News 
The Musée international d’horlogerie (MIH) dedicates its new temporary exhibition to the beating heart of the mechanical watch. 2025 marks the 350th anniversary of the publication of Christiaan Huygens’ design for the regulating balance-spring. In 1675, this Dutch scientist transformed the course of watchmaking history by revealing to the world a spiral spring capable of reconciling precision and transportability in timepieces.
The exhibition “Innovation in movement”, presented by the MIH and the Dutch foundation Stichting Haegsche Tijd, explores the origins, developments and various applications of this invention.
It highlights how the balance-spring laid the foundations of modern watchmaking and became a strategic component of the watch industry. The exhibition is held under the patronage of the Embassy of Switzerland in the Netherlands, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Switzerland, and as well as Republic and Canton of Neuchâtel.
The exhibition offers a historical overview of innovations related to the balance-spring from the 17th century to the present day, structured into four sections. The first one addresses the historical, geopolitical, and scientific context of 17th-century Europe, focusing on the Netherlands and France, where Huygens conducted his major research. This overall climate of scientific emulation and the more intimate setting of the Huygens family in The Hague – reproduced in augmented reality – converged to create conditions conducive to the invention of the balance-spring as the ultimate oscillator in mechanical watchmaking.
The second section presents the transition from the pendulum to the balance-spring, emphasising the economic and geopolitical stakes of technical innovation. States’ ambitions to master navigation fuelled the race for transportable and accurate timepieces.
The third one examines the technical properties of the balance-spring, its composition, geometry, as well as its limitations in relation to temperature variations and magnetism. These challenges were the subject of research and development throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, concerning not only the shape and material but also the skills of artisans and workers involved in the manufacturing and adjustment of balance-springs.
The final section questions the innovation process characterising the 21st century, pinpointing two approaches. The first seeks to enhance the balance-spring’s performance using new materials such as silicon. The second involves reconsidering the path taken by watchmaking 350 years ago by exploring alternative oscillators based on different principles. Will these developments bring an end to the centuries-old dominance of the balance-spring?
“Innovation in movement” is an educational, chronological exhibition that allows the general public to become familiar with this seemingly simple component – a coiled metal wire – which continues to spring surprises.
The exhibition will be held until 22 June 2025 at the MIH. Open Tue - Sun, 10 am-5 pm.
March 06, 2025