Happenings: A New C.H. Meylan Exhibition Opens In 2026 At Espace Horloger In The Vallée de Joux
In early 2026, the Espace Horloger, a watchmaking museum located in Le Sentier dedicated to work from the heart of Switzerland’s valley of complications, will be hosting a new exhibition exploring the life and work of Charles-Henri Meylan. Meylan, one of the valley’s greatest watchmakers in the early 1900s, had a prolific career working with major brands in Switzerland and the United States, as was partially explored in an article in Hodinkee from 2022.
Georges-Henri Meylan holds a 32mm C.H. Meylan minute repeater and a 32mm C.H. Meylan chronograph in the Vallée de Joux, Switzerland.
Full disclosure, I was the author of that article, and it’s one I’m quite proud of. My interest in C.H. Meylan was inspired by work on complicated watches with American watchmaker Waltham, including the only known Grand Complication made on American soil. Because of that article, I was also asked to curate the exhibition, expanding on his work and covering the brands he apprenticed under, worked with, and the legacy he left in the watchmaking world.
The Meylan family, which owns and operates H. Moser & Cie. and Hautlance, is distantly related to the early 1900s watchmaker. Their patriarch (and former CEO of Audemars Piguet), Georges-Henri Meylan, is likely the largest collector of the late Meylan’s work. The exhibition plans to feature documents and, of course, exceptional examples of Meylan’s work (and others). But to do so, I’m soliciting your help.
At left a Waltham Model 1884 Split Chronograph based off a patent by Henry Alfred Lugrin, and at right, a Waltham Model 1884 Split Chronograph based off a patent by C.H. Meylan. Photos courtesy of Bonhams Auction House
Meylan began his career with Nicole & Capt in London and worked extensively with H.L. Matile, Louis-Elisee Piguet, and at Mathey Bros., Mathez & Co. while in New York. If you’re passionate about C.H. Meylan’s work, know more about his history, or have exceptional examples of watches made by Meylan or one of the watchmakers he apprenticed under, you can contact me via email (info below) to discuss how you might be able to contribute to the exhibition.
Most specifically, I’m hoping to locate that Waltham Grand Complication made by C.H. Meylan, as well as the Waltham minute repeating split-second chronographs and other Waltham chronographs and repeaters made by Meylan and his Swiss expatriate contemporaries Alfred Lugrin and Georges Aubert.
Le Sentier, where C.H. Meylan was born.
If you know the whereabouts of that Waltham Grand Complication or any other watches worth contributing, you can contact me via email at chmeylanexhibition@gmail.com. We’ll be sharing more information about the exhibition, including its grand opening, in the coming weeks.
Hodinkee