Book - Ferdinand Berthoud: The Quest for Precision

At Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud two destinies virtually meet—Ferdinand Berthoud, Swiss-born master clockmaker from the Age of Enlightenment, and Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, co-president of Chopard—thanks to the shared passion for precision timekeeping.

During the Age of Exploration, France was engaged in the conquest of far-flung territories, and marine chronometry was a means to that end. For a clockmaker, accuracy was a responsibility. The regularity of Ferdinand Berthoud’s marine clocks, used by naval vessels during their voyages around the world, was vital to ensure that ships and their crews stayed safely on course. After writing several horological articles for the Encyclopedia by Diderot and d’Alembert, Berthoud subsequently penned a number of works about the measurement of time, revealing the state of progress of his research. Today, Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud takes its work just as seriously, honoring a legacy of foundational importance for fine watchmaking.