CREATING A WATCHMAKING
EDUCATIONAL
TOOL
ABOUT THE FOUNDATION
The Horopedia Foundation, chaired by Mr Philippe Dufour, was established on 1 February 2023 and is recognised as a public-interest organisation.
Its mission focuses on the transmission of watchmaking know-how and on the preservation and promotion of watchmaking culture.
These two objectives are set out in its statutes and are achieved through the production of educational content and the support of projects aligned with the Foundation’s mission.
The activities of the Foundation are centred around two pillars: an online encyclopaedia and the creation of the MACH.
HOROPEDIA positions itself as a federating institution, working in the best interests of the watchmaking community and the general public.
ABOUT THE MACH
The HOROPEDIA Foundation is creating a unique and emblematic exhibition and exchange space in the very heart of Geneva, accessible to all, dedicated to watchmaking in its broadest sense.
Its purpose is to bring the artistic and cultural heritage of watchmaking to life, ensuring its promotion through an immersive, educational and inspiring experience within a dedicated environment.
The MACH is intended to be a truly living centre of watchmaking, where history and innovation meet. Three floors will be dedicated to exhibitions, including several interactive educational areas that allow visitors to understand the operating principles of mechanical movements, as well as the various professions involved in their making.
A dedicated training and education section will present the full range of watchmaking training programmes available in Switzerland, from technical apprenticeships to advanced expertise. The House will also play a key role in transmitting know-how to younger generations and to anyone wishing to deepen their understanding of watchmaking.
Far more than an exhibition venue, it will become a centre of exchange and knowledge, where expertise, history and passion converge. It will also actively promote other cultural institutions sharing similar values and objectives – such as the MAH and other Swiss museums – as well as related initiatives supported by other organisations and foundations.
This will be a major event for the watchmaking world, consolidating Geneva and Switzerland as one of the true cradles and guardians of global watchmaking know-how.
The MACH is set to open at the end of 2026, subject to the ongoing transformation works of the historical building, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year.
MUSEUM CONCEPT
“A TIMEPIECE IS MORE THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS”
Like the intricate mechanism of a watch movement, where a single faulty component can halt the entire system, the many skills and professions involved in creating a timepiece are interdependent.
True to this defining aspect of the watchmaking industry, one of the exhibition's main goals is to highlight this complementarity and the division of labour that arises from it.
The exhibition will therefore not feature an overwhelming number of objects but rather a curated selection, allowing each piece to be appreciated in relation to the craft and expertise behind it.
Through this lens of watchmaking culture, visitors will discover the richness of the horological object — a culture that has enabled the birth and growth of brands and continues to define the profession's identity.
IMMERSIVE & INTERACTIVE
Spectacular and immersive video projections will be widely used throughout the exhibition. The aim is to contrast the small scale of the exhibited objects with magnified details of their components and interactions — for example, a gear driving another, shown in macro view — as well as to highlight the gestures of the various artisans and the machinery involved in their creation.
Additional interactive stations placed along the visitor route will provide playful and educational context for the exhibits. Demonstrators (interactive models) will illustrate the mechanical principles of a watch movement in a clear, progressive manner.
A Living Hub of Watchmaking Knowledge and Craft
The MACH is intended to be a truly living centre of watchmaking, where history and innovation meet. Three floors will be dedicated to exhibitions, including several interactive educational areas that allow visitors to understand the operating principles of mechanical movements, as well as the various professions involved in their making.
A dedicated training and education section will present the full range of watchmaking training programmes available in Switzerland, from technical apprenticeships to advanced expertise. The House will also play a key role in transmitting know-how to younger generations and to anyone wishing to deepen their understanding of watchmaking.
Far more than an exhibition venue, it will become a centre of exchange and knowledge, where expertise, history and passion converge. It will also actively promote other cultural institutions sharing similar values and objectives – such as the MAH and other Swiss museums – as well as related initiatives supported by other organisations and foundations.
This will be a major event for the watchmaking world, consolidating Geneva and Switzerland as one of the true cradles and guardians of global watchmaking know-how.
An Ideal Setting
The MACH building allows the creation of an immersive, logical, and structured visitor journey, illustrating the concept “from the cosmos to the atom.”
Located in the Quartier des Banques, it is easily accessible by public transport and on foot, ideally positioned between the Old Town and the Parc des Bastions — at the heart of cultural Geneva.
A House Open to the Public Interest
“Celebrating, Sharing, and Creating Passion to Preserve Time as a Living Heritage”
According to its statutes, the HOROPEDIA Foundation is dedicated to preserving and transmitting watchmaking know-how and promoting watchmaking culture.
This mission is being pursued through its encyclopaedic project and the creation of educational content, notably in collaboration with Swiss watchmaking schools.
The digital content already produced constitutes a public good, freely accessible to all — but the MACH embodies this mission in physical form. The Foundation’s ambition is to make the MACH a House open to all, bringing together the stakeholders of the watchmaking world around a shared purpose: to create a public-interest venue, internationally recognised as a living and innovative showcase, as well as a platform for exchange, dedicated to the transmission, appreciation, and democratisation of watchmaking skills, culture, art, and professions.
