At a glance
- Period
- 18th–19th century
- Place
- France
The watchmaking story
Useful places to start with Ferdinand Berthoud's work include Marine Clocks No. 6 and No. 8, Essai sur l'horlogerie, and Marine clock no. 12, Paris 1774, MIH IV-84. 2
Paris workshop is the name recorded for Ferdinand Berthoud's own watchmaking practice. 123
Sources connect Ferdinand Berthoud with French navy, without establishing a formal role. 123
Scope: Direct watchmaking
Why this person is included
Documented technical and historical contribution
Background and working context
Affiliations and workshops: Paris workshop; French navy
Documented origin: Switzerland
Geographic ties: Switzerland; France. Documented workplace / industry location
Brands, workshops, and other relationships
- Watchmaking workshop / practice · Inherited source-linked record; relationship classification reviewed, sources not reopened
Paris workshop — Own watchmaking practice. Watchmaker, chronometer maker and author 123
Legacy affiliation: Paris workshop; French navy. Person-level contribution: Developed marine timekeepers and published substantial horological treatises; appointed watchmaker-mechanic to the king and navy.
Original affiliation wording: Paris workshop; French navy. No present-day employment or ownership inferred.
- Institution / education / public service · Inherited source-linked record; relationship classification reviewed, sources not reopened
French navy — Institutional association — role not established. Watchmaker, chronometer maker and author 123
Legacy affiliation: Paris workshop; French navy. Person-level contribution: Developed marine timekeepers and published substantial horological treatises; appointed watchmaker-mechanic to the king and navy.
Original affiliation wording: Paris workshop; French navy. No present-day employment or ownership inferred.
Evidence and limitations
This dossier connects 5 field-specific evidence records with 3 public sources. Known links only; full career not established; unresolved relationship(s) remain
Claim qualifications (5)
- Noteworthy contribution: House history; appointment and biographical chronology are not independent comparative performance tests. 1
- Recognition: House history; appointment and biographical chronology are not independent comparative performance tests. 1
- Birth year: House history; appointment and biographical chronology are not independent comparative performance tests. 1
- Death year: House history; appointment and biographical chronology are not independent comparative performance tests. 1
- Representative work: Only the newly added museum object is mapped here; earlier works retain their own evidence. Locator: MIH IV-84 2
Sources
- HistoryChronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud · First-party / official · Not stated
[S0066] Chronométrie Ferdinand Berthoud. "History." Not stated. https://www.ferdinandberthoud.ch/en/history.html Accessed 2026-09-13.
Source context
Relationship to subject: Subject / successor organization
How it was checked: Opened and read
Limitation: Post-consolidation gap-resolution pass: Original source text inspected; not independent corroboration of every profile clause.
- Watch collectionsMusée international d'horlogerie · Museum object catalogue · Not stated
[S0291] Musée international d'horlogerie. "Watch collections." Not stated. https://www.mih.ch/en/watch-collections/ Accessed 2026-09-13. Locator: Object identifiers and attributions including IV-947; IV-625; IV-143
Source context
Relationship to subject: Holding institution identifies its objects
How it was checked: Opened and text inspected
Limitation: Selected highlights are not the full inventory; absence cannot refute a maker attribution.
- https://www.ferdinandberthoud.ch/en/history.html https://www.mih.ch/en/watch-collections/linked 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.
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