Innovation in Motion at the Musée International d'Horlogerie

A exposição Inovação em Movimento no MIH revela a evolução da mola espiral e o impacto de Christiaan Huygens.

The Musée international d'horlogerie (MIH) presents Innovation in Motion , an exhibition dedicated to the hairspring, a key component in the evolution of mechanical watchmaking. Marking the 350th anniversary of Christiaan Huygens' invention, the exhibition explores the origins, impact and technological innovations associated with this essential component. From rare historical examples to contemporary advances in silicon, the exhibition reveals how the hairspring transformed timekeeping and continues to influence modern watchmaking.

Christiaan Huygens

In 1675, this Dutch watchmaker revolutionized the history of watchmaking by introducing a hairspring to the world that could combine precision and portability in timekeeping instruments. The exhibition Innovation in Motion , presented by the MIH and the Dutch foundation Stichting Haegsche Tijd , explores the origins, developments and diverse applications of this invention. It also highlights how the hairspring laid the foundations of modern watchmaking and became a strategic component of the watch industry.

The exhibition takes place under the patronage of the Swiss Embassy in the Netherlands , the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Switzerland and the Republic and Canton of Neuchâtel .

The public opening, accompanied by period Dutch music performed by the ensemble La Sfera Armoniosa , took place on Thursday 20 February at 5:30 pm at the MIH . The exhibition will be open from 21 February to 22 June 2025 , with opening hours from Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm .

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The Great History of Watchmaking Through the Prism of Its Finest Component

The exhibition offers a historical overview of innovations associated with the spiral spring, from the 17th century to the present day, divided into four sections.

A painting of the court of Louis XIV, representing the connection between scientific innovation and the prestige of precise time measurement in the 17th century.

The first section addresses the historical, geopolitical and scientific context of 17th-century Europe, focusing on the Netherlands and France , where Huygens carried out his main research. In this environment of scientific effervescence and within the Huygens family in The Hague – recreated in augmented reality – the conditions for the invention of the hairspring as the supreme oscillator of mechanical watchmaking emerged.

Galileo's Pendulum Model – MIH IV-838: A reconstruction of the conceptual mechanism of Galileo's pendulum, based on the Italian watchmaker’s studies on oscillatory motion in the 17th century.

The second section presents the transition from the pendulum to the spiral , in order to highlight the economic and geopolitical challenges of technical innovation. The ambition of states to dominate navigation led to the race for the portability and accuracy of clocks.

Fabriques de Spiraux Réunies, Ulysse Nardin Chronometer (mid-20th century) – MIH I-3237: Movement of a Ulysse Nardin pocket chronometer, equipped with a hairspring manufactured by Fabriques de Spiraux Réunies, a Swiss company specialized in the production of precision watchmaking hairsprings.

The third section examines the technical properties of the hairspring , its composition, geometry and the limitations imposed by temperature variations and magnetism. These challenges were at the heart of watchmaking research throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, and included the shape and materials used, as well as the expertise of the craftsmen and workers responsible for manufacturing and adjusting hairsprings.

Bloco de Silício – MIH V-826: cristal bruto de silício, material essencial na relojoaria contemporânea, utilizado na fabricação de molas espirais e osciladores de alta precisão devido à sua resistência ao magnetismo e estabilidade térmica.

The fourth section focuses on the process of innovation in the 21st century , by distinguishing between two approaches. One concerns the search for improved hairspring performance with new materials, such as silicon . The other reassesses the path followed by watchmaking 350 years ago , in order to explore alternative oscillators based on different principles.

Exhibition "Innovation in Motion" – MIH: A showcase dedicated to contemporary watchmaking innovations, featuring silicon components, from raw material to the monolithic oscillators used in high-precision timepieces. A magnifying glass highlights silicon hairsprings, showcasing the technological advancements that have transformed mechanical watchmaking.

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Could these new technologies put an end to the centuries-old dominance of the coil spring?

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A Landmark Exhibition with Contributions from Twenty Institutions and Collectors

Poster for the exhibition "Innovation in Motion" – MIH

In addition to the MIH’s vast collection, around twenty private and institutional entities are contributing to the exhibition’s content, making it a key event in the 2025 watchmaking calendar . The exhibition brings together an exceptionally rich watchmaking heritage , including rare objects, industrial tools and previously unseen archives that illustrate the evolution of this fundamental invention.

