Sowind Industrie's new building was originally designed by the La Chaux-de-Fonds
architect Léon Boillot.
His signature on the corner of the marquise at the entrance to 136 rue Numa Droz shows
that the main part of the building was constructed in 1904-05.
It has a flat roof, a rare feature at the time, with iron girdering and columns.
The underside of the cornice is decorated with a frieze of blue thistles.
The plans, signed on March 24 1904, show that the main entrance was on the east side
of the building, at n° 134. It was reached by a flight of stairs and protected by a
marquise supported by columns.
The stairs have since disappeared, like the atrium window on the top floor.
The building was extended on the west side in 1918, to n° 138.
Although the construction is more traditional, it is spectacular in several aspects, with a
large wrought-iron door opening onto a wide corridor tiled with mosaics and illuminated by
an atrium window.
The corridor leads to a monumental staircase at the heart of the building which serves
four floors.
Most of the decorations are trompe-l'œil paintings and stained-glass windows.
The building has undergone careful restoration since it was acquired by the Sowind Group
in December 2001, with particular attention paid to the architectural features of the
period while allowing for the specific demands made by a modern manufactory.
The work took fifteen months.
The building has always been connected with the watch industry.
At the outset, it housed the Tavannes Watch Co, owned by the Schwob family.
This became Cyma but, following serious problems in the 1960's, it changed hands and
moved to Le Locle. The premises remained empty and were eventually purchased by the
town of La Chaux-de-Fonds, which rented them until 1980 to a certain Girard-Perregaux!
They were then bought by Ebel , which used them to house its watch-case and bracelet
factory, Cristalor, until the end of the 1990's.
