Le Locle, a town of some 10,000 inhabitants, was the home of a brilliant Neuchatel goldsmith, Daniel Jean Richard, in the 17th century. The birth of the watch and clock-making industry of the Neuchatel mountains is generally attributed to him.

 

The official Swiss chronometer control body (COSC) in the rue Bournot called the town by this name. In honour of its roots, this little town shelters a marvellous museum devoted to old clock and watch making, the Chateau des Monts. Take the time to visit the museum des Beaux-Arts (www.mbal.ch) and admire the exhibitions devoted to Swiss artists and the Lermite Foundation. And just before crossing the Franco-Swiss border, dive into the depths of the earth and the limestone rocks at the Moulins du Col-des-Roches, one of only a few Swiss underground museums where you will find an amazing mixture of mills, forges and gear wheels, some dating from many centuries (town website: www.lelocle.ch).