Mr Antoine Simonin, called Tony by his English speaking friends, left this world last Monday, the 20th of May 2024 and my way of paying tribute to him is to publish this article that we had started some years ago… Time flies so quickly… I always tell myself that there is still time and suddenly it has run out !

En français ici.

I just went to pay him a last visit at the cemetery pavilion and he looks as I remember him : like the one who is peaceful, like the one who understands everything, like the one who deals with what life presents. It is great !

2019. We had met at the bookstore Le Cabinet amateur, Neuchâtel, one day that I was paying a visit to his owner, Marc Mettler. The subject that brought us together was, of course, watchmaking, in the person of Abraham-Louis Breguet. Then, I went to Dombresson to see him in his premises which housed his edition and a huge number of books on horology and I had recorde him.

Things fit together in my life in unexpected ways and when that happens I am delighted. In 2022 I had the privilege of having a new interview with Mr Simonin and meeting his wife, Josiane Simonin. You know that behind every great man there is a woman (quote attributed to Talleyrand). In this case, the Simonin couple has been walking hand in hand for sixty years ! I tell her that I love to forward beautiful things, that I am interested in watchmaking and show her some of the articles I wrote on my Website on the subject. She replies that she likes passionate people and gives me immediately informations that can nourish the one I would like to write about her husband. What I learn about Mr Simonin arouses my admiration and at the same time I realise that his history is linked to mine by two links : the Fabrique d’horlogerie Froidevaux S.A.- Neuchâtel and South Africa ; the last link being associated to the International Labour Organisation, Geneva. You will understand later the why and the how.

Antoine Simonin. He alone represents several facets of the watchmaking world. Indeed, he trained as a watchmaker repairer, became trainer and created workshops and training schools of which he was sometimes the director. Having reached the age when some people say that they will finally be able to rest, have fun, he notices that some books are not any more edited, that they are necessary to learn the job and, as a logical and horological consequence for him, he creates his own edition ! When I think of him, I tell myself that his body cells must run like watches, unless they are already watches…

Anecdote 1. His father wanted him to have a profession, a profession that would protect him from cold and rain, any way not exposed to bad weather. As many fathers, his was a father-protector. He dreams of his son as a watchmaker although himself is an accountant. The first attempt was unsuccessful : he introduces his son to an emigrate Jewish watchmaker. The boy finds the watches nice but nothing more. Some years late, his father sends him to a psychologist in order to know which professional direction he could take. The boy is requested to paint something on the base of a circle. He draws a sun. « Well, bad luck, says the psychologist to the father, your son shall never be a watchmaker. He should have drawn a wheel or a mechanical part ». When I learnt this anecdote, I told myself that this boy already knew that he was going to shine et that he was going to make watchmaking shine.

1938 and the importance of languages. I like languages, their structure, the meaning of words and Mr Simonin speaks some of them. This opens him many doors : French, English, German, Swiss-German, Swahili. You read perfectly well, Swahili, as he was born in Africa. That is something ! His father worked for an import-export enterprise in the Belgian Congo and there is where the little Tony came to the world in 1938 (you understand better the above anecdote !).

Two significant events : he was a scout and his nickname was « Lynx eye ». Did you say « weird » ? He told me that with the scouts he came to learn the meaning of teamwork. As he was ten, he got infantile paralysis which mistreated him. Mr Simonin likes sometimes to contradict those who are not optimistic and put down the doctors’ diagnostic. He told me that he had been the only survivor of the epidemic that affected Elisabethville (today Lumumbashi) en 1948. He reminds me the case of Micha Verkholantsev, a famous Russian engraver who had bone tuberculosis which made him to rest in bed almost six years on his back ; his generation, undernourished, had produced excellent athletes at the Olympic Games of 1956 and himself was a very good runner. There is where we say to ourselves that there is something else than a body…

Anecdote 2. One day, Mr Simonin was brought an old watch to repair the tourbillon. He immediately knows that it is an ancient watch and asks the owner if he wants to sell it. « No, it is an inheritance of an aunt  » was the answer. Mr Antonin takes his time to restore the tourbillon and finally is obliged to give it back. He knew that he was going to take over the management of the WOSTEP in Switzerland and gives his address and telephone number to the watch owner because one never knows… Ten years and three months later, the Apartheid is over and the gentleman has become Mandela’s lawyer ! Mr Simonin went back there and was able to buy the watch !

Initial path in life in summary : childhood and youth in Belgian Congo, professional training in Bienne and professional experience in Ghana where he worked for Omega at the repair workshop.

Travel from Africa to Switzerland. It was in 1955 and the communication routes were not those of today ; after many journeys between Africa and l’Europe, the last one is : Portugal-Switzerland, by taxi ! My goodness ! The same year Antoine Simonin was admitted to the technical school of Bienne, watchmaking section.

Back to Africa in 1962. He went back, newly married, with his wife who had written, as a date of birth, 1961. So the customs asked him where the baby was ! It is in Ghana where he will have the experience described above. Life was not easy (there where periods when there was nothing to buy in shops for two months but potatoes and others when the shops could only offer butter). In his job he had to do all kind of things : repair all brands, make purchases, decorate windows , even buy gold for jewellery. All this match so well with his character !

