Georges Favre-Jacot pocket watch, ca. 1880.

Le Locle-Switzerland, ca 1880. Silver savonette or full hunter, Swiss hallmarks. Chatelaine with porcelain painted cherub.

Georges Favre Jacot 1843-1917.

In Le Locle, where Swiss watchmaking started, Georges Favre-Jacot became watchmaker with apprentices.   He wanted to create the most accurate and reliable watches that could be made. He started revolutionize production methods.   Before that time, artisans were scattered among small workshops in the surrounding region or worked from their home without ffective relationship to each other or the selling market.   Zenith SA is a Swiss watchmaker. This company was started in 1865 by Georges Favre-Jacot at the age of 22, in Le Locle in the canton of neuchatel.   At the age of 22, in 1865, Georges Favre Jacot commissioned the building of premises where he brought together the full range of watchmaking professions, the production of movement components as well as watch cases and enamel dials.   One of the first true watchmaking factory in history was born.    This was a giant step forward in creating high quality watch movements and complete watches.   Georges Favre Jacot never stopped innovating and developping new machinery and production methods.   to improve the quality and precision of the produced timepieces, by for example interchangeable components in produced watches, cases and dials.   The Manufacture in Le Locle was definitively named Zenith in 1911, with completion of the construction work that lent the site its unique character and industrial architecture (now listed as UNESCO world heritage site, along with the towns of Le Locle and La Chaux-de-Fonds).   After 1911 results were not long in coming and Zenith established itself firmly on the international markets in the 19th century.   By offering the most reliable and accurate watches ever made, the Manufacture soon earned worldwide recognition of its virtuosity and sealed its destiny as bound up with chronometric (precision-timing) performance.   Georges Favre Jacot worked closely with the star architect of that era, Alphonse Laverriere, in connecting the art of industry to marketing by creating the visual aspects of a company and its production into shop design, presentation boxes, package paper, display stands, sales advertising etc. in an artistic and aestetic way.   By this way they gave birth to what is nowadays known as a "Flag ship Store".  

Georges Favre Jacot pocket watch and chatelaine.

                 

  

                     

   

   

                      

           

                     

                    

  

                  

  

  

  

                                            

   

                 

                                                 

   

         

                              

                

---

175.