away meticulously They’re not just highly-skilled; they’re multi-skilled So they can easily swap jobs and keep things ticking There are screens that display everyone’s plans for the day so they can know what needs to be produced by when Most assemblers work silently with their eyeglasses on Some are studying blueprints on their computers to make sure they’ve got the intricate details of their timepiece right It takes years of learning and refinement to master the art of assemblage and an immaculate understanding of everything that goes into the watchmaking process You can see this know-how coming to life on the assembly floor It all starts with the watchmakers carefully working on the dial to set the hands and turn the stems to the correct position Then a ring is used to fix the dial to the movement The partition between the hands needs to be perfect so the watchmakers are assisted by a machine that helps control the pressure The machine lights up to tell the watchmaker when there’s too much or too little pressure The green light indicates that the pressure is right The watchmakers place the perfectly-made dials into cases and secure the movement Airflow is tested using overhead vents that push out air It’s quite engrossing to watch the little details these experts get into compare the metric of the movement from when it was at its manufacture to now create the link between the middle case and the movement the assembled piece is off for further testing After the assembled pieces pass the watchmakers’ test they go into an adjacent room for further examination This room contains many different watches carefully set in vats These vats are slowly lowered into special containers You can regulate these containers to various pressures So every piece can be tested to make sure they’re water resistant and air proof Depending on the specifications of each watch the container is set to lower or higher pressures You start at a lower pressure and keep increasing it until you reach the watches’ designed pressure point the pieces are placed on a warm plate to simulate humidity Each watch is anointed with a drop of water to make sure there isn’t any condensation the watch cases are all set to go to another atelier so they can be fitted with bracelets or straps Welcome to the series that swerves your stopover into a whole new dimension © TAG Heuer Brand of LVMH Swiss Manufactures SA - 2025 Femke Bol has sent quite the statement to Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone after smashing her own European 400m hurdles record The 24-year-old Dutch athlete ran a staggering 50.95 at La Chaux-de-Fonds on Sunday (July 14) winning by over 50m to the rest of the field Bol hasn't just lowered her European record of 51.45 – set at last year's London Diamond League – but also recorded the third quickest time in history Bol is set to return to London for the 2024 event this coming Saturday (July 20) too with her respective world records of 50.65 and 50.68 it would also qualify her for the Olympics in the 400m flat With McLaughlin-Levrone focusing on the 400m hurdles at the Games it sets up a battle between two athletics superstars in Paris At the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow she claimed two golds in the 400m and 4x400m and set a world record over two laps indoors with 49.17 Bol struck gold in the 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay she anchored the Dutch team to a bronze medal having been given too much ground to make up on the anchor leg It's the perfect preparation for the Olympics where she aims to get that coveted gold medal Bol finished third on the podium behind McLaughlin-Levrone and Dalilah Muhammad Bol has now changed her stride pattern from 15 to 14 strides between some of the hurdles. Her coach Laurent Meuwly told AW that "it’s about a 12cm difference in stride length" He added: "Progressively we pushed her stride a bit more and changed to having a more cruising way of running the first 200m "And then to change after seven hurdles to go to 15 – that was something completely different to what she has been used to she realised in training that this was the direction to go in." "I think she’s also able to perform over 800m She showed in Boston that she has this efficiency and she’s pretty good in all the endurance sessions because of it I can imagine [the 800m] might also be an option." The women's 400m hurdles heats at the Olympics is scheduled for August 4 the semi-finals on August 6 and the final on August 8 » Subscribe to AW magazine here nice finishing and complex movement… Overview While the brand still remains quite low key, the Schwarz Etienne La Chaux-de-fonds Tourbillon Petite Seconde Retrograde is a watch that some of you might have seen before, as our own Xavier presented it to you on Monochrome recently the story of Schwarz Etienne goes as far back as 1902 when Paul Arthur Schwarz and his wife Olga Etienne founded a fabrique in La Chaux de Fonds eventually owning brands such as Alpha and Venus Schwarz Etienne was also involved in manufacturing activities for prominent clients such as Dunhill and Chanel invested in reviving this century-old heritage and in 2008 Schwarz Etienne put into action a plan to develop and produce movements in-house The idea was to develop a modular family of calibres even with the adjunction of additional functions This led to the introduction of the MSE (Manual Schwarz Etienne) calibre in 2012 followed by the introduction of several new watches This Tourbillon Petite Seconde Retrograde by Schwarz Etienne is their most complex watch to date which underlines the versatility of the original construction of its base movement Unlike the dozens of watches that many of us would love to wear with the down side up just to be able to contemplate the movement more than the indication of the time the Tourbillon PSR is just that and displays the time in a truly mechanical environment All of the usual elements found on the caseback side are here