Walking into the Minerva Manufacture in Villeret, Switzerland, feels like a convergence of different eras. Minerva is one of the most historically important Swiss movement makers, and many, myself included, consider its movements among the most beautiful ever produced. The current building is relatively modern, set in the Bernese Jura. From the balcony overlooking the countryside, you can see a small house off to the left: the original site where watches, parts, and watchmakers first came together. Behind you, in the library, sit ledgers of orders from the biggest names in watchmaking history. The building also houses Minerva’s manufacture offices, including something rare in the industry: the in-house capability to produce its own hairsprings. Sit at the watchmaking benches and you look out at the mountain range that lent its silhouette to some of Minerva’s components. What struck me most was learning that, much as in the past, many watchmakers..
