The Swiss watch industry began in Geneva, whose jewelry makers and goldsmiths
were known for their artistic flair and knowledge of metallurgy throughout
the Middle Ages. The local gold and jewelry industries, however, declined
sharply in 1541 when John Calvin issued his famous edicts against luxury,
pleasure, elegant clothing, and “useless” jewelry. Calvin’s edicts and a more
detailed set of city regulations enacted twenty-five years later nearly put an end
to the jewelry and goldsmithing industries in Geneva. At roughly the same
time, Huguenots fleeing religious persecution in France, Italy, and Flanders
arrived in the Swiss cantons. Among the refugees were a number of people
who had been important watchmakers in their home countries. The smiths and
jewelers of Geneva began to make watches and clocks under the tutelage of
the refugees in order to escape the ban on “useless” jewelry. The world’s first
watchmaking guild was founded in Geneva in 1601, and by 1700 there were
already some five hundred watchmakers in the city. Genevan craftsmen elevated
watchmaking to an art form, with watches that were soon known
throughout the world.