History

Thierry Amstutz was born on April, 19, 1959 in Neuchâtel. After four years training at the Technicum of La Chaux-de-Fonds, nine months serving the Swiss army as grenadier soldier on tanks, eight months in the field of the after-sales service of Ebauches SA, in Marin, and three months in England, he opens his workshop in Auvernier in 1981. He is a specialist in restoration of old and modern clocks and in the creation of clocks with automatons and music boxes.

Married, he has four children, Grégory, the eldest, born on August 20, 1985, has successfully finished his training as watchmaker specialized in overhauling at CIFOM in Le Locle on June 30, 2005. David, the fourth child, born June 18, 1995, joined the company in January 2020.

1981 :
  
Thierry Amstutz settles down at Pacotte, 5 in Auvernier, canton of Neuchâtel, Switzerland, thus opening his own clock workshop.
1983 :
  
The first « neuchâteloises » clocks signed Thierry Amstutz Auvernier are created.
1986 :
  
The clock workshop moves to Grand’Rue 44 in Auvernier.
1988 :
  
Renaming. The clock workshop is newly called : Atelier de pendulerie * Au Carillon d’Or *
1991 :
  
Creation of the first clock with an automaton, « Small Fisherman », which moves constantly at the top of a clock in the Louis the 16th style.
1992 :
  
Creation of several clocks with automatons: Small Fisherman, the Harlequin, Pierrot.
1994 :
  
Restoration of the « Scribe » for the Neuchâtel Museum of Art and History (MAH).
1995 :
  
Technician-demonstrator of the Jaquet-Droz androids at the Neuchâtel Museum of Art and History (MAH).
1996 :
  
First shop visit of Mr Pierre Aubert, former President of Swiss Confederation.
1997 :
  
Creation of two musical clocks decorated with one Pierrot automaton.
1999 :
  
Creation of the first « erotic clock ».
2000 :
  
Restoration of the mechanism and the bellows of the « Musicienne » (the musician) for the Neuchâtel Museum of Art and History (MAH).
2002 :
  
First trip to Morocco with Mr. François Bodet, former director of the Breguet watches Cie for maintenance of clocks belonging of his Majesty the King Mohamed VI.
2002 :
  
Enlarging of the Workshop in a wine cellar of the same old house.
2002 :
  
November 29 : Official unveiling of the new premises.
2003 :
  
Creation of a chime in Grand’Rue of Auvernier, which rings at twelve and seven p.m.
2004 :
  
Restoration of the clocks at the French Embassy in Bern.
2004 :
  
Visit at the Workshop of the French Ambassador in Switzerland and he’s wife, Mr & Ms Jacques Rummelhardt, accompanied by Mr Pierre Aubert, former president of the Swiss Confederation.
2005 :
  
April 25, founder member and president of the Association of the craftsmen and tradesmen of Auvernier (AACA).
2005 :
  
Restoration of an exceptional and luxurious neuchâteloise clock Louis XV, created around 1765, with eight singing birds, signed Pierre Jaquet-Droz at La Chaux-de-Fonds (NE). This clock was installed on May 2 in the council room of the board of directors of the new Pourtalès hospital in Neuchâtel (NHP).
2005 :
  
July 5 : Grégory Amstutz obtains at the Lausanne Palace the prize as best apprentice having trained for four years, a prize granted by AMS (Association des fournisseurs d’horlogerie, Marché Suisse – Association of the clock and watchmaking suppliers – Swiss Market).
2005 :
  
December 12, Grégory Amstutz joins the company, whose new name is :
Atelier de pendulerie
* Au Carillon d’Or *
THIERRY & GREGORY AMSTUTZ
2006 :
  
April 12, for the official opening by H.R.H. Quenn Beatrix, exhibition exceptional of the Musician (MAH) in the National Museum in Utrecht.
2007 :
  
