Jacques-Frédéric Houriet, a Swiss clock maker and chronometer maker was born at La Chaux d'Abel, near La Ferriere, on February 25th, 1748.  At the age of 16, he left for Paris to train; he started his apprenticeship and worked for Julien le Roy, Pierre le Roy, and Ferdinand Berthoud from 1759 until 1768. During that period he also apprenticed with his uncle, Abraham Gagnebin who was a renowned Swiss physician and naturalist at that time. 

He collaborated with Ferdinand's nephew, (Pierre) Louis Berthoud, while working for Berthoud and formed strong bonds with Abraham Louis Breguet, Jean Romilly, Antide Janvier, and Louis Recordon during his time in Paris. 

Following his years of studies in France's capital, at the age of 25, he returned to Switzerland and settled in Le Locle, where, he collaborated alongside his brother and two sisters. 

He became business partners with David Courvoisier, who was the head of the firm Courvoisier & Films at the time. Urban Jürgensen joined him as an employee in 1797. He was also a member of the Paris Academy of Sciences and an honorary member of the Genevan Society of Arts. 

Jacques designed 77 different watch movements (calibres) during his professional career, each of which he meticulously detailed using brass templates. All of these templates were placed "in the fourth drawer on the left hand side of his workbench" to be used as patterns by his workers when an order came in. This group of patterns has lasted till date. Others, like FH#64, a template for a Tourbillion watch constructed for Breguet according to his specifications, are for outstanding timekeepers. Houriet created nine examples in 1809, which became Breguet Nos. 2566 – 2572 and 2728 – 2729.

Jacques opted to continue working alone at the age of 75, honing his skills in designing accurate pocket chronometers and custom-made goods were his specialties.

Despite his old age, he continued to study the foundations of isochronism, temperature compensation, and the effects of magnetism on chronometers. This is how the concept of golden hair springs, or more precisely “Spherical hair springs”, was born in the form of an orb or a spheroid. 

Owing to all his inventions and contribution to watchmaking, Jacques Houriet was widely regarded as the inventor of the Swiss chronometry.