Villeret is first mentioned in 1390 as
Villeret. During the
Late Middle Ages and the
Early Modern Era it was part of the
seigniory of
Erguel under the
Prince-Bishop of
Basel. After the
1797 French victory and the
Treaty of Campo Formio, Villeret became part of the French
Département of
Mont-Terrible. Three years later, in 1800 it became part of the Département of
Haut-Rhin. After
Napoleon's defeat and the
Congress of Vienna, Villeret was assigned to the Canton of Bern in 1815. In 1932 the Combe-Grède/Chasseral nature reserve was established in the municipal borders. The village was part of the
parish of
Saint-Imier until 1951, when it separated to form an independent parish. The village
Reformed church was built in 1936-37. During the mid-18th century a number of forges, mills, sawmills and
hammermills were built along the
Suze river. The numerous mills and available water power attracted many blacksmiths,
nailsmiths and locksmiths to the village. In 1725, the watch industry first entered the village and the craftsmen began producing watch parts. Starting in 1735, watchmaking moguls such as the
Blancpain family built houses, infrastructure, factories and public areas to attract skilled craftsmen to Villeret. The completion of the
Biel-
Les Convers railroad in 1874 caused another population boom, which had reached its zenith by 1910. The financial crises of the 1930s and 1970s devastated the watch industry. The industry began to recover in 1993 when
Cartier decided to open to factory in Villeret. This was followed in 2000 by the Straumann dental implants and instruments factory. However, in 2003, Cartier closed their factory. In 2005, the manufacturing sector makes up almost three-fourths of all jobs in the municipality. ==Geography==