Charles Poncet was born on June 21, 1868 in Arâches, a small rural town above Cluses. Originally from a family of artisan watchmakers, an activity then predominant in Arâches, he was a student at the ENH from 1883 to 1886. In 1892, he accepted the position of assistant workshop manager offered to him by Emile Peltre, director at the time. Its mission is to open
the minor mechanics and electricity section. It is true that this brand new science and its applications in mechanics fascinate him and he very quickly sees the benefits that local industry can derive from it.
On the proposal of director Jean Lavaivre, he was appointed to the management of the school on October 1, 1905 and remained there for 30 years.
A tireless worker, he combines the functions of director, watchmaking, mechanics and electricity teacher and is nonetheless a technician at heart. Author of several highly acclaimed books (L'Horlogerie Electrique, L'Horloger, Sonnerie d'horloges et de montres), he also animates the newsletter of the Amicale des Anciens Elèves with highly technical articles and visionary analyses. He developed the master clock (presented at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1900), a clockwork movement for time bombs (during the 1914-1918 war), automatic winding regulators. This last type of pendulum and several others were sold by the designer to an industrial company in formation in Cluses: Dynamos.