Barbara Monti, CEO of Swiss luxury watch company Eberhard & Co., has opened the brand's very first watch museum, paying homage to a history defined by success, initiated in 1887 and marked by countless iconic creations, while simultaneously paying tribute to the town that saw the company grow and prosper.

Eberhard & Co. was founded in La Chaux-de-Fonds, the birthplace of the watchmaking culture that seduced the world. For the majority of its history, the brand was housed in the “Maison de l’Aigle”, one of the most impressive buildings in the manufacturing hub that was declared a Unesco world heritage site 10 years ago. It was built by the founder of the company, Georges-Lucien Eberhard, in the early 20th century.

The company has now returned here to inaugurate the very first Museum dedicated to the House, a move symbolising continuity, one of the company’s major strengths.

On June 27, the 10th anniversary day of the Unesco declaration, a historic selection of the brand’s heritage was exhibited for the very first time in a specially created space.

Put together with love and passion over decades, the collection consists of timepieces encompassing the entire lifespan of the Eberhard production: from the early pocket watches, testing the inventive skills of the founding fathers, and the first wrist chronographs that would soon be enriched with prestigious complications, to minuscule and elegant women’s timepieces and other men’s models characterised by a sporty style and high technicality, like the diving watches from the 1950s, all demonstrating constant evolution and ending in models from the most recent collections and a preview of the new and exclusive calibre EB140. The numerous patents registered by Eberhard & Co. throughout its long history were the cornerstones of this exhibition, not failing to amaze and astonish even the most demanding visitors and connoisseurs.

The highlight of the inauguration day was another surprise and was appreciated by the inhabitants of the town. Thanks to the combined efforts of Eberhard & Co. and La Chaux-de-Fonds Council, who have supported the owners, the de Reynier, the historic eagle – placed on the top of the building by Georges-Lucien Eberhard – now once again reigns over avenue Léopold-Robert, after undergoing a long restoration process to return it to its original glory.

The new Eberhard & Co. Museum will take part in the “open day” for the ninth edition of the “Biennale of Watchmaking Heritage” this November, a must-attend event for anybody who wants to get close to and live, even if only for one day, the dream of Haute Horlogerie. - TradeArabia News Service