Philippe Hüther
Philippe Hüther was a merchant from Baden who is remembered for establishing the Tudor brand.
Philippe Hüther was born before the 1860s and died in 1925. Many sources list his name as "Huther" though it appears that it was officially spelled "Hüther" with an umlaut. He married Augustine-Henriette Leuba (daughter of Auguste Leuba) before 1899 but his wife is listed as Lina Hüther-Schlegel on his death. Lina outlived him and was primarily responsible for the registration and establishment of The Tudor brand and the sale of the name to Hans Wilsdorf in 1936.
On March 26, 1883, Hüther registered the name Ph. Hüther at Rue du Centre in Aigle. This was a grocer, haberdasher, and general merchandise store. The business was taken over by his wife, Augustine-Henriette (née Leuba) on June 28, 1899 and it was then known as A. Hüther.
Philippe Huther established a watchmaking business in Columbier, where he now lived, on July 20, 1917, registering it 3 days later. Yet the home and watchmaking workshop there, at Pontenet 13, was listed for sale in August 1918. Although Philippe was still alive, the listing says that A. Héritier-Hüther of Auvernier handled the sale.
A death announcement made March 18, 1925 does not list a date of death but does show the name of his wife as Lina Hüther-Schlegel. His supplies were liquidated in May, suggesting that his wife did not continue manufacturing watches after his death. But Lina Hüther did re-register the company (now as "Veuve de Philippe Hüther") on February 24, 1926, so the retail operation continued.
On March 9, 1926, Veuve de Philippe Hüther registered the brand name "The Tudor" for watches, watch components, and cases. This would be Philippe Hüther's lasting legacy and it occurred nearly a year after his death. There is no indication of official activity for the brand until a decade later. On November 14, 1936, the registration (Swiss number 61318) was taken over by Hans Wilsdorf, Rue du Marché, Geneva, home of Rolex.
A Société Anonyme, Huther SA, was created on April 26, 1947 to take over the assets of Veuve de Philippe Hüther. This new firm was established with 50,000 francs and operated by André Ochsner of La Chaux-de-Fonds, president, and Suzanne Huther of Colombier, vice president. The company was located at Rue de la Côte 12 in Colombier.