A master craftsman demonstrates watchmaking skills for visitors to the exhibition. (Photo provided to China Daily)
Capital Museum opens one of its exhibition halls to display of some of the world's finest watches.
The sound of ticking watches rings through an exhibition hall in the Capital Museum in Beijing.
Several robots re-create scenes from a 17th-century Genevan watchmaking workshop.
One of the most important exhibitions for the museum this year, Geneva at the Heart of Time - The Origin of Swiss Watchmaking Culture, finally opened to the public in April, as part of celebrations for 65 years of diplomatic ties between Switzerland and the People's Republic of China.
The exhibition is a collaboration with the Geneva Museum of Art and History and Vacheron Constantin, the world's oldest watchmaker still in operation. About 350 of the exhibits include antiques clocks, pocket watches and wristwatches, as well as watchmaking tools and equipment. And the exhibition is categorized under three sections - "history, watchmaker and artistic craft".
"For the Chinese public, watches still represent the country whose population is less than half of Beijing," says Guo Xiaoling, director of the Capital Museum. He is excited to have the first Swiss horological exhibition in the museum's history.
"But a watch is only a window to nurture deeper interests among Chinese people to get to know more about Switzerland, which leads the world in many other aspects. Chinese visitors will also learn about the Swiss spirit represented by these delicate watches."
There is a slogan in the exhibition hall: "Do better if possible, and that is always possible." The quote, attributed to Swiss watchmaking legend Francois Constantin in 1819, still leaves an impression among watchmakers.
According to Estelle Fallet, a curator of the exhibition from Geneva Museum of Art and History, a pocket watch with gold casing and enamel miniature painting on the dial made by Huault Brothers in 1680 is a highlight among more than 200 heritage pieces from her museum. Visitors will probably be struck by the shape of a Rochat Brothers' 1814 watch that has an octagonal cage with three singing birds.
The first-known pocket watch in the world, created by Jean-Marc Vacheron, founder of Vacheron Constantin, in 1755, is on display. A 1923 gold pocket watch with an enameled case-back, miniature painting and engraved movement representing two angels, is also a key piece from Vacheron Constantin due to its combination of complicated techniques in Swiss watchmaking.
