In 1900, Constant Periat opened his first workshop in the Swiss Jura Region at Alle. “He specialized in the assembling of movements and complications”. Periat has always believed in working with the local labor force as he was convinced that “human capital is the strong added value of the company”.

In 1948, the son of Constant Periat, Gilbert Periat takes over the company and opens a workshop under the name of Geraldy SA.

In 1952, the Hebe brand is acquired by the company.

Between 1952 and 1965, Hebe Watch sells their watches to China, the United States, Cuba, Africa and Turkey.

Between 1965 and 1975, Gilbert Periat concentrates on supporting the local work force and creates a new product line.

Between 1975 and 1990, the quartz movements are very popular but Hebe Watch Company still believes in the mechanical movement.

Between 1995 and 2007, Hebe Watch Company specialized in a private label.

Between 2007 and 2010, Pierre Beuret invests in Hebe Watch and becomes its owner. At the time of Baselworld 2008, Hebe Watch produces a new line of chronographs and skeletons.

In March of 2011, Hebe Watch Company enjoys its 42nd year of “participation of Hebe Watch at Baselworld” and celebrates 111 years in the watch industry.

The New Haven Clock Company was founded on February 7, 1853 by Hiram Camp. The company supplied clock movements to the Jerome Manufacturing Company. Jerome went bankrupt three years later but the company purchased Jerome Manufacturing with $20,000 dollars.

By 1860, the company employed 315 people and produced 170,000 clocks that year.

In 1866, Jerome Factory burned down but a new factory was built employing 512 men and women and 88 children.

By 1880, they produced nearly a million dollars worth of clocks.

From 1880 until 1950, New Haven Clock Company offered non-jeweled pocket watches.

In 1891, President Hiram Camp resigned and Samuel Galpin took over. The company nearly went bankrupt in 1894 but enough money was raised to continue until March 1897 when the company reorganized.

In 1902, the company was modernized and watches were produced more cheaply under the leadership of Walter C. Camp.

In 1923, Edwin P. Root took the helm and in March 1946, “the firm resumed clock and watch manufacture and was reorganized as the New Haven Clock and Watch Company”.

In 1956, the company reorganized under Chapter X of bankruptcy and on March 22 through the 24th of 1960, the company was sold at a public auction.

In February 1929, financial trouble came again under the leadership of Richard H. Whitehead as president. Although the Depression was intensifying, Whitehead was able to keep the company and earnings growing until World War II.

Between 1943 and 1945, the company was only producing products for the war.

Leon Breitling founded the Breitling Company in 1884 in St. Imer, Switzerland and in 1892, relocated to La Chaux-de-Fonds.

In 1914, Leon Breitling’s son, Gaston, takes over the company business at his father’s death.

In 1915, Gaston Breitling creates the first chronograph wrist watch and gives it to pilots with “their first wrist instruments”.

In 1923, the first independent push piece is developed by Breitling.

In 1932, Gaston’s son, Willy Breitling, takes over the company business.

In 1934, the first return to a zero push piece is developed.

In 1936, “Breitling becomes the official supplier to the Royal Air Force.

In 1942, the first chronograph with a circular slide rule is introduced.

In 1962, the Cosmonaute Chronograph is worn on the wrist of Astronaut Scott Carpenter during his orbital flight on the Aurora 7.

In 1969, Breitling invents the first self-winding chronograph movement along with the help of Buren and Heuer-Leonidas.

In 1979, Ernest Schneider takes over the Breitling Company.

In 1984, the mechanical Chronomat is introduced and is still one of Breitling’s most popular watches today.

In 1995, Breitling introduces the Emergency, a watch which transmits on the aircraft emergency frequency.

In 2000, Breitling opens their new headquarters in Grenchen, Switzerland made up of a modernized administration building and the most up to date production facility.

In 2002, Breitling Chronometrie is established in La Chaux-de-Fonds specializing in making mechanical chronograph movements.

The Uhrenmanufaktur Heuer AG was founded in 1860 by Edouard Heuer. His workshop in the Swiss Jura Switzerland region opened that year.

The Uhrenmanufaktur Heuer Company found a niche for itself by producing high quality precision watches perfect for timing sporting events. They produced stopwatches and water resistant watches. Heuer is known for timing sporting events for the Olympics, FIS Ski World Cup and FIA Formula I World Championship as well as “other major international sporting events – automobile racing and ski competitions since the early 1900’s”. The Uhrenmanufaktur Heuer Company is known for producing sports watches and chronographs.

In 1822, Heuer produced the first chronograph which he patents.

In 1911, Heuer manufactured the first automobile dash-board chronograph called the “Time of Trip”.

In 1916, the company introduced a stop watch which is accurate to 1/100th of a second.

In 1920, Heuer was the timekeeper for the Antwrep, Paris and Amsterdam Olympics.

In 1933, Heuer offers the first dash-board stopwatch for race cars called the “Autavia”.

