La Concorde

La Concorde was the name used in the early 20th century for the Le Locle-based assortiment factory established in 1850 by the Huguenin brothers that became the foundation for Nivarox-FAR.

In 1850, the brothers William Huguenin and Charles-Louis Huguenin came from La Brévine to settle in Le Locle to produce assortiments for watches. Their earliest products included the anchor and escape wheel needed to produce watches. After his death, Charles-Louis Huguenin's widow Sophie took over managing the firm until her sons were old enough.

Louis Huguenin (1869-1940) and his brother Charles Huguenin took over the family business. Officially called Chs et Ls Huguenin, it was commonly called Fabrique d'Assortiments pour Echappements à Ancres. Under their leadership, the company acquired a reputation for quality and became the largest such factory in Le Locle. It was later known by the brand name "La Concorde".

Louis Huguenin's contributions to the watchmaking industry extended beyond his own company, as he pressed for greater consolidation following the establishment of FSR. He was a driving force behind the setting up of watchmaking organizations, leading to the conclusion of agreements and the constitution of ASUAG, where he was part of the management committee. He pressed for the creation of the Fabriques d'Assortiments Réunies, which took over his family firm and others in the 1930s, culminating with a monopoly on production of assortiments in 1945.

After the death of Louis Huguenin in 1940, his son Louis Huguenin-Jeanneret (1894-1973) took up the task. He had worked at La Concorde since 1914 and took over management with his brother when their father died. When Nivarox SA was formed in 1937, Louis Huguenin (junior) was named secretary of the board, a position he retained until 1972.

Louis Huguenin's son, Charles-Louis Huguenin continued the family work through the consolidation of all spring factories as Nivarox SA in 1976 and the consolidation of this with FAR and FBR as Nivarox-FAR in 1984.