A Claude Bernard creation is more than a mere watch; it is a miniature ‘time machine’ of engineering and design excellence forged from 500 years of Swiss watchmaking tradition.

Founded in 1973, Claude Bernard takes its name from a master watchmaker from the Jura Valley where centuries earlier Switzerland’s watchmaking industry had taken hold.

In the mid-16th Century Frenchman John Calvin broke with the Roman Catholic Church and fled to Geneva. French Huguenots followed him but when Calvin banned the production, and wearing of, jewellery because it had ‘no place in the worship of God’ local goldsmiths and jewellers were forced to turn to a new trade – watchmaking.

Most of these craftsmen farmed during the warmer months and honed their watchmaking skills in the winter and Les Genevez, a plateau high in the Jura, became a focal point for what became a roaring trade.