All the Foundation’s activities contribute to promoting Switzerland as the guardian of the watchmaking temple through training, the promotion of craftsmanship, and the strengthening of Geneva’s central role in this cultural ecosystem.
The objectives set are ambitious yet essential — both for those who practise the watchmaking craft and seek to preserve centuries-old know-how, and for the public, who can discover the complexity and meaning behind an object often seen as merely decorative but in fact rich in history and substance.
Watchmaking stands as a remarkable testament to human ingenuity — a bridge between past and future. Every effort must be made to ensure that contemporary watchmaking remains a shared cultural heritage, valued for the skills, creativity, and excellence it embodies, and for its symbolic link to Swiss identity.
The Foundation’s mission is designed to be federative, impartial, and independent, serving the interests of all those involved in the watchmaking field.
The online encyclopaedia Horopedia.org covers the entire watchmaking ecosystem, with the exception of brands. This includes presentations of schools, vocational training programs, tools and machinery, materials, as well as museums, certification bodies, and other institutions.
That said, the chapters dedicated to watchmaking technique in the broad sense are the most substantial. In addition to explaining mechanical principles and families of complications, each watch component is described in detail—its function and how it is manufactured—distinguishing between artisanal, semi-industrial, and industrial methods.
One of the distinctive aspects of this initiative lies in its choice to use video as the primary medium for this documentation work. This approach not only captures the gestures and emotions of those involved but also responds to the evolving expectations of younger generations.
The content produced is freely accessible and available in three languages: French, German, and English. Additional languages will be added over time.
The encyclopaedia has become a recognised reference, as evidenced by the steady growth in its audience metrics.
Furthermore, this work also contributes content to the MACH.
The Foundation’s Encyclopaedic Activity
Collaboration with the Swiss watchmaking schools
The Foundation works directly with Swiss schools to produce the educational content they require.
The primary objective is to enhance the quality of educational materials and, in doing so, actively contribute to the training of the future workforce in the watchmaking sector. These materials are, for example, used directly in classrooms and clearly illustrate Horopedia’s public-interest mission.
To carry out this encyclopedic work, a dedicated team within the Foundation is fully committed to its development, relying on internal resources. The Foundation also draws on its network of contributors, in particular the members of the Horological & Cultural Committee, which brings together around ten experts with no affiliation to watch brands, including one representative from each Swiss watchmaking school.
The objectivity and independence of this approach are essential and ensure the high quality of the content produced, while also aligning it with the pedagogical methods used within formal education curricula.
As a public-interest foundation under official supervision, Horopedia relies primarily on the support of institutional, public, and private donors, philanthropic organisations, patrons, and individuals to achieve its mission.
To honour founding patrons in a distinctive and long-term way, they will have the opportunity to have their names displayed on a commemorative plaque within the MACH.
In addition to long-term visibility recognising their initial support, certain tolerated ancillary benefits will later be granted to patrons and donors.
To this end, a donation policy has been defined according to three levels of support:
Guardians of Time – one-off or multi-year support
Circle of Horopedians – annual support
Friends of Horopedia – annual support
Funding Principles
Swiss donors may deduct their donations from taxes according to the legislation in force at the donor institution’s registered office or at the private donor’s place of residence.
For taxpayers residing in the United States, a solution offering equivalent tax benefits will be proposed for donations exceeding CHF 10,000.-.
Upon receipt of each donation, a donation receipt will be issued to the patron, serving as an accounting document and allowing the donation amount to be tax-deductible in accordance with the regulations in force at the donor’s place of residence or the company’s registered office.
CATEGORIES OF PHILANTROPIC SUPPORT
The structured donation policy described below applies to both institutional and private patrons.
For each level of support, different advantages will be granted to the donor, such as access to the Circle lounge, yearly tickets, private events and much more. Don’t hesitate to contact us for further details.
Leave a distinct and infinite trace
Each donor who will support the Foundation’s mission before the official opening of the MACH will have the possibility to leave an infinite trace of their support on commemorative plaques within the museum.
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The Guardians of Time represents the highest level of support.
GRANDE SONNERIE: CHF 2’000’000.-
Donation can be paid over a 4-year period.PETITE SONNERIE: CHF 1’000’000.-
Donation can be paid over a 3-year period.MINUTE REPEATER: CHF 500’000.-
Donation can be paid over a 2-year period. -
One of the objectives of the Circle of Horopedians is to foster a community of shared interests committed to the future of the watchmaking industry.
Yearly donation principle.
RHODIUM: CHF 50’000.-
GOLD: CHF 25’000.-
TITANIUM: CHF 5’000.-
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Yearly donation principle.
HOUR
Donations below CHF 1’000.-MINUTE
Donations of below CHF 250.-SECONDS
Donations below CHF 100.-
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