Fabrique d'Horlogerie de Fontainemelon

Fabrique d'Horlogerie de Fontainemelon (FHF) was a Swiss watch movement manufacturer. It became part of Ebauches SA in 1926 and was absorbed by ETA in 1985.

History

The Fabrique d'Horlogerie de Fontainemelon was founded in 1793 by Isaac and David Benguerel together with Julien and Francois Humbert-Droz in Fontainemelon under the name "Benguerel & Humbert" and is the oldest Ebauche movement manufacturer in the world. In 1816, FHF started industrial production of watch movements in its first factory, a move which would be the foundation for ETA, today the largest movement manufacture.

FHF expanded throughout the 19th century, purchasing a factory in Corgémont in 1838 to use hydraulic energy from the River Suze and adding steam power in 1862. By 1876, FHF was producing 240,000 ebauches per year with 400 employees. In 1900, Paul Robert modernized an FHF workshop with American machines, bringing the quality of Swiss watches up to the standard of American factories. FHF merged with Landeron in 1925 and became a founding member of Ebauches SA in 1926.

In the 1950's, FHF was relegated to mass-production of watch movements for Ebauches SA. They introduced a low-priced mechanical option which became the "standard" grade in 1955, and were precluded from advanced developments. By the mid 1960s, the FHF Standard Cal. 608 was the most popular movement in the world, with over 40 million examples produced.

In 1979, FHF introduced the mini-quartz, the world's smallest movement.

By 1982, the quartz crisis forced Ebauches SA to reorganize its movement manufacturers. Focus was moved from FHF, and the company was effectively dissolved into ETA in 1985.

FHF Calibres

• Standard
  • Standard 608 - 6.75 x 8 ligne tonneau (Also Standard 609 and Standard 69)
  • Standard 96 - 11.5 ligne (Also 961, 962, 963, 964, 965, 969)
• Automatic
  • FHF 65 - 13.25 ligne
  • FHF 905 - 11.5 ligne (Also FHF 908, FHF 909, and FHF 90)

Detailed Timeline

• 1793, October 31: Benguerel-Humbert is established by David Benguerel, Isaac Benguerel dit Perroud, François Humbert-Droz, Julien Humbert-Droz
• 1812: The company is known as Humbert Frères under François Humbert-Droz (-1824?), Julien Humbert-Droz
• About 1821: Jacob Robert-Tissot marries Mélanie Humbert-Droz and joins the firm
• 1825, January 1: The company becomes known as Robert & Cie under Jacob Robert-Tissot (1792-1865), Frédéric Robert-Tissot (-1831), Julien Benguerel
• 1838: Purchase of Eguet Frères of Corgémont
• 1842: Benguerel departs the firm
• 1846: Henri Robert (1823-1896) and Auguste Robert-Tissot (1826-1892) join the firm
• 1850: Purchase of the Morel mill in Corgémont
• 1865 about: Charles-Edouard Ramus and David-Samuel Mérillat become partners
• 1870 about: David-Samuel Mérillat dies
• 1873: Edouard Junod (1847-1910) joins as technical director
• 1876: The company is incorporated as Fabrique d’Horlogerie de Fontainemelon SA
• 1876: Charles-Edouard Ramus becomes operations manager
• 1884: Charles Junod (1855-1919) becomes director of the Corgémont site
• 1890: Auguste-Charles Robert-Tissot (1857-1907) and Paul Robert (1863-1940) join the firm
• 1900: Paul Robert introduces American-style mass production
• 1907: Auguste-Charles Robert-Tissot dies
• 1907 about: Emile Perrenoud becomes commercial director
• 1910: Charles Junod becomes technical director
• 1912: Maurice Robert (1888-1953) joins the firm
• 1918: Maurice Robert is appointed manager
• 1919: Charles Junod dies
• 1925: Emile Perrenoud retires to become a board member
• 1925: Charles Hahn & Cie. (Le Landeron) is merged into FHF, becoming Fabrique d’Horlogerie de Fontainemelon, Succursale du Landeron
• 1925 - May 4 - The company is reorganized at a special meeting: A board of directors is appointed for the first time, consisting of Paul Robert-Tissot, Maurice Robert-Tissot, Emile-Antoine Perrenoud, Raoul-Armand Goetschmann, and lawyer Auguste Roulet. Maurice Robert is managing director; Sydney de Coulon becomes representative; Paul-Arthur Vogt, Henri Brand, and Paul Vuille are proxyholders
• 1926: FHF joins Ebauches SA
• 1926, December 27: FHF is a founding member of Ebauches S.A. along with Adolphe Michel SA and A. Schild SA, both of Grenchen
• 1940, March 9: Paul Robert dies
• 1945: Denis Robert (1925-2001) joins the firm
• 1951, December 1: Otto von Aesch is named technical director and Pierre Fallot becomes administrative director
• 1953: Maurice Robert dies and is replaced by Denis Robert (1925-2001)
• 1954: FHF celebrates the delivery of their 20,000,000th ebauche
• 1955: FHF introduces the “standard grade movement”, the most popular in the world
• 1957: A small factory is opened in Isérables
• 1961: The Fontainemelon factory is renovated
• 1962: The Fontaines factory is opened
• Before 1960s: The Chézard factory is part of FHF
• 1968: The southern Corgémont factory is replaced
• 1968: Pierre Fallot and Otto von Aesch retire on the same day
• 1970s: SEFEA is integrated into FHF with the Annemasse factory
• 1973: The Sion factory is opened
• 1979: FHF introduces the “mini quartz” movement
• 1979, April 6: Peseux, Fleurier, Tavannes, Unitas (Tramelan), and Valjoux (Les Bioux) become subsidiaries of FHF
• 1979: Beaumann (Les Bois) is added
• 1982, April 7: Denis Robert takes early retirement, replaced by Ernst Thomke as Ebauches S.A. reduces autonomy and management to just FHF, ETA, and EEM
• 1982: SEFEA Annemasse is attached to FHF under Charles Porret
• 1983: The Le Landeron factory is closed
• 1983, April 1: The Isérables branch is closed
• 1985: FHF becomes part of the new ETA
• 1985: Ebauches SA is dissolved into SMH, becoming ETA SA Fabrique d’Ebauches
• 1995: The Fontainemelon factory is ravaged by fire