timekeeping type privately held company industry watch movement & case manufacturing founded 1466 by humbertus gallet under family name geneva switzerland later registered as gallet & cie in 1826 by julien gallet la chaux de fonds switzerland headquarters zollikon z rich switzerland key people walter hediger ceo david r. laurence coo rick hoel cao amanda slaz creative director products wristwatches stopwatches and industrial timers for professional application website gallet official website gallet is a historic swiss manufacturer of high end timepieces for professional military sports racing and aviation use . gallet pronunciation gal ey g l.e is the world s oldest watch and clock making house with history dating back to humbertus gallet a clock maker who became a citizen of geneva in 1466 . 1 2 the gallet & cie gallet & company name was officially registered by julien gallet 1806 1849 in 1826 3 who moved the family business from geneva to la chaux de fonds switzerland . prior to this date operations commenced under the name of each of the gallet family patriarchs . gallet is best known during the 20th century to the present day for its line of multichron chronograph wristwatches . produced primarily for military industrial and other professional applications 4 gallet s multichron watches often incorporated a number of advanced timekeeping innovations . 5 6 a gallet timepiece of particular renown was the flight officer time zone chronograph . commissioned by senator harry s. truman in 1939 7 for pilots of the united states army air forces the flight officer a.k.a. flying officer had a rotating 12 hour bezel and the names of 23 major world cities printed on the periphery of the dial face . these features made it possible to calculate changes in the time as an aviator flew across lines of longitude . besides being the first time zone calculating wristwatch the flight officer was the first wristwatch with a rotating bezel and one of the world s first wrist chronographs to be housed in a water resistant case . 5 truman wore a gallet flight officer during his terms as 33rd president 1945 1953 . the modern gallet company is one of a small handful of independent swiss watch brands that still maintain in house manufacturing facilities . while recently expanding the company s marketing focus to reach a wider audience of civilian consumers for its expensive professional use timepieces gallet continues to privately produce components and modules for a number of other entities within the luxury class timekeeping industry . contents 1 history 2 time line 3 early innovations 4 early awards and recognition 5 gallet brands trademarks pre 1940s 6 gallet watch and clock making dynasty 7 wrist watch models 1900 to the present 8 vintage wrist watch gallery 9 historic timer gallery 10 references 11 bibliography 12 external links history edit final assembly of watches in the la chaux de fonds workshop c. late 19th century for the gallet family of watchmakers the relocation to la chaux de fonds in 1826 after 350 years in geneva 8 proved to be a most advantageous move . with the resources available in the watch valley family patriarch julien gallet 1806 1849 was able to expand the new company s distribution of its pocket watches to all of europe . in 1855 julien gallet s son l on 1832 1899 purchased grumbach & co. complete with factory and equipment to address the need for greater manufacturing capabilities . with this increase in work area gallet was able to bring together under one roof many of the jura region s watchmakers to help meet europe s increasing demand for watches . l on gallet allowed his watchmakers to benefit through the registration of patents in their own names . this unique approach inspired innovation with gallet s artisans and allowed the company to offer a very extensive range of watches . with innovation came growth and gallet & cie grew to become one of the largest timekeeping manufacturers in switzerland . l on gallet set his sights on the rest of the world markets . in 1864 l on s brother lucien gallet 1834 1879 established the company s first us location in chicago 9 with a new york city office following soon after . together with jules racine a cousin of the gallet brothers living in the us the company began its expansion into the american market . 10 due to the american consumer s preference for domestically styled products the gallet company created numerous new lines to accommodate this . not including watches privately labeled for established jewelry retailers gallet introduced thirty seven new brands . 11 while the names that appeared on the dials and the overall appearance and function of these watches were tailored to american tastes all cases and movements continued to be produced in gallet s la chaux fonds workshop . each of the numerous brands were designed to target a different demographic . lower priced watches were supplied to the average working man as well as expensive high grade and complicated timepieces in solid gold cases for the wealthy . gallet s finest pocket watches hand built in the classic swiss tradition and retaining the family flagship and electa names were always available . although not initially successful included with the company s american offerings in 1895 were the world s first wrist worn watches produced for mass consumption . by the end of the 19th century the gallet family was manufacturing and selling over 100 000 timepieces per year . when the worldwide economic downturn of the 1930s caused international trade to plunge by as much as two thirds it suddenly became unprofitable for the gallet company to continue production of many of its recently established brands . gallet chose instead to consolidate its efforts back into its primary area of expertise that of the manufacture of high quality professional use timepieces . under the family name the gallet company continued to flourish by providing hand held timers 12 and chronograph wristwatches to allied military and industrial clients during the years leading up to and through world war ii . during this period the gallet s sales again surpassed 100 000 units annually . a wartime gallet timepiece of particular renown was the flight officer time zone chronograph 1939 present . commissioned by senator harry s. truman s senatorial staff in 1939 for the united states army air force this wristwatch made it possible to calculate changes in the time as a pilot flew across lines of longitude . 