The Juvenia Story

XIX^{th century}

The Beginning

1860

the Juvenia watchmaking house is founded

1880

the first watchmaking innovations find success

In 1860, Jacques Didisheim, descendant of an Alsatian family and an entrepreneur with a brilliant imagination, founded a watchmaking workshop in Saint-Imier, Switzerland, which he named Juvenia in tribute to his wife. Several years later, the manufacture was re-established in La Chaux-de-Fonds, which offered an ideal location for developing the brand and its activities.

In 1880, Juvenia became one of the first watchmaking houses to make wristwatches for women. The development of a caliber with a cylindrical escapement and crown-winding mechanism allowed for the design of smaller movements that could fit inside cases with dimensions adapted specifically for women's wrists. The creation of the winding key was a major innovation for the watchmaking industry.

XX^{th century}

New horizons

Early 1900s

first milestones and decades of prosperity

1908

creation of the manufacture

The beginning of the 20th century saw Juvenia flourish as it launched pocket watches with innovative designs and a resolutely modern spirit. The first few years of the new century were also marked by massive expansion with the opening of two boutiques, in Paris and Madrid respectively, only decades after its foundation.

Driven by the unceasing desire for development, Juvenia started to create designs for and produce its own range of extra-flat movements in 1908. Aware of the need to make its own calibers in order to become part of the very small circle of major Swiss watchmaking brands, the company began the process of becoming a manufacture.

1914

towards new horizons

1920 - 1926

Juvenia and the decorative arts

1928 - 1935

Art Deco in the spotlight with the Juvenia Sport collection

A boost in technical research allowed Juvenia to present the world's smallest movement to date at the Swiss national exhibition in 1914. It measured 9.5 mm in diameter and 2.5 mm in thickness. In the same year, Juvenia invested in new, modern buildings to help the growth of its industry.

A hotbed of innovation, Juvenia developed a variety of creations, such as ring watches, pendant watches, table clocks and standing clocks. In the first quarter of the century, their range consisted of a number of significant gift items, such as their very successful table clocks. These were an ideal medium for craftsmen to let their imaginations run wild and create richly decorated pieces. Recognized for their mastery in the art of decorating time, the house's originality was rewarded at the Grand Prix des Arts Décoratifs de Paris in 1925.

Always up-to-date with the latest fashions, Juvenia used the popular Art Deco style as an inspiration for designing its new collection, Juvenia Sport. Made up of several models of hermetically sealed watches with cases, this collection offered a range for men with an automatic winding mechanism and another for women with a simple winding mechanism. These models' shapes allowed for the use of a variety of decorative techniques, such as enameling, engraving or even leather work. An article in the 1930 edition of the Journal Suisse d'Horlogerie highlighted how the collection was a true success; "Juvenia has succeeded in popularizing pocket watches and bag watches for men as well as women."

1940

Launch of the Sextant

1945

Arithmo, the first calculator watch

1947

a touch of "Mystére"

Inspired by the sextant, a navigation tool for measuring the angular distance between two points, Juvenia created an innovatively designed watch where the hands were replaced by a protractor, a ruler and a compass.

The slide-rule, a precursor to electronic calculators, was an indispensable tool for numerous scientific and commercial professions. Always seeking to be ahead of the curve both aesthetically and in terms of practical use, Juvenia created the first calculator watch. Equipped with a refrascope for ease of reading, the Arithmo showed the results of arithmetical calculations above the 12 o'clock mark.

The "Mystére" collection made its mark on Juvenia's history with its unusual design, enchanting lovers of beautiful mechanisms with its lightness. Inspired by mysterious clocks from the early 20th century, which displayed the time with two disks upon which the hands were attached, the Mystére watches were interesting in that the dial and indexes formed part of the bezel.

1948

Atlantide's spheres of honor

1950

Trigone and Planet, a delight for the eyes

1956

a return to simplicity with the Slim

Always looking for originality, Juvenia created a rectangular watch with a sphere at each of the case's tips.

The hands of these models moved like planets in the sky and formed, as the hours went by, different shapes from the star to the pyramid. This playful feature gave the timepiece a fun and non-conventional appearance. Checking the time became a constant and renewable source of pleasure for the wearer.

At the dawn of a century of technical and aesthetic research, Juvenia shone a spotlight on elegance and simplicity with the Slim collection, decorated with a sophisticated case and an extra-flat movement.

1961

the "coin" watches

1969

"Milanais" time

1982

introducing the Number One collection

"Coin" watches were in fashion at the beginning of the 1960s. Therefore, Juvenia decided to meet demand by offering magnificent timepieces with 10 and 20 American dollar gold coins, which quickly aroused great interest among collectors.

A simple and elegant design, a supple bracelet integrated directly into the case and a touch of magic came together to create the Milanais collection

Juvenia launched the Number One collection, a modern interpretation of ultra-thin watches with steel cases and bezels made from 18K yellow gold.

1993

The golden age

Juvenia expanded to new horizons and presented its new "Golden age" collection with both contemporary and sports lines.

XXI^{st century}

Into the future

2002

Mythique

2006

a dance between two

Juvenia presented some of its most extraordinary new creations and launched a series of collection pieces. Embellished with a hand-decorated skeleton movement, an 18K gold case, enhanced by an enameled bezel and engraved with two dragons, the "Mythique" timepieces were exceptional objects set with 26 trapeze-cut diamonds - truly works of art.

Inspired by the dragon and the phoenix, two emblematic figures from Chinese folklore, Juvenia presented a limited edition of nine pairs of assorted watches. Diverse techniques, such as engraving, setting and enameling were used to breathe life into the dance between these two mythical creatures.

2007

Shaludi

2008

Peacock

2009

opening of Juvenia boutiques

Juvenia released the "Shaduli - Mére des Tigres" timepiece, a unique piece depicting three tigers engraved across the dial with rubies as hour markers, housed in a 18-karat yellow gold case.

A continuation of iconic gold engravings found across the dials of Juvenia timepieces, this unique timepiece is an 18-karat gold minute repeater pocket watch decorated with an engraving of a gem-clad peacock. Together with an exceptional movement, the Peacock timepiece is another outstanding achievement of the manufacture.

Juvenia opened boutiques in Beijing and Shanghai, important milestones in the brand's expansion on the Asian continent.

2010

less is more

The story continues...

Beauty means sometimes simplicity. Juvenia opened its heart and introduced its first skeleton wristwatch. The inspiration for this timepiece came from a 20th century pocket watch in the Juvenia Museum collection. This historic piece was one of the few skeleton pocket watches produced during this period and showcases the mechanical abilities of Juvenia.

Always on the lookout for audacious and exclusive shapes, Juvenia's designers explore the most diverse aesthetic possibilities to create exceptional pieces in original and avant-garde styles to continue to adorn the wrists of lovers of non-conventional timepieces.