Life story of Ferdinand Berthoud - Parisian watchmaking genius

Ferdinand Berthoud (born March 18, 1727 in Plancemont near Neuchâtel ; died June 20, 1807 in Groslay near Montmorency ) was an 18th-century watchmaker from Neuchâtel who published numerous works on watchmaking. His main ^achievement was the development of a particularly robust marine chronometer .

In 1745, he went to Paris, where he primarily collaborated with Julien Le Roy . He developed and built watches, pocket watches , and chronometers , perfecting their accuracy and precision. His improvements to the balance spring's oscillation and the chronometer's escapement are particularly noteworthy. For this reason, among others, Berthoud was appointed purveyor to the court of King Louis XV and his grandson and successor , Louis XVI. In 1795, he was elected a member of the Académie des sciences .

Ferdinand Berthoud died in 1807 at the age of 80 in Groslay near Montmorency (Val-d'Oise) close to Paris.