In 1833, in the heart of the Vallée de Joux in Switzerland, Antoine LeCoultre (1803–1881) transformed his family’s small barn into a watchmaking atelier and began to create timepieces of great accuracy. He was an inventor who balanced both intellect and imagination, applying himself to the challenge of measuring time. Obsessed with accuracy, he took it upon himself to create the tools required to develop the smallest parts in order to produce the most accurate calibres.
In 1903 a meeting between Frenchman Edmond Jaeger and Jacques-David LeCoultre of
Switzerland changed watchmaking forever. Together, they successfully fused French style and Swiss technique, an approach which still prevails at the Grande Maison today.