Hello friends,  

It’s been a while, but we’re back on track with our mission to transmit the know-how of watchmaking to a broader extent. And we’re proud to announce that HOROPEDIA FOUNDATION is officially established. We also launched English and German versions of our website and filmed the very first videos from the long list of visual content that we’re planning to publish this year.

THE FOUNDATION IS HERE

Six months after launching our project, the HOROPEDIA Foundation was finally officially established on the 1st of February. It is registered in the Commercial Register of the State of Geneva.

The Foundation is non-profit and independent. It is committed to contributing to the long-term success and visibility of the watchmaking crafts and expertise by supporting the steady and uninterrupted work of the HOROPEDIA website, and by sharing the knowledge and highlighting the know-how including technical and artistic skills accumulated over the years and those that are continuously being developed.

The Foundation Council is composed of Philippe Dufour (President), Dr. Helmut Crott, André Colard, and Marc André Deschoux, who will also act as Executive Director. It will oversee all the decisions to achieve the aims of the Foundation. It will have general responsibility for the affairs of the Foundation and supervise all activities conducted under its authority by the other organs of the Foundation to which power and authority have been designated.

With the growth of the community and visual content on the HOROPEDIA website, the future engagement of the Foundation will also include awarding scholarships to give young students and/or individuals pursuing continuing education the opportunity to study or continue their studies at specialized watchmaking schools.

“Since the 1960s, the watchmaking reference has always been the dictionary of watchmaking known as “The Berner”.  I think that we must keep up with the times and take advantage of new technologies to attract new blood. And while there is nothing like explaining it orally, we can do it also visually. Future generations will benefit from this project intellectually, and through the opportunity to study or continue their studies in the field of watchmaking”, – said the President of the Foundation Philippe Dufour.

The Foundation is also planning to support and finance projects and activities related to the preservation of Swiss watchmaking culture.

“I truly believe this is a game changer in terms of how watchmaking know-how and expertise is shared. It’s really an ambitious and purposeful project, one that will take years in the making, a real marathon, but we have many great people around it, including our President, Philipe Dufour», – said the Executive director of the Foundation Marc André Deschoux.

Presentation Horopedia Foundation

HOROPEDIA IN FRENCH, ENGLISH AND GERMAN

The HOROPEDIA website now operates in three watchmaking languages: French, English, and German. The platform is running smoothly, and you can check the translation of every technical term in each available language, as it was in the paper version of “The Berner” dictionary.

Some articles, however, are full of detailed explanations, so for them, the translation process requires more time.

The video content, which is due to start appearing on the website in the coming weeks, will as well be translated into those three languages, either with subtitles or with a voice-over option when applicable.

We strongly believe that by expanding the number of languages we use on our website, we will help more people to better understand the intricate and fascinating world of watches and watchmaking, which is very dear to us. It will also add to raising awareness about the preservation of know-how and horological knowledge, as well as promote better communication between the international watchmaking community.

 

THE FIRST VIDEOS

The first video content for the HOROPEDIA website is being filmed as you read this post. We’re not going to disclose which topic will be the first to publish in the coming weeks, at the moment. But you will not be disappointed.

True to the nature of HOROPEDIA, all our videos are being filmed in line with the independent spirit of the project. We do not want to promote any specific companies here. Our goal is to illustrate the technical terms and lift the veil of secrecy around the art of watchmaking by revealing the whole process of the creation of one timepiece. With the aim to educate and preserve the know-how, we believe it is essential to stay impartial while providing as much information as we can.

Since the beginning of 2023, our team has visited several locations, filmed at manufactures, suppliers and schools and spoken to different watchmakers to make the horological art more visible and easier to understand even for those, who are far away from watches and clocks. We have an extensive agenda for the coming months, and we’ll keep you posted on our progress through this Newsletter, News updates, and our Instagram and LinkedIn.

Horotec SA