he new Watches and Culture division of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH) promotes the culture of watchmaking and exceptional watches as cultural objects and art forms for the broadest possible audience.

Since its creation in 2005, the aim of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie has always been to promote and share watchmaking excellence all around the world; it is now organised in two distinct divisions for this very purpose. The first division, Watches and Wonders, stages international events under the same name that are intended for both professionals and enthusiasts of beautiful watchmaking. These meet-ups are held in Geneva always as well as Shanghai and Sanya in China, and in other countries.

The second division, Watches and Culture, covers all the activities promoting watchmaking culture. It independently consecrates exceptional watches as artistic and cultural objects.

These core missions recently made waves with the inscription of watchmaking mechanics and the art of mechanics as part of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO. This recent decision by UNESCO confirms the appropriateness of the FHH’s transformation into two independent divisions with distinct expertise. Watches and Culture intends to bring watchmaking culture to life through the creation of original works, education and networking for participants in the industry.

The activities of Watches and Culture can gain a new impetus thanks to the support of more than forty partner brands, including the most renowned Houses from the watchmaking industry, along with a circle of independent designers.

The visual identity of the new Watches and Culture division of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie

To mark this new beginning, Watches and Culture has created an original logo. Refined, minimalist and timeless, with its two words in the form of the hands on a watch connected by a hyphen, it symbolises the bridges between the worlds of watchmaking and culture, leading to the concept of watches as an art form.

The first initiative taken by Watches and Culture is the launch of its Instagram account @watches__cltr, a new entry point that resolutely targets audiences that are not so familiar with the watchmaking world, but who are active on social media. At the crossroads between entertainment and information, this communication channel, along with its upcoming Chinese counterpart, makes it possible to discover the world of watchmaking from an original and dynamic angle for a decidedly younger and less knowledgeable audience.

At the same time, the Watch Essentials app is getting a makeover. Created in 2016, Watch Essentials has clearly proven its worth with nearly 20,000 downloads. The app’s educational content, which is spread over nine large chapters, guides users through discovering and familiarising themselves with watchmaking through fun games and quizzes that everybody can enjoy. The content is being expanded as a new chapter about sustainable development is in production. This app is the perfect springboard between Instagram and the rest of the cultural offering of Watches and Culture.

With its first initiatives, Watches and Culture is filling its annual calendar with activities, to be revealed in full in the autumn.