The Jura Arc: the cradle of French watchmaking

True epicenter of watchmaking “made in France”, For generations, the Jura Arc has shaped a tradition where time is worked with rigor, passion and inventiveness, offering France its territory of excellence and watchmaking authenticity. Discover in this article the French watch brands you should know.

The Jura Arc explained: a territory, a culture, a tradition of time

The Jura Arc designates this high-altitude territory which extends from the north of the Doubs department, passing through Haut-Doubs, Jura and up to the city of Besançon. It forms the “other” great world homeland of watchmaking, on the French side, on the border of the Swiss watchmaking cantons. (Le Locle, La Chaux-de-Fonds and the Joux Valley). 

In France, several cities have become legendary centers of time industry: Morteau And Villers-le-Lac (cradle of the high artisanal tradition and the “Franc-Comtois” movement), Charquemont (stronghold of bracelet and case manufacturing), Morez And Morbier (famous until the beginning of the 20th century for their Comtoise clocks), without forgetting Besançon, the cultural and industrial capital of French watchmaking. They concentrate nearly 1,000 jobs, or more than 50% of jobs in the French watchmaking industry.

Source : https://www.arcjurassien.org

It was here, in these steep-sided valleys, that the harsh climate - with its long winters conducive to meticulous workshop work - led peasants and workers to invent a complementary watchmaking technique from the 18th century onwards, and then to perfect a sector of excellence.

They specialize in the production of parts and mechanisms, while Besançon becomes from the middle of the 19th century the nerve center of the French watchmaking industry. The Jura Arc is imbued with a true industrial culture: the know-how of metal, the culture of the “handmade” piece and perpetuates the excellence of the watchmaking gesture. 

Cities like Besançon or Morteau remain synonymous with French watchmaking tradition : they house historic workshops and young businesses, schools, subcontractors, and embody the vitality of an artisanal heritage unrivaled by the neighboring Swiss giant.

The emblematic houses of the heart of the French Jura Arc

Lip, the French watchmaker who designs time 

Founded in Besançon in 1867 by Emmanuel Lipmann, Lip established itself, over the course of the 20th century, as the very embodiment of the French everyday watch, a symbol of robustness, elegance and innovation. There maison reached the height of its fame thanks to iconic models: the T18, worn by General de Gaulle and given to Winston Churchill during the Liberation, but also the legendary Himalaya, chosen for the Annapurna expedition by Maurice Herzog - both have become absolute references, combining reliability and timeless refinement.

A pioneer in the industry, Lip revolutionized French watchmaking in the 1950s and 1960s thanks to its innovative electric movements, notably with the legendary Electronic. In the 1970s, the brand again distinguished itself by pushing the boundaries of design: the Mach 2000, designed by Roger Tallon, surprises with its asymmetrical shape, its colored buttons and its avant-garde aesthetic, becoming an icon among artists and lovers of character watches.

But Lip is also at the heart of social history : workers' struggles and slogans are engraved in the collective memory: “It’s possible, we manufacture, we sell, we pay ourselves.” and bear witness to the fighting spirit and the relative attachment to the brand. Today, Lip perpetuates this heritage: it reissues its flagship models, assembles all its collections in Besançon, and thus guarantees heritage authenticity and the quality of a true "Made in France".

The Lip universe is expressed through other emblematic lines: the Nautic 666, designed for sportsmen and lovers of the open sea; the Type 14, tribute to French fighter planes; the Rally, born from the passion of Fred Lip for precision mechanics and motorsport.

Committed well beyond watchmaking, Lip today supports young French athletes, acts as aOfficial Watchmaker of the National Federation of Firefighters of France and partners with environmental projects such as the 7th Continent Expedition. The brand also honors young talents and ambassadors (Mathis, cycling champion, Armand, rower, and Robin Bar, nature-loving photographer).

With a multitude of chronometry awards and distinctions, Lip embodies L'Wedding band creative genius, constant innovation, proven robustness and an accessible and committed spirit. Resolutely turned towards the future, it has never renounced the strength of its history, nor the singular affirmation of its identity.

Yema, watches designed for heroes 

Born in 1948 on the banks of the Doubs, Yema embodies the quintessence of French exploration watchmaking, combining a Besançon heritage with the audacity of technical challenge and the spirit of adventure. From its early years, the brand distinguished itself by the development of the first French automatic calibers, then by the rapid adoption of its tool watches among professionals and enthusiasts : Superman, launched in 1963, pushed the limits of water resistance (300 meters), seducing the French Navy, rescue divers and enthusiasts around the world with its innovations: locking bezel, screw-down crown, superior robustness.

Proud of its multi-disciplinary DNA, Yema is making a name for itself in all areas of exploits and speed: the Rallygraf accompanies Mario Andretti during legendary victories, while the Yachtinggraf becomes the ideal partner for skippers on transatlantic races. Air routes are not left out: the Flygraf team of drivers and navigators, the Spacegraf took off during the Ariane missions in the 1980s – a French watch in orbit, which even bore the signature of Jean-Loup Chrétien, the first French astronaut.