7 after the war gallet s renewed worldwide popularity with civilians and professionals in the fields of aviation sports medicine and technology eliminated the necessity to manufacture numerous secondary brands . with the exception of the few brand names that the company retained for its sports and industrial stopwatch lines most of gallet s previously held trademarks went back into circulation . time line edit japanese fan and laurel trademark registered in 1896 by julien gallet 1862 1934 . this mark was used for swiss made laurel watches exported to kintar hattori founder of the seiko company and gallet s trade partner in japan during the late 19th and early 20th century . gallet wins the grand diploma of honor at the 1905 liege exhibition . produced in gallet s la chaux de fonds electa workshop . 18k gold art nouveau styled case 23 ruby manufactured movement adjusted to 5 positions and temperatures . the gallet flight officer 1939 commissioned by harry s truman s senatorial staff for issue to pilots of the us army air force during wwii . 1466 humbertus gallet living and working in geneva becomes a citizen of the republic on 18 april . 8 historical references point to his profession as a horloger or clock maker . 2 1685 due to the abolition by french king louis xiv of the tolerance agreement of nantes additional members of the bourg en bresse gallet family whose professions are documented as goldsmiths and watchmakers join their relatives in geneva to live and practice their trade . 1702 philippe gallet 1679 1739 son of jacques gallet 1649 1700 and marie bouvier gallet is included in the geneva registry of jewelers and watchmakers . 2 1742 pierre gallet 1712 1768 marries noblewoman jeanne ren e de rabours . the marriage contract records pierre gallet s profession as master goldsmith . this document also lists the occupation of pierre s father philippe gallet 1679 1739 as goldsmith and watchmaker . 2 1744 jeanne renee gives birth to a son jacques who follows in his father s occupation as jeweler and watchmaker . 2 1774 jacques gallet 1745 1806 fathers a son jean louis gallet 1774 1809 . 2 1804 napoleon annexes geneva naming it the lemanique republic . jean louis gallet becomes a french citizen and continues his father s jewelry and watch making company until his pre mature death in 1809 at age 35 . 1826 julien gallet 1806 1849 son of jean louis relocates the family watch making business to la chaux de fonds 9 a major center for pocket watch production . at this time the company is officially registered as gallet & cie gallet & company a break from the tradition of naming the business after the family patriarch . 1848 julien gallet dies at 43 10 after which the company is run by his widow louise and sons leon and lucien . 1855 l on gallet 1832 1899 becomes the patriarchal figure of the rapidly growing gallet & cie. 10 1864 l on gallet s brother lucien gallet establishes the company s first us location in chicago with a new york city office following soon after . 4 9 together with jules racine a cousin of the gallet brothers living in the us the company expands its distribution to the american market . 10 1876 in response to the growing threat of competition for sales of timepieces by industrially advanced american manufacturer s l on gallet together with louis and jules courvoisier ernest francillon of longines and constant girard gallet of girard perregaux found the societe intercantonale des industries du jura intercantonal society for industries of the jura region on 30 april . 13 benefiting from the unified strength of combined swiss manufacturing resources the group is able to maintain its sales dominance in europe . marketing for the syndicate is primarily european based with an emphasis on sales to england . 1880 henriette gallet 1860 1939 daughter of l on gallet is wed to mile courvoisier 1858 1937 son of louis courvoisier 1825 1885 at which time the working relationship between these two important la chaux de fonds watch manufacturers becomes familial . 1881 l on l. gallet commissions and trademarks the gallet lyre mark . the lyre mark is stamped on watch cases and movements manufactured in the la chaux de fonds workshop . 4 1882 a strategic partnership is formed with jules jeanneret & fils to supply mechanisms for gallet s professional use line of hand held timers and pocket chronographs . 1883 l on hands over management of the gallet company to his older son julien 1862 1934 but continues to remain involved until his 1899 death in new york . 14 15 the jg initials are added to the gallet lyre mark and the company name is temporarily changed to julien gallet & cie to reflect the older son s control of the business . georges gallet 1865 1946 l on s younger son assists his brother with the management of the company while working part time at courvoisier & fr res . by this time the gallet company is producing more than 100 000 watches annually . 1892 gallet introduces the first wrist worn watches for mass consumption by men and women to the american market . these first wristwatches are immediately rejected due to public perception as being too unusual for women