1960-1990. During these years watchmaking schools were installed and newspapers would headline « The presence of Swiss watchmaking in the world » ! Mr Simonin was based in Pretoria where one of these schools had been created for Blacks ; in Johannes Bourg there was a workshop for Whites and Indians where technical and sales seminars used to take place. Similar workshops existed also in neighbouring countries, like Zimbabwe, Northern Rhodesia du Nord, Angola, Congo. In order to open a school there was a contract signed by FH (Federation of Swiss Watch Industry)- Ébauches SA and the host country. The country provided the premisses and Switzerland provided the specialised watchmakers. The program was consistent with that of Swiss watchmaking schools. Work standards were respected. Because in South Africa there were six months of rain and six months of drought. Mr Simonin had the roof of his establishment insulated, the windows welded and the conditioning air installed. In that way he was able to teach his course all year long. New proof of his watchmaking spirit !

Even rains don’t make bend Mr Simonin ! Rains in this country are storms and one morning the students arrived all wet. So Mr Simonin brought them coats (umbrellas did not hold up !) ; in this way they would arrive dry and be able to work at the bench, while his colleague, carpenter, had to give his students time off as they would come all soaked !

The benches (établis). Mr Simonin had provided perfect plans, but the execution did not really correspond. He was lucky as the secretary of the Education Ministry always understood him and finally it is an Italian craftsman who made them perfectly.

1991 – The International Labour Organisation – Zully and Mr Simonin. Here you will find the explanation of how my story is linked to the one of Mr Simonin. From 1989 to 1994, I worked as a translator at the anti-apartheid commission of the International Labour Organisation, Geneva, and I attended the entire processus up to Mandela’s election. I was experiencing this historical period in Geneva while Mr Simonin was taking advantage to teach « the » first cours to both Black and White students in the country !

1976 Mr Simonin comes back to Switzerland. But let us first speak about 1966 ; 1966 is the year of the creation of the Wostep (Watchmakers of Switzerland Training and Educational Program) centres. The Federation of Swiss Watch Industry had introduced a worldwide training program to train watchmakers-repairers in 22 technical centres : Abijan, Pretoria, Johannes Bourg, Hong Kong, Singapour, Tokio, but the USA because there where already 41 watchmakers at the time. The Wostep’s director, André Farine, had deceased and Mr Simonin took the reins of management in 1976, until 2003. This is how he took care of the coordination of the technical tools, the scheduling of courses and the organisation of the school. It wasn’t easy as he was always attracted by Africa. But if the Wostep still exists is because Mr Simonin and Roland Frey fought for that ; at the moment that the quartz watch was created, there was talk of closing it because it was considered that the mechanical watch was too expensive and it was no more worth producing it. History has shown that the decision would have been a mistake ! Once more Mr Watch-Simonin was right !

The Wostep was financed by the FH and Ébauches SA, following his maintenance, it became an independent non profit company and the president was Mr Roland Frêne ; after Mr Simonin’s departure, the Wostep became a foundation. Other centers Wostep were created abroad in partnership with other watchmaking schools, in total 15. The students had a training and diplomas according to the Swiss level. Teachers had to be (il a fallu) recruted locally. In 1966, the Wostep used to give a course per year ; when Mr Simonin left the center, there were 26 different courses both technical and theoretic.

Mr Simonin continued to give courses, to be editor, bookseller, to collect watches, to evaluate watchmaking books, becomes lecturer and joins the committee of several museums and institutions linked to horology.

1995. Mr Simonin is the winner of the Gaïa Price, a price created in 1993, which celebrates extraordinary watchmaking personalities.

Sometimes it is at the same time, sometimes it is one after the other, but we can say that Mr Simonin was also member ot the jury of the Geneva Watchmaking Grand prix, president and editor of the Chronométrophilia, the Swiss association which brings together watch enthusiasts and collectors for many years ; he was president of the Technical Commission of the Quality Fleurier Hallmark, collaborated for several years with the International Watchmaking Museum of La Chaux-de-Fonds and campaigned to the conservation of the Neuchâtel observatory. He worked tirelessly to safeguard and transmit watchmaking culture and the watchmaking profession.

I came across Mr Simonin’s name when I approached, for reasons linked to the articles mentioned below, the Château des Monts museum, of Le Locle and the Neuchâtel observatory. Everyone spoke to me in glowing terms of him. That doesn’t happen so often !

I still have a recording that I have to clean up which is related to the actual building of Wostep in Neuchâtel, to the watchmaker Froidevaux and to Paul Ditisheim, the famous chronometer of the beginning of the 19^th century.

