Craftsmanship

The infinite hand

By Pierre Maillard

July 2025

In his essay In Praise of the Hand,¹ Professor Claude Verdan (1909 – 2006) writes that “the brain is the principal organ of every evolved individual. It is the seat of creative thought, verbal expression and free will, but the brain would be nothing without the hand, its primary executor.”

The infinite hand

By Pierre Maillard

July 2025

The infinite hand

In his essay In Praise of the Hand,¹ Professor Claude Verdan (1909 – 2006) writes that “the brain is the principal organ of every evolved individual. It is the seat of creative thought, verbal expression and free will, but the brain would be nothing without the hand, its primary executor.”

A

n eminent Swiss hand surgeon, Claude Verdan’s research significantly advanced tendon surgery. But he did more than explore the hand’s physiology. He “collected” hands, too. Every type, every expression, every representation of the hand. In his view, “the hand is truly the organ of our knowledge and recognition of reality.”²

This fascinating hand, the source of our humanness, an organ more intimately connected to the brain than any other — to the extent we might ask which of the two is in command –, would be Claude Verdan’s life’s work, even creating the Musée de la Main UNIL-CHUV in Lausanne. A museum dedicated to the human hand and scientific culture, it continues to question the practices and understanding that shape our bodies and our perceptions.

The collection is not on public display but its many wonders will be revealed in our new magazine, HANDS, launching September 1st, 2026 to coincide with the opening of the Homo Faber Biennial in Venice.

¹ In La Main de l’Homme. Préfiguration d’un Musée. Lausanne, 1983 ©Musée de l’Elysée and Fondation Claude Verdan

² In La Main Cet Univers. Lausanne 1994 ©Editions du Verseau - Fondation du Musée de la Main

EXPLORE ALL OUR EDITIONS SINCE THE 1930s ONLINE

The infinite hand

WATCH FILES
Craftsmanship

All too human

All too human

Aprosthetic limb worn by a soldier, possibly an officer, of the First World War.

The second life of hand-finishing

The second life of hand-finishing

There is something astir in contemporary watchmaking. Spearheaded by the likes of Philippe Dufour, hand-finishing is back in the spotlight. Exceptional (...)

Hermès: “Craftsmanship knows no limits”

Hermès: “Craftsmanship knows no limits”

An interview with Philippe Delhotal, Creative Director, Hermès Horloger.

Métiers d'art: out of the shadows, into the light

Métiers d’art: out of the shadows, into the light

Preservation of the métiers d’art has become a priority for the major names in contemporary watchmaking. Produced in limited quantities, these exceptional (...)

Homo sapiens or Homo faber?

Homo sapiens or Homo faber?

An initiative of the Michelangelo Foundation, established by Franco Cologni and Johann Rupert, the Homo Faber Biennial in Venice offers a remarkable (...)

Talking ‘bout the next generation

Talking ‘bout the next generation

Now, more than ever, the future of haute horlogerie is synonymous with artistic creativity, craftsmanship and technical virtuosity. The good news is that (...)

The forgotten workshop

The forgotten workshop

PORTFOLIO

Imagine a horological Pompei, buried not under volcanic ash but coated in decades of dust.

The Mill on the Col

The Mill on the Col

PORTFOLIO

A short distance from the watchmaking town of Le Locle, at the foot of a mountain pass that connects Switzerland and France, Moulins Souterrains du (...)

The Musician, the Third Thumb and the Exoskeleton

The Musician, the Third Thumb and the Exoskeleton

The human hand. Instrument of our intelligence, a legitimate obsession, we owe everything, or almost, to the hand. To mechanically reproduce its subtle (...)

What the hand knows

What the hand knows

“Watchmaking? A world where it is no longer clear whether it’s the brain guiding the hand, or the other way around. (…) Practice, practice, practice – until (...)

The return of the farmer-watchmaker

The return of the farmer-watchmaker

In 1964, documentary filmmaker Henry Brandt presented Les Hommes de la Montre. In it, Albert Bernet appears as the ultimate hero of a vanishing world: the (...)

The birth of intelligence

The birth of intelligence

The emergence of the opposable thumb, and with it the ability to grasp and manipulate objects, enabled humans to acquire intelligence such that they (...)

The artisan in us

The artisan in us

EDITORIAL

Rarely are they described as such, but publishing and writing are forms of craft. Or at least publishing and writing as we engage in them and have done for (...)

Hands, the making of humankind

Hands, the making of humankind

EDITORIAL

After Europa Star Jewellery, after Reloved with its focus on pre-owned and collectibles, we are getting ready to extend our portfolio of publications to (...)