From mountain pasture to clock-making….

In the 18th century the valley lived only from its farming, but the winters were long and many men sought additional income by peddling, sometimes travelling very far. That is how one of them ,a man named  Claude Ballaloud  returned from Germany  after perfecting his knowledge of clock-making techniques in Nuremberg…

On the farms people quickly understood how  profitable it would be to manufacture watch parts for the firms in Geneva! He trained a whole host of craftsmen who scattered into the neighbouring towns and villages. The clock-making industry spread rapidly throughout the whole territory. A profession was born. 

From clock-making to screw-cutting…. Family workshops multiplied. On the eve of the French Revolution there were already 115 clockmakers. They acquired a know-how of great repute , to the extent that , in  1848, Doctor  Firmin Guy created the prestigious Royal School of Clock-making in  Cluses which has become the National School of Clock-making, a reservoir of company directors, executives and technicians. Rapidly the craft became an industry…In  1890 the first screw-cutting lathes , made in Switzerland, appeared on the scene and expanded the industrialisation.

The screw-cutting industry, worthy heir to the clock-making activity, was born in its turn. The Great War and Defence needs made necessary the  redeployment of the clock-making industry  towards larger calibres, thus activating the development of screw-cutting .The ever-growing needs of aviation ,electricity, the automobile industry or photography  have ensured its dazzling success.



In this way screw-cutting has established itself as the main activity of the valley.