In 1950, Heuer introduces the “Mareograph-Seafarer” wrist watch.

In 1965, a patent for the “Microtimer” a miniature timekeeping device that is accurate to 1/1000th of a second is received.

In 1971 through 1979, Heuer is “named the official time keeper for Formula One racing”.

In 1985, Heuer joined the “Tag” group and their name changed to Tag-Heuer.

The Elgin Company was founded on April 25, 1865. The first officers were Benjamin Raymond, President Philo Carpenter, Vice President Thomas Dickerson, Treasurer and George Wheeler, Secretary.

The first movement was produced from the factory on April 1, 1867. It was during that time that watches took six months to complete. That first watch, the B.W. Raymond sold for $117 dollars when pork chops sold for three cents. The watch was purchased several years ago by the city of Elgin at an auction for $15,000 dollars.

On May 20, 1869 the first “Lady Elgin” was introduced. On September 8, 1871 the “Francis Rubie” watch was adjusted to temperature by Gail Borden and then again on December 20, 1871 by Dexter Street.

Elgin like most watch companies sold their movement to wholesalers who then sold them to retailers. On June 28, 1873 the first stem wind movement was manufactured followed by the movements of Culver, Taylor, Wheeler, LaFlin and Ogden.

The name of the company changed to “The Elgin National Watch Company” on May 12, 1874.

On August 18, 1877, the first nickel movement hit the market. Stem wind watches were offered on June 11, 1878. Later that same year, “four grades of 16 size, three quarter plate, stem wind movements began production”. They were considered quite the watch being used for hunting or as an open face case.

In 1888, the factory manufactured approximately 7500 movements per week. One fifth of them were key wind and one tenth of them were nickel. At the time, women earned $6.00 a week while men earned $3.00 a day. Quite the discrepancy in wages.

During World War I, 350 people were trained to make precision repairs required on the battlefield. During World War II, only military watches were made. Chronometers were made for the Navy. “Fuses for artillery shells, altimeters and instruments for aircraft and sapphire bearings used in the aiming of cannons” were produced.

After World War II, the Elgin watch was manufactured again along with transistor radios, decorator clocks and wedding bands. “The clock tower of the National Street plant was torn down on October 7, 1966”.

In 1921, The Elgin Watchmakers College was opened at 267 South Grove Avenue in Elgin. Plants in Elgin, Illinois were opened in 1866, 1947 and 1950. A 72,000 square foot plant was opened in 1963 but closed in 1968. Another plant, making casings, fittings and used for shipping and service was closed in 1970.

New watches holding the names of Elgin, Watham, Benrus and Gruen may look the same as the vintage watches but they may not be of the same quality containing quartz movements instead of mechanical movements.

Rolex was originally known as Wilsdorf and Davis Ltd. named after its owners, Hans Wilhelm Wilsdorf and Alfred James Davis in 1905. In 1908, after the marriage of Davis to Wilsdorf’s younger sister, the company was registered as Rolex. It was thought that Rolex was an easy name to pronounce and spell in any language.

At the beginning, they focused on pocket watches (wrist watches were considered feminine) and travel clocks. Later, Wilsdorf began to manufacture wrist watches for men. During the Boer War in South Africa, soldiers were wearing pocket watches strapped to their wrists to free up their hands and because it was too hot to carry a pocket watch in a jacket.

During World War II, the British Government demanded a tax of “33% on all imported watches, clocks and parts”. During this difficult time, Rolex moved to London then to Bienne and finally to Geneva in 1919 to avoid the tax.

In 1926, the Rolex Logo appeared on all their watch dials. During that same year, Wilsdorf bought the patent for a moisture proof winding stem and button. Rolex then went to the market with the world’s first waterproof case known as the “Oyster”. To prove its reliability, Mercedes Gleitze wore the Oyster waterproof watch as she swam across the English Channel in 1927.

In 1945, the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation was started so that the company could run in his absence and could not be sold to “an unfriendly aggressor”.

On November 24, 1945, Rolex delivered the “Datejust” to the market place. It was the first watch that showed the date on the dial. The watch is still exceedingly successful today. During that same, year Rolex introduced the less expensive “Tudor”.

Since that year, Rolex has successfully tested the waterproof “Deep Sea Special” at a depth of 10,336 feet. This was the beginning of their endeavor to build the Rolex Oyster Perpetual “Submariner” which was waterproof to 600 feet. It became wildly successful just as it is today.

In 1954, the “GMT Master” was launched. This watch was meant to be used by pilots that crossed different time zones.

In 1956, the “Day Date” was released. This watch contained the date and time. It was a first for the marketplace.

Later, the “Cosmograph Daytona” was introduced and it received wide acclaim.

On July 6, 1960, Han Wilhelm Wilsdorf died at the age of 79.

Since that time, Rolex has continued to create innovative watches that have captured the attention of the public worldwide.