====== Villeret ======
**Villeret** is a traditional Swiss Jura watch town at 740 m above sea level, belonging to the canton of [[Bern]] and adjacent to the watch town [[Saint-Imier]].

Since about [[1725]] watchmaking here developed in homework and in small workshops. Well-known brands founded here are [[Blancpain]] ([[1735]]) and [[Minerva]] ([[1858]]). It is also birthplace of the automaton builder [[Jaquet-Droz, Pierre|Pierre Jaquet-Droz]].

In [[1932]], [[Blancpain]] was purchased from the founding family and a new entity was formed, named for the village. Called [[Rayville]], this would become a major producer of watch movements especially after it was brought into [[SSIH]] in [[1961]]. In the 1980s, the Blancpain brand was sold and Rayville became a factory for movement production as part of [[ETA]]. In recent decades, the former Rayville is the main assembly point for [[chronometer]] movements for [[Omega]], still part of ETA. This facility was dramatically expanded and modernized from [[2013]] to [[2015]]. The modern Blancpain is situated over 100 km away in [[Le Brassus]] but continues to celebrate their heritage with the "Villeret" range of watches.

[[Minerva]] operated independently in Villeret since its founding in [[1858]] as H. & C. Robert. It was able to survive alongside Blancpain through the turmoil of the following century, though greatly diminished after the quartz crisis. After [[Richemont]] acquired Minerva in October [[2006]], the Villeret facility became [[Montblanc|Montblanc Manufacture]], a high-end producer of limited-edition complicated mechanical watches for the famous brand. Today, Montblanc uses the "Villeret 1858" brand name on these watches.

The [[Cartier Group]] established a corporate office in Villeret in [[1989]] and took over the [[Fluckiger]] dial plant in nearby [[Saint-Imier]] the year later. In [[1992]], Cartier consolidated these operations in Villeret in a new factory designed by famous architect Jean Nouvel. This plant produced [[Cartier]], [[Baume & Mercier]], and [[Yves Saint Laurent]] watches and remained in operation through [[2003]].

===== Weblinks =====
  *[[http://www.villeret.ch/|Villeret]], official website


{{tag>Watch_towns Villeret Jura_triangle}}