La Chaux-de-Fonds is the traditional heart of the Swiss watch industry. In 2005 the country exported watches worth €7.7bn, accounting for 9 per cent of the nation’s total exports. Switzerland dominates the luxury end of the market and sales growth is robust. However, the industry has suffered problems over the years. In the 1970s, quartz watches manufactured in the US and Japan led to the loss of 2,000 jobs in La Chaux-de-Fonds and the exodus of 1,000 people. But now, with a taste for precision Swiss timepieces at an all-time high, the city is enjoying a restrained renaissance.
- Photographers
- Tobias Madörin