International loan of Matthäus Hipp’s cylinder chronograph for the exhibition “From Stars to Atoms”

The cylinder chronograph by Matthäus Hipp, Neuchâtel, c. 1864, a valuable historical instrument owned by the University of Palermo and on permanent display at the Specola Museum, part of UNIPA Heritage – University Museum System, co-managed with INAF – Palermo Astronomical Observatory, has been loaned internationally to the Musée international d’horlogerie (MIH) in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland.

The instrument will be on display as part of the exhibition ‘From Stars to Atoms’, scheduled from 21 June to 2 November 2026 as part of the Neuchâtel Cantonal Exhibition ‘Automates & Merveilles’, and will be presented as one of the most significant pieces in the exhibition.

“The loan represents recognition of the value of the collection held at the Museo della Specola and of the heritage of our University’s Museum System,” comments Michelangelo Gruttadauria, President of UniPa Heritage. “The section hosted by the MIH will be dedicated to the definition and international standardisation of time, with particular attention to the role played by astronomical observatories in the determination, preservation and precise dissemination of the time. In this context, Hipp’s chronograph represents a masterpiece of scientific instrumentation and a significant testament to the historical process that led to the definition of modern time.”

The loan was authorised in accordance with the procedures governing the international movement of historical and scientific artefacts, with all necessary measures taken in terms of conservation, insurance, logistics and security, as required by current legislation, to ensure the artefact’s complete protection throughout all stages of its transfer, exhibition and return to its home museum.