Today, if you ask nearly anyone, “What’s the epicenter of watchmaking?” the answer will resoundingly be, “Switzerland,” but you might be surprised to learn its neighbor to the west is largely responsible for the birth of modern watchmaking as we know it. In France, the earliest clocks date back to the Middle Ages, primarily used by clergymen. Fast forward a few hundred years, you’ll find the first “wearable clocks” emerging in France by the end of the 1400s.
Over the next couple hundred years, watchmaking became an increasingly thriving industry in France. However, the horological community experienced its first disruption in 1685. That year, King Louis XIV revoked of the Edict of Nantes, which had granted the minority Calvinist Protestants of France, also known as Huguenots, substantial rights in the nation, which was predominantly Catholic at the time. As a result of the revocation, there was a mass exodus of Huguenots from France across the border to Switzerland, many of whom were—you guessed it—watchmakers.

Still, the real golden age of French watchmaking came in the 1700s in conjunction with another major moment for the country: the Age of Enlightenment. During this time, Paris became the heart of the watchmaking industry. Here, in the Île de la Cité (one of two natural islands in the Seine River right in the center of the City of Light), is the Place Dauphone, a public square on the western end of the island opposite the iconic Notre-Dame Cathedrale. In the late 18th century, this area was home to the workshops of three prominent watchmakers: Abraham-Louis Breguet, Ferdinand Berthoud, and Jean-Antoine Lepine.
This golden age was ultimately short lived. By the onset of the French Revolution in 1789, Lepine was nearly 70 and had retired, Berthoud continued producing some clocks and marine chronometers but also shifted his focus to his publication of Histoire de la Mesure du Temps, and Breguet had fled to Switzerland to avoid execution for his affiliation with revolutionary leader Jean-Paul Marat.

By now you might be catching onto the trend of French watchmakers making their way across the Swiss border. This pilgrimage from France to Switzerland has largely contributed to the success of the Swiss watch industry as we know it today. Even now, it’s estimated that approximately 25% of the current workforce is made up of French nationals who cross the border to work in the Swiss watchmaking industry.
Yet, in recent years, there seems to be a notable resurgence of French brands bringing the craft and recognition back to the country. When you think of French brands, some big names might come to mind—Cartier, F.P. Journe, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Van Cleef & Arpels, and, of course, Breguet. However, each of these brands, while French founded or French owned, is in fact “Swiss Made.” So, who’s responsible for this French watchmaking renaissance? The answer is independents and microbrands, and we sat down with five of them to learn more about their contribution to the rise of French watchmaking in the current market.
The most tenured of the brands we tapped is Yema, which was founded back in 1948. Historically, it’s one of the best known watch brands in France and is now in its third generation of family leadership. Located in the small town of Morteau nestled in the iconic watchmaking region of the Jura Mountains just minutes from the Swiss border, Yema neighbors one of the largest watchmaking schools in France: the Lycee Edgar Faure.
“The irony is that about 80% of the graduates from that school immediately go to Switzerland to find their first job,” shares Antoine Fraisse, the head of Yema’s PR, Digital Marketing, and International Sales. “They build their experience, and then we see many of them return to France later in their careers to workshops like ours.”
While Fraisse couldn’t note a definitive reason they see folks in the industry return back to their French roots, he did point out some key differences between the Swiss and French watchmaking industries that could be influential.
“The Swiss watchmaking industry is very competitive, particularly today” Fraisse explains. “Now, so many Swiss brands have become public or managed under the umbrella of large groups—the stakes are high. Whereas in France, most of the brands are independently owned like Yema. We have a very tightknit community. We go out together, we discuss ideas. It’s not competitive, it’s collaborative.”
“I would also say French watchmaking is more driven by design and aesthetics rather than complex functionality,” Fraisse continues. “That helps us to keep our costs down and our watches to be priced more accessibly. We still manufacture a majority of things in-house,” he clarifies, “then whatever we outsource is all within a radius of 50 miles from our headquarters, so we keep quality, style, and price in mind for our collectors.”
Although Yema traces its roots back more than 75 years, the brand notably experienced a bit of a revival in 2018. This era, perhaps, marks this resurgence of French watchmaking. Between 2017 and 2019, we saw the launch of three of the most prominent French brands on the market: Baltic, Depancel, and Serica.
Baltic was founded by three French watch enthusiasts and friends, with Etienne Malec taking the lead on the project since its inception. The company began on Kickstarter back in 2017 with two models and a goal of 60,000 Euros, but it ended up notching over half a million thanks to overwhelming enthusiasm from the collector community for the brand’s designs and vision.
“A focus on design is definitely a strength of French watchmaking,” affirms Remi Martin, Sales Manager at Baltic. “Rather than focusing solely on the technical aspects, French brands often focus on form first and then adapt the technical aspects to work around the design. Shapes, materials, and textures play a huge role,” he continues. “The goal is always to end up with something new by experimenting as much as possible. I think that the French have this little extra flair, that je-ne-sais-quoi. To be true to its identity, a French brand needs to be daring, without being ostentatious. That balance is what makes French brands so different.”
For Baltic, it is always about the balancing act—negotiating form and function, boldness and subtlety, past and present. “We try our best to blend tradition and modernity to make something that feels new but also familiar at the time,” explains Martin. Take, for instance the brand’s MR Classic collection, which features iconic Breguet numerals as a homage to one of the legends in French watchmaking. Instead of painting them on the dial in the traditional method, the brand opted to make them applied and oversized for a more contemporary look.