Centennial Exposition

The Centennial Exposition was held in Philadelphia in 1876. It is the best-remembered international exposition in watchmaking because it exposed the power of American industrial watchmaking to the Swiss industry.

Théodore Gribi represented the Swiss Jura at the exposition, servicing the exhibits and arranging logistics, but also reporting back his findings. Gribi's warnings drew the attention of Jacques David who joined him in Philadelphia. The two toured American watchmaking factories including Waltham Watch and Elgin Watch and David's report spurred companies like Longines and Zénith to begin industrial scale watchmaking in Switzerland.

Swiss Watchmaking Exhibitors

• Watchmakers
  • Louis Audemars, Le Brassus - Exhibited simple and complicated watches, including a 10 ligne minute repeater, a repeater with perpetual calendar, and a repeater with both striking and repetition
  • J. M. Badollet & Co, Geneva - Quality watches, including calendar and repeating as well as a 4 ligne watch
  • Bréting Frères, Le Locle - Pocket chronometers
  • Désiré Colliot, Saint-Imier - Cheap watches, including a 4 ligne ring watch
  • Borel & Courvoisier, Neuchâtel - Pocket chronometers
  • Daniel Ducommun, Gorgier - Neat watch movements similar to Jurgensen
  • H. R. Ekegrin, Geneva - Excellent adjusted watches
  • Ernest Francillon & Co, Saint-Imier - Watches with interchangeable parts made on labor-saving machines of cheap grades
  • L. Frankfeld & Co, Geneva - A watch movement with a removable escapement as well as stopwatches with two independent seconds hands and minute totalizer
  • Henry Grandjean & Co, Le Locle - Marine chronometers and pocket chronometers as well as a simple minute repeater as well as a chronograph with calendar
  • A. Huguenin & Sons, Le Locle - A collection of simple and complicated watches, including a tourbillon watch and perpetual calendar
  • Jacot Frères, Le Locle - Exhibited a collection of complicated watches, including a novel minute repeater with a power reserve indicator on the dial
  • Charles Martin & Co, Geneva - A collection including a watch with artistic decoration
  • H. L. Matile, Le Locle - Pocket chronometers with simple and complicated movements including a double chronograph with calendar and moon phase and minute repeater; also demonstrated movements created for Charles Meylan, inventor of a minute chronograph
  • James Nardin, Le Locle - "One of the best manufactures of watches in Switzerland" including chronometers, repeaters, chronographs, and calendar watches
  • Patek, Philippe, & Co, Geneva - Watches of various grades, including some with interchangeable parts; also high-grade watches (also the former Tiffany & Co factory in Geneva)
  • R. S. Rigtrup, Le Locle - A watch without a fusée featuring a hand on the dial indicating the hours elapsed since winding
  • Carl Taglieb, Zurich - A watch with a ring for winding in one direction and setting in the other
  • Also G. Honegee, Bienne; Gabriel Didisheim, Saint-Imier; Aebi & Landry, Madretsch; Alliance Horlogère, La Chaux-de-Fonds; Favre Frères, Neuveville; D. Perret Fils, Neuchâtel; A. & E. Chatelain & Woelflin, Geneva; Maurice Stahl, La Chaux-de-Fonds; Ernest Humbert, Le Locle
• Watch Components
  • J. E. Antony-Bovy, La Chaux-de-Fonds - Watch hands, stems, rings, and components
  • Baehni Frères, Bienne - A large collection of balance springs and wire
  • Eugéne Besancet-Blanc, Travers - Watch jewels, including a ruby pinion, cylinder, and roller for chronometers
  • J. B. Bitterlin-Schmidt, Le Locle - Precious stones and finished jewels for watches
  • J. Corcelle & Co, Geneva - A large collection of watch dials
  • Dufaux, Lutz, & Fils, Geneva - A collection of balance springs
  • P. F. Ingold, La Chaux-de-Fonds - Cutters for wheel teeth
  • C. Montandon Gentil-Lutz, Servette - Flat spiral and cylindrical balance springs
  • Aimé Perrenoud, Geneva - Steel and gold balance springs
  • Ami Rauss, Geneva - Fifty examples of watch dials
  • Main spring makers E. Klein, Geneva; Charles JeanJaquet, Neuchâtel; Edward Berlie, Geneva; Aubert Frères, Savagnier