“Besançon owes its industrial development largely to its watchmaking school, l’École d’Horlogerie“ 

Jean Minjoz, mayor of Besançon, during Charles de Gaulle’s visit to the school in 1962. 

In 2023, to celebrate the 160th anniversary of the École Nationale d’Horlogerie of Besançon, UTINAM will create a unique installation in the heart of the famous “Horlo” building, now housing the Lycée Jules Haag secondary school.

The “Grande Horlo”, designed by Philippe Lebru, will take place in the school in the form of a grand installation, 14 metres high and 50 metres wide. 

One of a kind in its approach to time, with its chaotic pendulum, this monumental UTINAM clock will pay a special homage to years gone by and the clockmaking heritage of Besançon, while also pointing to a new chapter in the history of the Horlo school and the city itself. In this new chapter, the Besançon area faces the future, ranking as an innovative, dynamic and international force.

To bring this project to life, UTINAM looks to all the people who call Besançon home, at heart and in spirit, and all those passionate about French and international clockmaking culture.

By democratising this extraordinary project, UTINAM reinforces the heritage and identity of Besançon, while contributing to its cultural reach beyond its frontiers.