The art of watchmaking, Valais’ little-known asset

Best known for its outstanding quality of life and vibrant life sciences cluster, Valais is also home to internationally recognized watchmaking firms. Valais is generally known for the grandeur of its landscapes, its exceptional climate, its living traditions and the dynamism of its life sciences and ICT clusters. However, it is also an important center […]

Best known for its outstanding quality of life and vibrant life sciences cluster, Valais is also home to internationally recognized watchmaking firms.

Valais is generally known for the grandeur of its landscapes, its exceptional climate, its living traditions and the dynamism of its life sciences and ICT clusters. However, it is also an important center with regard to watchmaking, and is home to a number of companies active in this industry. Among them is West End Watch Company, based in Leytron and 100% «made in Valais».

An Oman-based website has recently devoted a long article to Jérôme Monnat Jr, CEO of West End. In this interview, he explains that watchmaking has always been in his family’s blood: his parents owned a factory specialized in the production of watch components, and his great uncles were also active in the watchmaking business.

The West End brand, which pioneered the first ever waterproof watch, was founded in 1886 and taken over by the Monnat family in 2001. The watches were originally made for British soldiers stationed in India, but are now in demand everywhere, with more than 15 million sold across the globe.