On the 20th January 2011, a new theme area was officially opened to the public.

Although the Musée international d'horlogerie has had the sub-title of "l'homme et le temps" (Man and Time) since 1974, date of the inauguration of the present museum building, time measurement before the period of its mechanical measurement had not been dealt with in an extensive and educational way until now.

This new section completes the exhibition with different elements:  

• A time line of the history of time measurement in parallel with certain elements of history.
•  A time curve presents local and world history during the 225 years of the lifespan of a dendrochronological segment of a maple sycamore tree, in the form of a game.
• A series of prehistoric and historical axes and wood-shavings cut by them, the guiding theme of this journey through 5'000 years of history of the measurement of time. 
• A functioning copy of the clepsydra from Karnak and an experiment showing the primitive shape of clepsydrae.  
• A giant hourglass, a genuine contemporary piece of work with a tinge of poetry, another one to observe.
• And of course, ancient sundials, a splendid noon cannon from 1776, hourglasses with several phials, fire timekeepers from the West, incense timekeepers from the East and many other discoveries.

To close this area, a display of "Vanities" reminds us that time, perceived or measured, passes relentlessly.

May we remind you that audio guides in French, German, English, Italian and Spanish are also available aids for visits.