presented as part the dial the Tourbillon Petite Seconde Retrograde exposes its movement on the dial side A closer inspection at the dial reveals: the micro-rotor at 9 the large barrel (that boasts 72 hours of power reserve) just in the middle of the hour and minute dial (slightly visible but not too much in order to keep a decent legibility of the time) which rotates counterclockwise (reversed movement obliges) and there’s something intriguing above that tourbillon… allows for the small second hand to advance along an arc and then suddenly jump back to recommence at the starting point Those with have developed knowledge in watchmaking will easily argue that such a device could potentially affect the correct running of the tourbillon by creating frictions or consuming some of the torque this retrograde second system is quite clever Because the cam is shaped with a constantly increasing diameter there is little disturbance in the way to Tourbillon is running although the retrograde seconds is mounted directly on its arbour Schwarz Etienne reports that the amplitude loss is less than 10% which allows the tourbillon to operate efficiently Schwartz Etienne introduces two new versions of the Tourbillon Petite Seconde Retrograde The first one has the 44mm case crafted in steel and shows some dial rings made in turquoise-blue Lapis Lazuli stone (the lighter of the two versions) The second new edition of this Tourbillon PSR is made in 18k white gold and features dial rings of blue Opal stone (the darker of the two) Both feature a movement with anthracite coating and are worn on black alligator leather straps with stitching and alligator lining matching the colour of the stones The steel/Lapis Lazuli version (left) – the white gold/blue Opal version (right) These two new Schwarz Etienne La Chaux-de-Fonds Tourbillon PSR will be visible at QP 2017 as of tonight. Prices are CHF 65,500 for the steel version and CHF 99,900 for the white gold edition (prices inc. taxes). For more information, visit www.schwarz-etienne.com Two weeks after dissolving his contract with EHC Visp the 34-year-old has agreed to return to his formative club the reigning champions of the Swiss League will be able to count on Evgenï Chiriaev Their former player will thus return to his formative club after 15 years the majority of which he spent for other clubs in the Swiss League Chiriaev announced his departure from Visp due to "an urgent need to move closer to their families" WATCHPRO USA Winds of up to 135 mph reported as tornado tears through Neuchâtel town A freak storm ripped through the famous watchmaking town of La Chaux-de-Fonds in the northwest of Switzerland on Monday A video shared with WatchPro shows windows blown out and a roof damaged at the vast Sellita factory prompting fears of disruption to supply for an industry already grappling shortages Sellita has not responded to a request for information Police from the canton of Neuchâtel said that Wind gusts of up to 135 mph have been reported https://twitter.com/MLeschot/status/1683547763630284808?s=20 While the Manufacture does not disown its heritage TAG Heuer tirelessly pursues its path towards the watchmaking avant-garde the direction naturally imparted by its name in which TAG stands for Techniques d'Avant-Garde Two entities specifically embody this signature This is an autonomous entity within the Manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds only an R department” – the point being that the Institute is dedicated to applied research Its work is entirely focused on new technologies for future TAG Heuer watches The TAG Heuer Institute’s mission is to create Some ideas are put aside: the teams' initial intuition may be right but the technical means at their disposal do not yet allow them to be put into practice and patience is thus required The Institute is nonetheless constantly working on some 50 parallel projects a fact hinting at its strength and importance within the Manufacture who until recently held the position of brand CEO endowed the Institute with massive resources of its own to ensure that TAG Heuer research moves forward former CEO of Zenith and himself strongly committed to a spirit of innovation The TAG Heuer Institute has already produced some fine results While the latter offers all the advantages of the silicon balance-spring it is even lighter and therefore less sensitive to gravity It is also said to develop in a perfectly concentric manner It has already been introduced in certain limited-series collections until the Manufacture manages to transpose it into its production system complete with the reliability and price that will enable its expansion.  The second entity that sets the Maison apart is its test laboratory TAG Heuer's is far more advanced than average While most watches on the market come with a two-year warranty TAG Heuer tests its assembled watches through simulation cycles corresponding to five or more years.  All functions are accelerated over this period Water-resistance also bears witness to this intransigence: with the exception of a few models certified to a depth of 100m TAG Heuer is even able to see and understand their robustness on a nanometric scale These infinitely rigorous tests ensure that TAG Heuer watches will stand the test of time Professional Watches Greubel Forsey is currently undergoing a major expansion of its La Chaux-de-Fonds manufacture — to increase its watchmaking capacity which sells top-of-the-line six and seven-figure wristwatches finished to the most exacting standards in the industry which is expected to cost $20 million and be completed by 2026 will nearly triple the square footage of the current facility with the result being approximately 58,770 square feet dedicated to enhancing and increasing R&D the output of 181 timepieces is expected to increase though it will still remain well under 1,000 timepieces Jason is a writer and photographer who founded Professional Watches to share his passion for watches.