Prix Gaïa 2009 – Beat Haldimann. Craftsmanship-Creation category
The following is the tribute that Beat Haldimann paid to his master watchmaker in the prologue of the book he published in 2005: “When I close my eyes, I see myself in the marvelous workshop where I spent my training years and learned how antique and new masterpieces were restored. Under the alliance of art, technique, handicrafts, I wish to design such pieces too”.
Haldimann fulfilled his wish and it is safe to say that his watches are true works of art. Designed in 2008, his most recent model, the H8 wristwatch, was not just a watch but a sculpture.
Haldimann was born in Oberdiessbach, Emmental in 1964. His studies completed, he trained as a watch-repairer, trusting his instincts despite the crisis that was affecting this particular branch of the industry in the 1980s.
Beat Haldimann
In 1991, he founded his own company, Haldimann Horology, in Thun.
The Haldimann free escapement for clocks was created in 2000.
In 2002, he designed the H1 Flying Central Tourbillon that was introduced at the international watchmaking and jewelry fair in Basel.
During the same year, he was recognized as one of the world's twenty most prestigious watchmakers by both the jury of the German magazine Chronos and the American magazine Watch Time.
H1 Flying Tourbillon
In 2005, he introduced the H2 Resonance model, a wristwatch with a central tourbillon and two resonating balances.
H2 Flying Resonance
Haldimann also produced regulators, such as the double-pendulum H 101 Resonance Classic.
Haldimann Horology designed timepieces for clients from all around the world. It manufactures high-quality watches that combine the traditional art of Swiss watchmakers with innovation. The manufacture also restores antique watches.
The jury of the Prix Gaïa hailed the creativity and entrepreneurial ideas of the award winner.
Prix Gaïa 2009 – Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey. Entrepreneurship category
Robert Greubel and Stephen Forsey are the cofounders of Greubel Forsey SA, in La Chaux-de-Fonds.