Zodiac history: Construction of the new factory

[Grossisten]

When trawling the depths of the internet I by chance came across some fun aereal photos of Le Locle (WikiCommons is the source):

If you study them closely you'll discover the story of the construction of the Zodiac factory.

According to various sources including the history section of this site the "new" factory was inaugurated in 1951. It was expanded by a further building in around 1966 - this was to my understanding dedicated to the production of the "new" electronic watches (again based on various sources, the most reliable being my Mum who attended the party celebrating its inauguration - but even this depends strongly on her memory, so its probable but not a historical fact) . The building was sold to Dixi group along with the Zodiac company around 1980 and production moved to the nearby Zenith factory. Today its an apartment building (and you may actually rent an apartment there, wouldn't that be fun....).

The factory was located on 25 Rue Bellevue, just above the railway station.

The first photo shows the city seen from the northeast WITHOUT the Zodiac factory - there is clearly no building in that spot, only the road (Rue Bellevue I assume it was already called by then). Find the railway station and look to the right of it.

The second photo shows the city from the southwest - and if you study it carefully you'll spot a construction underway just above the railway station (this is to the left in the picture). We may based on the other data available assume the photo was made around 1950.

The third photo features a new building in the exact same spot - but do note that its without the later extension.

[Grossisten]

I'm sorry the files became so small when transferring them - if you wish to study them in detail (necessary to see the factory) - please find them via this link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Le_Locle