Watchmaking in France has a long and illustrious history. It entered the modern era as long ago as 1675, when Christian Huygens, a Dutchman living in Paris, invented the first balance spring watch.
This created an instant industry which almost came to a premature end with the revocation of the Edict of Nantes 10 years later. It forced hundreds of skilled watchmakers, who were Protestant Huguenots, to flee into Switzerland over the Jura mountains.
