Horlyne in the spotlight in the Journal Suisse d’Horlogerie

The Journal Suisse d’Horlogerie (JSH) devotes a portrait to Zian Kighelman, CEO of Horlyne SA, through an intimate and inspiring interview in the Questions de Temps section. It’s an opportunity to (re)discover a company with exceptional expertise, discreet by nature but an essential part of the Swiss watchmaking landscape.

Founded in 1978 by engraver-setter René Schmidlin, Horlyne has never stopped reinventing itself. Taken over in 2005 by Raymond Leitenberg, it is now part of the Acrotec group. In La Chaux-de-Fonds, some forty employees combine tradition and innovation on state-of-the-art equipment: 5-axis CNC, Femto lasers, guilloché lathes, decorating machines, etc.

In the interview, Zian Kighelman points out a revealing paradox: even the most loyal customers are often unaware of the extent of the company’s skills. Engraving, stone-setting, machining, movement skeletonizing, traditional guillochage, craftsman dial-making, bevelling and movement assembly: the list is long, and testifies to a rare mastery of the entire value chain.

Since his arrival at the head of the company, Zian Kighelman has instilled a vision that is demanding, focused on excellence, but also profoundly human. Between personal confidences and glimpses of the passing of time, he talks about his career, his outstanding memories and his attachment to creativity and a job well done.

Read the full interview (in french)