The Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva has launched an exhibition focused on the watchmaking of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, in celebration of the 300th anniversary of his birth.
The Rousseau retrospective, called Timepieces Signed Rousseau, will run from now until mid-October and was co-organised by the city of Geneva as part of its Rousseau pour Tous programme of events.
The exhibition showcases horological masterpieces from the 17th century and will feature about 30 rare timepieces from both the Patek museum and private collections, with dating back through the Rousseau watchmaking dynasty.
Rousseau is said to have watched his grandfather David in his watchmaker’s atelier from a young age, something that inspired him to take up the craft.
There will be a range of timepieces on show including memento mori watches to those shaped like crosses or featuring delicately painted enamelled miniatures.
The Timepieces Signed Rousseau exhibition’s inauguration took place on May 10, in the presence of Philippe Stern, honorary president of Patek Philippe.