2007 The erotic clock is exhibited from June 1 to September 30, 2007 at the Château des Monts, Watchmuseum in Locle, on the occasion of a temporary exhibition « The leery clocks ».
2009 :
  
Restauration of luxurious and rare cloks from the Montres L. Leroy Manufactory.
2011 :
  
June 11th, conference on watchtowers, bell towers and bell towers of churches, to the Foundation of the City hall of Le Landeron.
2011 :
  
Restoration of a big, rare and luxurious clock of style Louis XV, created around 1750, signed Fonk in Bern. Clock is exposed in a room of the Castle of the Museum of Gruyères.
2011 :
  
October, restoration of the automaton of Jaquet-Droz, Le Dessinateur, Museum of Art and History of Neuchâtel (MAH).
2011 :
  
December 8, exhibition exceptional of the Scribe (MAH) in Pékin.
2012 :
  
January to April 22, restoration of Jaquet-Droz’s automatons, L’Ecrivain and La Musicienne, from the Museum of art and history of Neuchâtel (MAH).
2012 :
  
Avril 27, publication of Thierry Amstutz’s novel, La Pendule du souvenir, In the editions Slatkine of Geneva.
2013 :
  
February 20, conference « La Pendule du souvenir », Rotary club Montagnes neuchâteloises, La Chaux-de-Fonds.
2013 :
  
May 18th, at the General Assembly of writer from Neuchâtel and Jura, Thierry Amstutz has been recognized as a writer.
2014 :
  
In January, Thierry Amstutz is appointed honorary president from the Association des artisans et commerçants d’Auvernier (AACA).
2014 :
  
May 24th, Thierry Amstutz is appointed as president from the Association des artisans et commerçants d’Auvernier (AACA).
2014 :
  
December 5th, conference on watchtowers, bell towers, bell towers of churches and the watchmaker’s in the eighteenth century in the big room of the Casino of Rueyres (VD).
2015 :
  
2015 :
  
December 1st, conférence “Des automates des jaquet-Droz à l’écriture”, Soirée littéraire biennoise.
2016 :
  
2016 :
  
2016 :
  
August 31st, publication of the Thierry Amstutz’s second novel, La pendule disparue, in Editions Slatkine, Geneva.
2017 :
  
January 21, conference « Des automates des Jaquet-Droz à l’écriture », Bibliothèque de langue française, Nidau.
2017 :
  
March 24, 25, 26, <ahref=”http: www.aucarillondor.ch=”” extraits_presse=”” 20160322_express.pdf”=”” target=”_blank”>participation in the European days of art professions 2016..
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2017 :
  
25 mars, la maison mitoyenne prend feu et l’incendie se propage à la maison familiale qui abrite l’atelier. L’atelier est déplacé Route de Boudry 24, 2016 Cortaillod.       
2018 :
  
November 12, expertise of the automaton Writer at the Forbidden City, Beijing.
2019 :
  
March 31, two years after the disaster, the workshop finds its premises in Auvernier.
2019 :
  
April 5, 6, 7 participation in the European days of art professions 2019.
2019 :
  
August, the fourth child of Thierry Amstutz, David, leaves his job at the age of 24 and begins a watchmaking apprenticeship to join the company.
2019 :
  
October 22, Thierry Amstutz’s lecture at the public Master’s ceremony and the presentation of Bachelor’s degrees in Neuchâtel.
2020 :
  
January, David Amstutz, the fourth child, joins the company. Whose new name is :
Atelier de pendulerie
* Au Carillon d’Or *
Thierry, Grégory et David Amstutz
2021 :
  
2021 :
  
September 11, 12, European Heritage Days. Clocks tour of Hünegg Castle (Schloss Hünegg), Hilterfingen, with Thierry and David Amstutz.
2021 :
  
November 6, participation in the Watchmaking Heritage Biennale in La Chaux-de-Fonds.
2023 :
  
Since April, David Amstutz has been a technician-demonstrator of Jaquet-Droz automatons at the Neuchâtel Museum of Art and History (MAH).