Enjoy Watches

Watchmaker profile

Charles-Édouard Guillaume

Charles-Édouard Guillaume researched nickel-steel alloys used to reduce thermal errors in precision timekeeping, including Invar pendulum rods and Elinvar-related spring applications. 1

Included for material science underpinning horology, not as a hands-on wristwatch maker.

At a glance

Place
France 1
Dates
1861–1938 11
Also known as
Charles Edouard Guillaume, Charles-Edouard Guillaume

The watchmaking story

Useful places to start with Charles-Édouard Guillaume's work include Invar, Elinvar, and Guillaume balance. 2

Sources connect Charles-Édouard Guillaume with International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM), without establishing a formal role. 123

Recognition: Nobel Prize in Physics, 1920 1

Scope: Horological science

Why this person is included

Documented attributable craft or technical contribution

Background and working context

Affiliations and workshops: International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) 1

Documented origin: Fleurier, Switzerland 1

Geographic ties: Switzerland; France. Documented workplace / industry location

Brands, workshops, and other relationships

  1. Institution / education / public service · Inherited source-linked record; relationship classification reviewed, sources not reopened

    International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM) — Institutional association — role not established. Physicist / precision-metrology researcher 123

    Legacy affiliation: International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM). Person-level contribution: Researched nickel-steel alloys used to reduce thermal errors in precision timekeeping, including Invar pendulum rods and Elinvar-related spring applications.

    Original affiliation wording: International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM). No present-day employment or ownership inferred.

Evidence and limitations

This dossier connects 10 field-specific evidence records with 3 public sources. Known links only; full career not established; unresolved relationship(s) remain

Claim qualifications (2)
  • Representative work: Professional historical summary; no sole-inventor claim for complete watches. 2
  • Specific role: Professional historical summary; no sole-inventor claim for complete watches. 2

Sources

  1. Charles Edouard Guillaume (1861–1938)ETH Library, ETH Zurich · University archive biography · Not stated

    [S0315] ETH Library, ETH Zurich. "Charles Edouard Guillaume (1861–1938)." Not stated. https://library.ethz.ch/en/collections-and-archives/short-portraits/guillaume-charles-edouard-1861-1938.html Accessed 2026-09-13. Locator: Studies; International Bureau of Weights and Measures; Inventions; Holdings.

    Source context

    Relationship to subject: Custodian of cited student and correspondence records

    How it was checked: Opened and text inspected. Locator: Studies; International Bureau of Weights and Measures; Inventions; Holdings

    Limitation: Archive-based institutional biography, not a bench-manufacture biography. Nickel-steel properties are summarized qualitatively, not as universal zero-temperature-dependence specifications.

  2. Watchmakers’ and Inventors’ Hall of Fame: Charles-Edouard GuillaumeFederation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH · Professional association biography · Not stated

    [S0316] Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH. "Watchmakers’ and Inventors’ Hall of Fame: Charles-Edouard Guillaume." Not stated. https://www.fhs.swiss/eng/guillaume_charles_edouard.html Accessed 2026-09-13. Locator: Charles-Edouard Guillaume entry.

    Source context

    Relationship to subject: Horological professional reference

    How it was checked: Opened and text inspected. Locator: Charles-Edouard Guillaume entry

    Limitation: Concise professional reference; not an inspected original patent or experimental paper.

  3. https://library.ethz.ch/en/collections-and-archives/short-portraits/guillaume-charles-edouard-1861-1938.html https://www.fhs.swiss/eng/guillaume_charles_edouard.htmllinked source

Corrections and stronger evidence

Names, dates, and workshop relationships can change as archives are digitised. If you have a primary source that clarifies this record, use the correction process.

Submit supporting evidence