3 December 2025

4:15 PM – 5:50 PM

Grand Kursaal

Jean-Pierre Viennet

Born in Morteau, in the heart of watchmaking country, Jean-Pierre Viennet began his career in Paris at Bulova. He then moved on to technical and commercial roles at several iconic companies, including Matra Horlogerie and Pequignet, where he developed in-depth knowledge of the product and the market. He continued his career in the watch strap and case industry, notably at Jean-Claude Perrin and Monnier Meca-Control. There, he actively contributed to the opening and structuring of the Swiss high-end market, playing a key role in bringing together French and Swiss expertise. Passionate about antique watchmaking, Jean-Pierre Viennet became director of the Watch Museum in Villers-le-Lac and is committed to preserving heritage as an administrator of the AFAHA. Since 2022, he has been editor-in-chief of the magazine Horlogerie Ancienne, where he works to promote and document Franco-Swiss watchmaking heritage.

In this age of luxury, has time itself reached its limits?

This round table discussion on luxury offers an immersion into the heart of Franche-Comté, a region whose identity has been profoundly shaped by the mastery of time. Here, the measurement of time is not just a tool: it becomes matter, thought, culture, and a driving force for transformation. Anchored in a centuries-old watchmaking heritage, this region has established itself as the capital of time, an incubator for microtechniques and technological expertise capable of creating the infinitely small. Limits, landmarks, and time markers become points of reference for understanding the evolution of a constantly changing biotope in Franche-Comté and Besançon. Around the table, a geographer, a high-frequency entrepreneur, the inventor of silicon micromotors and The Time Changer watch, designers, and luxury artisans will share their perception of time and how it is linked to the world of watchmaking. Together, they will offer a cross-disciplinary reading of the roots, ruptures, and innovations that today fuel technical luxury excellence and the vision of tomorrow.