Not only the sons, but also the journeymen of Leonhard I. Bury (1633-1706) had to build up their livelihood outside Basel, for example Gédéon Guymet dit de Beaulieu in Strasbourg and Düsseldorf or Henry Collomby in Huningue. Bury's Basel apprentice Johann Heinrich Petri moved to Geneva
From the middle of the 18th century - with the growing, high-quality production in western Switzerland - Basel watchmaking lost its importance. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the need for quality watches was met by imports from France and Paris. The local goldsmiths and watchmakers had dials with their names made for them. Pocket watches were also used as a ceremonial gift or a sign of special merit.