Important historical examples are on display, many of them exhibited for the first time in Switzerland, such as one of the six oldest known table clocks by the Hague watchmaker Salomon Coster (1657) , or a clock with a hairspring by Isaac Thuret (shortly after 1675) , loaned by the Planetarium Zuylenburgh collection .

Isaac Thuret (after 1675) – Planetarium Zuylenburgh Collection (Oud-Zuilen, Netherlands): A table clock attributed to Isaac Thuret, one of the first watchmakers to construct a timepiece equipped with the balance spring conceived by Christiaan Huygens. This piece represents one of the most significant milestones in the history of horology, marking the transition to high-precision timekeeping. The ornate case reflects the prestige associated with horological innovation in the 17th century, a time when clock accuracy became a strategic concern for both science and navigation. This model is part of the Planetarium Zuylenburgh Collection in the Netherlands.

From the Journal des Sçavans , which published the first drawing of Huygens's spiral spring in 1675 , to modern experiments with silicon and temperature-invariant alloys, which won the Nobel Prize for Charles-Édouard Guillaume , the exhibition covers the successive innovations that perfected the spiral spring.

Original Publication of the Balance Spring – Journal des Sçavans, February 25, 1675, featuring the first published diagram of the regulating balance spring developed by Christiaan Huygens. The illustration presents the revolutionary concept that significantly enhanced the accuracy of portable timepieces. This historical document marks the beginning of modern horology, introducing an isochronous oscillator based on a balance spring, which became essential for precise time measurement.Translation of the visible excerpt: "Mr. Huygens has devoted himself to these observations and has found a way to verify the regularity of clock movements. With this new method, it will be possible to measure time with greater precision than with any other system used to date. This discovery will allow great advances in navigation and astronomy, being of immense utility to scholars and sailors."

In addition to these historical milestones, the exhibition also reveals the industrial and human realities associated with the production of the spiral spring. One section presents the tools that enabled its industrialization .

Régleuses at the Election Factory (Early 20th Century) – MIH I.ELE 001 A historical photograph capturing the work of régleuses, specialists in adjusting balance springs, in a Swiss watchmaking factory in the early 20th century. These workers played a crucial role in ensuring the precision of timepieces, manually regulating and fine-tuning each balance spring to guarantee its isochronous operation. The Election factory was one of many manufactures where women held a central role in high-precision tasks, and this image illustrates the meticulous workshop environment, where young apprentices and skilled specialists worked side by side in assembling movements. This visual document is part of the Musée International d’Horlogerie (MIH) collection, preserving the legacy of manual craftsmanship in industrial watchmaking.

Photographs and archives document the crucial role played by women in this production chain, particularly the régleuses , true experts in shaping and adjusting the coil springs at their coil counting stations. This expertise, illustrated with excerpts from the film Unrueh/Unrest by Cyril Schäublin , highlights the importance of manual labour in an industry that underwent an intense process of mechanisation between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century.

Silicon Monolithic Escapement – Flexous

Finally, the exhibition looks to the future, presenting new technological alternatives that challenge the hegemony of the spiral spring, such as monolithic silicon oscillators , produced using extremely high-precision manufacturing processes.

Escape Monolítico em Silício – Flexous

By bringing together rare objects and industrial testimonies , Innovation in Motion offers a new perspective on three and a half centuries of technical evolution .

The exhibits allow the public to understand the historical origins of the spiral spring, its physical properties and its contemporary industrial development , through demonstration models, prototypes, films and historical reconstructions .

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A Fruitful International Collaboration

Stichting Haegsche Tijd was founded in 2018 with the aim of creating a time museum in The Hague , dedicated to temporal measuring instruments and their physical, biological and philosophical dimensions . Its main activities include the organisation of conferences, exhibitions and excursions .

It was in this context that Stichting Haegsche Tijd proposed to the MIH the development of a temporary exhibition that, in addition to its presentation in Switzerland, could in the future travel to the Netherlands and other countries .

Highlighting the historical ties between Switzerland and the Netherlands in the field of innovation, the exhibition takes place under the joint patronage of the Swiss Embassy in the Netherlands and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Switzerland .