Aurèle Maire

Aurèle Maire-Deléglise was a Swiss watchmaker who became technical director for Longines in the 1970s.

Aurèle Maire was born in 1923 to watchmaker Aurèle Maire-Pellaton (1895-1977). His father married Marie-Madeline Pellaton (1896-1983), daughter of Georges Pellaton-Steudler, founder of the Martel Watch Co. His brother, Robert-Maurice, was born four years later and would become technical director of Martel and would replace Aurèle as technical director of Zenith.

The Maire family lived in Ponts-de-Martel, a small town near Le Locle famous for talented makers of complicated watches. Aurèle trained as a pilot during World War II while also attending the Technicum in Neuchâtel. He was a talented watchmaker, winning second prize for marine chronometers at the 1946 Concours de Chronomètres at the Neuchâtel Observatory. He graduated with a diploma as a horloger-technicien "with congratulations from the jury." He won the same prize again in 1951, again placing second to respected firm of Ulysse Nardin.

Aurèle Maire opened a movement finishing workshop in Les Ponts-de-Martel under his own name by 1954.