Alfred Lugrin
Alfred Lugrin was a watchmaker and inventor in l'Orient in the Vallée de Joux in the late 19th century. His groundbreaking chronograph and chiming watch complications were patented and licensed to many makers, notably Jules-Frédéric Jeanneret and Leonidas in Saint-Imier.
Alfred-Jules-Fréderich Lugrin was born September 1, 1858 in Le Lieu. He was the son of Jules Lugrin, Bourgeois of Lieu, and Jeanne Françoise (née Cloux) and may have been the only son of the couple. He was known as Alfred Lugrin or A. Lugrin throughout his professional career.
Lugrin worked as a cowherd as a youth but became familiar with watchmaking, which was widely practiced at home workbenches at this time. He was hired as an assistant mechanic at LeCoultre in Le Sentier as a young man and showed great skill and inventiveness.
Lugrin formed his own namesake company in February 1885 at the age of 26 along with three friends. Lugrin married Alice Sophie (née Aubert) in 1887 with a daughter, Jane Louise, born a year later. A son, also named Alfred but called Fredo, came in 1892.
The company was initially located in Le Sentier near LeCoultre but moved down the valley to l'Orient in 1886 when demand required more space and workers. Lugrin initially produced ebauches for simple and complicated watches but began producing complications in-house soon after. Lugrin produced his first repeater in 1889, with a chronograph and rattrapante following soon after.
Patents
- CH225, February 11, 1889 - Nouveau système d'accrochement et de décrochement pour montres à répétition
- CH359, March 18, 1889 - Perfectionnements apportés à la construction des chronographes-compteurs
- CH782, April 5, 1889 - Mécanisme de montre à répétition à minutes, système simplifié et perfectionné
- CH3883, August 28, 1891 - Perfectionnement apporté à la construction des chronographes-compteurs
- CH6420, March 16, 1893 - Montre „Boston« avec chronographe noyé dans la platine
- CH12175, May 22, 1896 - Mécanisme de chronographe-compteur
- CH12662, July 31, 1896 - Mécanisme d'accrochement et de décrochement pour montres à répétition
- CH13803, February 3, 1897 - Mécanisme simplifié de répétition
- CH15522, October 16, 1897 - Mécanisme modérateur du petit rouage des montres à répétition
- CH17189, December 18, 1898 - Chronographe compteur de minutes
- CH21123, March 26, 1900 - Noureau système de mise en marche de la sonnerie d'une montre à répetition, par un poussoir
- CH23649, April 26, 1901 - Régulateur-modérateur de vitesse perfectionné pour mécanismes d'horlogerie
- CH23754, April 27, 1901 - Mécanisme de répétition
- CH23763, April 2, 1901 - Perfectionnement aux mouvements d'horlogerie à commande électrique
- CH26285, July 26, 1902 - Mécanisme de répétition à trois marteaux
- CH33812, June 26, 1905 - Mouvement de compteur de sport
- CH34495, August 1, 1905 - Compteur horaire d'électricité
- DE173843, July 14, 1906 - Elektrischer Schalter mit Zeitmesser
- CH44553, October 27, 1908 - Compteur de temps pour sports
- CH56063, March 21, 1911 - Compteur de temps pour sports