The funeral ceremony was beautiful. Members of Mr Simonin’s family took part, we heard some music : Vals no. 17 in A minor from Fr. Chopin, sent by one of his nephew and C’est si bon, by Louis Armstrong. Note that the beautiful valse is a posthume Chopin’s composition (although he composed it while he was alive, it took almost 100 years to be attributed to him… As you see, time plays with everything, Mr Simonin knows a bit more about it now !) The ceremony was led by Father Gérard Muanda, originally from Congo (current Democratic Republic of Congo) who played tom-tom ! The atmosphere was alive and warm. Then people was invited for a drink to the restaurant Vignoble, in Peseux.

Some other anecdotes from the moment : Father Gérard recalled Mr Simonin’s attachement to Africa in général and to Congo telling us that for him each African was his brother and that to those who came from Congo he used to ask what tribe they were coming from. The priest informed most of his friends present by telling them that there are 47 tribes (alike Swiss cantons, Zully’s note) in his country and that its area is 2′ 345.410 km². He repeated this number with his accent, so particular, that nobody in the audience is ready to forget it ! Then he spoke to the scientific minds telling them that if the surface area of France ( 551 695 km²) would go 4,25 times in that of his country, he would let them calculate the result of Switzerland/Congo ! The audience laughed.

Curiosity took advantage in my spirit and we have (area of Switzerland = 41 285 km² ) :

Meaning of the tom-tom. I couldn’t remember everything and took contact with the abbot who gave me the information I was looking for ; namely that « tom-tom was an instrument that brings people together through dance during palavers (dialogues between families and tribes), deaths and celebrations. Tom-tom is the symbole of love and fraternity ». That is great and as dance is one of my passions, I am charmed. I asked Father Gérard the meaning of his family name and he answered : Muanda is the holy spirit. Mr Simonin could not be better accompanied !

Pictures : I took quite a few pictures but it was a special moment and ilf some people are full face, for others it is not the case and finally I put those who voluntarily posed. They are on a special background because it was a spécial moment even if there is redundancy ; a special moment remains special.

People on the right picture. It is the famous hazard that so often pays me a visit which made me to speak first to the gentlemen on the left picture. The gentleman with the glasses was a classmate of Mr Simonin during their watchmaking training. He told me that on Sundays his father used to tell him to invite Antoine for lunch as he was alone. Antoine loved being in family and, we can imagine, have a good meal too ! Years later, as he was in Africa, Mr Simonin requested his friend to take care of his two daughters if something would happen to him. This is the sign of total confidence ! The other gentleman was the son of the gentleman and Mr Simonin’s godson.

People on the right picture. Once again, things happened naturally. The three of them came from abroad for the ceremony ; the one on the right came from the USA, the one in the middle came from Canada and the one on the left came from the other side of the Leman lake. The three of them were his students at the Wostep. I’ll have to ask them how to spell their names. The one on the right spoke at the ceremony and think that he said « a watchmaker never breaks his watch, he just looses his balance ». It is a nice play on words meaning that a watchmaker leaves this temporal world for another. The other two sat with me at the restaurant. The one in the middle lives in Vancouver and, as there is no watchmaker school, he is training two apprentices. He told me that when he was student in Neuchâtel he lived in the Maison des jeunes (Youth Center). How wonderful, this center is in front of the building I am living in. I’ll just have to close my eyes and transport myself back to the time when the Wostep students lived there ! The one on the left, an Englishman, reported that once there was a student who showed his work on escapement to Mr Simonin who regularly told him that his work was not yet good. At a certain moment, the student, convinced thar Mr Simonin was not paying attention to his work brought it back without having changed anything in the watch. Mr. Simonin looked at it silently , told him that he hadn’t done anything since last time and put it into a box from which it never came out. Notice to amateurs ! I told you, I felt like in heaven.

Links to :

• Horlogerie :
• Hooke and Huygens montre – Roger Peters-Zully (in English here) ;
• Hooke and Huygens montre annulaire et des pieds par Zully (in English here) ;
• Fabrique d’horlogerie Froidevaux, Neuchâtel. (In English here) ;
• René Froidevaux, l’homme, le patron (In English here) ;
• Documents horlogers, André Oppel et le Musée d’horlogerie du Locle ;
• Une montre parmi les affaires d’André ;
• André Oppel : ses montres au Musée d’horlogerie du Château des Monts, Le Locle ;
• Rencontre 12 : Abraham-Louis Breguet – (In English here) ;
• Rencontre 12 bis : Abraham-Louis Breguet -2;
• Rencontre 18.1 ; Beaumarchais, homme de génie ;
• Autres figures :
• Rencontre 1 : Gilbert Facchinetti ;
• Rencontre 6 : Paul du Marchie van Voorthuysen – (In English here) ;
• Rencontre 7 : Micha et Olia Verkholantsev – (На русском сдесь) ;
• Rencontre 8 : My favorite Docker, Albert E. ;
• Rencontre 9 : François Ditesheim ;
• Rencontres 11 : Freddy Landry ;
• Rencontre 13 : Serge Alzérat et « Sous les jupons de l’Histoire ;
• Rencontre 14 : Jean-Pierre Garnier Malet – (In English here) ;
• Rencontre 15 : Le Figaro.

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