The logos of the Olympic Games 2016 and sponsor Omega have been engraved on the outside of the bells.
Reuters
A look at a few of the tools shows that the art of the foundry has barely changed.
Reuters
Serge Huguenin's workshop is spartan and is showing the signs of age. The walls are stained black from soot.
Reuters
This mould is used to produce the letters that are engraved onto the bells.
Reuters
When pouring, Serge Huguenin must wear gloves and safety glasses because the alloy (80% copper and 20% tin) can reach temperatures of up to 1,200 degrees Celsius.
Reuters
After pouring, Serge Huguenin cools down the bells and turns them out. Any unevenness must be rectified manually (see left). Huguenin blows through an instrument to make the surface flat.
Reuters
Each bell must be ground and polished to obtain its characteristic shine.
Reuters
After a few finishing touches the bell is ready for polishing.
Reuters
For the final stage the bells are turned at high speeds by a machine.
Reuters
These ornaments were produced using different tools.
Reuters
And here is the end result!
Reuters
The Blondeau foundry in La Chaux-de-Fonds, canton Neuchâtel, has been producing bells for the Olympic Games since 1980. The latest examples will perform at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.
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Alexander Thoele began working for SWI swissinfo.ch in 2002. He is of German and Brazilian origin. He was born in Rio de Janeiro and completed studies in journalism and computer science in Brasilia and Stuttgart.
The Olympic Games do not immediately conjure up images of bells, but they are frequently heard heralding the start of the final lap in running and cycling races. The watchmaker Omega, the official timer of the Olympic Games 2016, has ordered 21 bells for Rio.
The bellmaker is a small family business founded in the 1830s by Piedmontese immigrants. Today the company barely produces enough bells to allow business owner Serge Huguenin a livelihood. Since taking over the company from his father-in-law, Huguenin only works a few hours a week in his workshop where he makes bells to order or for tourist shops.
Reuters photographer Denis Balibouse visited the workshop in 2016, looking over Huhuenin’s shoulder as he produced his bells. The technical skill employed to make the bells has hardly changed over the centuries.
(Text: Alexander Thoele)
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