Horologii

DuBois et fils – from the ‘Oldest Watch Factory in the World’

DuBois et fils watches have just announced they have finally launched in the UK with Jura Watches, the brand which boasts the oldest watch factory (opened in 1785 to be precise) is still housed in Le Locle in the heart of the Swiss watch industry – alongside many other international brands.

Moïse DuBois begin watch production in 1751 before handing over the business to his son Philippe 9 years later, Philippe chose to rename the business DuBois et fils (translating to ‘and son’) when his sons joined the business in 1785 – the embodiment of a family establishment.

The company began to grown rapidly, earning itself a reputation for the production of quality pocket watches, meaning important figures of the day were in possession of Du Bois et fils watches includiDuBois Pocket Watchng the King of Prussia. So pioneering was the company that in 1804 Philippe sold the first pocket watches to America following which, over a century later DuBois et fils introduced the first wristwatches to their offering.

Fast-forward two centuries and the DuBois et fils sadly ceased trading until 2010 when watch lover, collector and former director of Fossil Watches, Thomas Steinemann, bought the company. Continuing with the values and entrepreneurial spirit of the DuBois family, Steinemann set up a unique crowd funding project to raise capital to relaunch the brand – the first of its kind in the DuBois first wristwatchluxury industry.

In 2013 the company caused a major international stir as almost 600 people from 21 countries chose to support the project – enabling the successful relaunch of the brand – this has since increased to over 800 aficionados from 29 countries becoming shareholders. These shareholders are deeply involved as the company practises an exciting and ground-breaking relationship with transparent and open communication.

Staying true to the unique and innovative heritage of the DuBois et fils brand, the production
follows the traditional high-quality Swiss watching making techniques and the individual series’ are limited to a maximum of 99 timepieces – making them a rare and exclusive piece of jewellery.

The all-important shareholders are welcomed as brand ambassadors and dbs-010-dubois-watch-chronograph-big-date-limited-edition-dbf001-10are part of the exclusive community: the Nomads of Time.

The luxury brand uses the slogan of ‘Nomads of Time’ which signifies the return to values of exclusivity, authenticity, individuality and of course, high quality craftsmanship, DuBois et fils watches blend modernity and tradition which is what each watch stands for – sympathetically staying true to its original heritage.

The only place in the UK you can get your hands on these elegant times pieces is Jura Watches.