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Micronarc Alpine Meeting 2026
Jean-Claude MARTIN

Speaker Profile

Jean-Claude MARTIN

Deputy CEO, The Swatch Group Research and Development Ltd, div. Asulab

Switzerland

Keynote Speaker

Our Sun and Watchmaking: A Story of Energy

Abstract

Most solar-powered watches on the market today are based on an electronic architecture developed in the 1980s. They incorporate an amorphous silicon solar cell on a flexible substrate placed behind a semi-transparent or partially openworked dial. This approach limits the aesthetics of the solar products, as well as the choice of key components, namely the solar cell and the rechargeable battery.
The proposed approach, based on a new-generation energy management circuit, relaxes these constraints by offering more options on these specific components for future performance-optimized watchmaking products.

Bio

Jean-Claude Martin joined Swatch Group after graduating in Electrical Engineering at EPFL in 1991.
After three years developing telecom products for the Swatch brand in Biel/Bienne, he joined the R&D Center (Asulab) of Swatch Group in Marin, close to Neuchâtel as Project Manager. Eight years later, he is appointed Head of the Electronic Systems Group in charge of ultra-low-power integrated circuits and systems for innovative watch applications.
Since 2011, he has been overseen the operational aspects of the R&D center in charge of technical breakthrough for next generation of watch products.