Alcide Matile

Alcide Matile (1884-1951) was a businessman from La Chaux-de-Fonds who worked for Doxa in Le Locle and established the Paternal Society there.

Alcide-Ernest Matile was born on December 30, 1884 in La Sagne.

In May 1918, Matile was given power of attorney for the general partnership Baume et Co, in London, overseeing its branch in La Chaux-de-Fonds. The company was a wholesaler of watches for the English market. He was replaced in this position in January 1924 by Louis Gaillard.

Matile moved to Le Locle in 1924, perhaps tempted by an offer to join the Doxa Watch Factory under Georges Ducommun and Jacques Nardin. He joined the firm alongside Bernard Laberty in September of that year. Matile may also have relocated to Le Locle to be with his father, Alcide Matile-Engler, a retired postal worker who died that year.

Having been involved in the Paternal Society for orphans in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Matile set up a similar society in Le Locle. He brought in industrialists Louis Tissot, Charles Aerni, Charles Gabus, and others to establish the organization in 1924. Sadly his own father died later that year. Matile served as the president of the organization, resigning in 1931, replaced by Georges Fallot.

Later in life, in 1941, Alcide-Ernest Matile set up a company under his name to trade in fabrics, lingerie, and keychains. This was continued by his widow, Bertha-Amanda Matile née Thiébaud (August 22, 1884-March 22 1965) until her death.

Alcide Matile died on June 18, 1951 in Le Locle.