orn in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1985, Nathalie Marielloni grew up with watchmaking in her blood. Her maternal grandfather was at the head of Seitz, one of the first manufacturers of industrial sapphire (now Comadur) and her father ran a component polishing workshop.

“As a young girl, I spent a lot of time hanging around the ateliers. I have countless memories of my grandfather and father at work, of the characteristic smell of wood and oil mixed together. I used to earn my pocket money polishing components,” she recalls, going on to describe an early encounter with horology: “We lived near the Musée d’Horlogerie du Locle - Château des Monts. I still remember the singing birds and an eighteenth-century automaton, the Fée Carabosse, which made quite an impression on me.”

However, when the time came to choose her degree, Nathalie Marielloni took a different route and enrolled in art history… but the watch world was never far away and the themes she chose, such as enamelling, often had connections with the industry. With her Bachelors under her belt, she embarked on a post-graduate degree in the conservation and restoration of technical, scientific and horological objects, completing her thesis while working at the Patek Philippe Museum. “My first job was a fixed-term contract as a scientific consultant with Patek Philippe. I was so proud.” She rounded out her training with the Watchmakers of Switzerland Training and Educational Program (WOSTEP).

Nathalie Marielloni, vice curator at the Musée International d’Horlogerie (MIH) in La Chaux-de-Fonds. The museum displays more than 4,000 pieces from the 10,000 objects in an impressive collection that spans the history of time measurement from the 16th century to the present day.

Nathalie Marielloni began her career in earnest at the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire in Geneva, where curator Estelle Fallet, an influential figure, encouraged her to study for a gemmology diploma with the Gemological Institute of America. Life then took her to London, where she spent seven years in the watch department at Sotheby’s. During her time there, she trained as an auctioneer and was the acting head of department when the legendary Patek Philippe Henry Graves Jr. Supercomplication came under the hammer.

Returning to Switzerland in 2015, she spent a year working with Stephen Forsey before setting up as an independent consultant, sourcing rare timepieces for private customers. Then, in 2017, a vacancy arose at the Musée International d’Horlogerie to replace the retiring vice curator, Jean-Michel Piguet. “My friend Olivier Poncioni and my husband Raul Pagès encouraged me to apply but I couldn’t imagine how I could possibly fill Jean-Michel’s shoes,” she admits. “I sent my application on the very last day… and here I am, seven years later.”

The Patek Philippe Henry Graves Jr. Supercomplication, the world’s most complicated pocket watch at the time of its completion, sold at Sotheby’s in Geneva on November 11, 2014 for CHF 23.2 million (US$ 24 million).

Her eyes light up as she continues: “I was like a kid in a candy shop. The collections are extraordinary. It’s all so beautiful, it doesn’t feel like work.” What does her job entail? “There are several aspects to what I do, such as selecting and staging items for exhibit, content creation, as well as deciding which pieces it would make sense to acquire for the collections. We also manage the museum’s Brutalist troglodyte building, which dates from 1974.”

How does the museum remain relevant in an increasingly fast-paced, technology-driven world? She offers a characteristically considered and sensitive answer: “Humans are emotional beings with a sense of wonder, and I believe the museum has a social role to fulfil those needs. Horology has the capacity to awaken the emotions and this is something I see in this Aladdin’s cave of a museum. Emotions are stirred by the technical mastery as well as the sheer beauty of mechanisms, finishing, dials, cases or enamelwork. I truly believe humans need culture, and intellectual and emotional stimulation, and this is why I think there will always be recognition of an industry that places so much emphasis on heritage, craftsmanship and culture.”

About the GPHG Academy

Created in 2020, the Academy of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève (GPHG) now has more than 1,000 members, accomplished men and women who believe in the shared destiny of the watchmaking community. As experienced and significant players in the main sectors linked to the watch industry, Academy members take part in the various stages of the GPHG by nominating candidates and then selecting the winners alongside the Jury.