Driven by local engineering and the Bôle family (3rd generation), Yema is now truly returning to its roots: design, prototyping, testing and assembly are once again carried out in its workshops in Morteau, the cradle of Franche-Comté watchmaking expertise. The ambition? Making innovation and tradition accessible through “in-house” movements (Micro-Rotor, YEMA2000, specific complications), and special editions designed with professionals: Air & Space Force, French Navy, modern explorers and extreme sportsmen.

Driven by the historic motto "Time of Heroes" which lives in each creation: from partnerships with the Air & Space Force, the French Navy, to collaborations with contemporary explorers and athletes, the brand reaffirms every day his identity of “French Watchmaking Mission” for all adventurers, explorers, pilots, astronauts... and lovers of fine watchmaking.

She cherishes the transmission of French values of adventure, high standards and rigor, while working towards the reindustrialization of local watchmaking and the promotion of a heritage that now shines across the four corners of the globe.

Herbelin watches: “Draw tomorrow without ever betraying yesterday”

The story of Michel Herbelin begins in Charquemont, in the heart of the Jura massif, in 1947, in a context of post-war shortages where the young watchmaker, passionate about mechanics and precision and dissatisfied with the standards of the time, refused to give in to the ease of mass production. At the age of 26, he decided to set up his own workshop on the top floor of the maison of his parents. From the start, he combines artisanal audacity and attachment to “made in France”, relying on the skills of a local network of watchmaking suppliers, both French and Swiss, and thus lays the foundations of a demanding factory, proud of its Jura roots.

Thus, all Herbelin watches are designed, assembled by hand and checked in the Charquemont workshops, with the same quest for artisanal excellence: creating pieces designed to last, faithful to a regional DNA rich in more than 75 years of passion and independence.

From the 1980s, the founder's sons, Jean-Claude and Pierre-Michel, took over. Maison is enjoying great success with the collection Newport, watches at  inspired by nautical sports, which has become the signature of the maison, It is distinguished by its bezel reminiscent of portholes, its straight horns inspired by sailboats, its openwork hands, and a variety of dials, indexes and colors inspired by the open sea.These watches appeal to both French and international customers and symbolize discreet French elegance.

Today, Maxime and Mathieu Herbelin, the founder's grandsons, run the brand, working closely with two close family members. Their goal: to showcase elegance, refinement and the French watchmaking heritage without compromise.

Now, the brand is innovating with collections like Cape Camarat, to the resolutely vintage cushion case in the style of the 70s, or even Antares, famous for its interchangeable straps that allow women to vary styles and colors with a single watch: an original idea, praised for its practical and trendy side.

There maison also cultivates a spirit of partnership and excellence by choosing its ambassadors: the charismatic Aurélien Ducroz, double world champion in freeride skiing and high-level sailor, embodies the passion, versatility and self-improvement specific to Herbelin. On the art of living side, the brand has partnered with mixologist Guillaume Guerbois, creator of the “Blue is the Newport” cocktail for the 30th anniversary of the flagship collection, highlighting theWedding band between French refinement, culture, and creative innovation.

By combining Franche-Comté watchmaking heritage, continuous innovation and family values, Michel Herbelin has established itself as a major ambassador of French watches on the international scene, faithful to the motto: “to draw tomorrow, without ever betraying yesterday.”

Pequignet: uninhibited Haute Horlogerie 

Founded in 1973 in Morteau, in the heart of Haut-Doubs, Pequignet East the only truly independent French Haute Horlogerie manufacturer ; completely free in terms of creation and manufacturing. It is also recognized as an EPV (Living Heritage Company) since 2014.

Its history begins under the impetus of Émile Pequignet, self-taught, who began his career as a craftsman, offering for the first time discreet, elegant and technical watches, anchored in regional Jura craftsmanship, from the 1960s. 

The brand took a decisive turn at the beginning of the 2010s with the stated desire to regain control of its mechanics: the bet was ambitious, but resulted in the launch of the famous Royal Caliber in 2011, a movement designed, machined, decorated and assembled entirely in its Morteau workshops. Until its creation in 2011, there was no French-made mechanical movement. 

With its 318 components, theThe Royal Calibre is internationally recognized for having been the first French-made mechanism to integrate numerous watchmaking complications into the same platinum (large date, 88-hour power reserve, moon phases, small seconds) in a slim, robust and perfectly legible architecture. This caliber, requiring 279 industrial plans and 150 tools resulting in the filing of 8 international patents, is today the pride of the collection Royal Street, which displays mechanical excellence while remaining understatedly elegant: polished cases, refined dials, dauphine hands, everything evokes an almost confidential artisanal mastery on a sector-wide scale. 

Since this success, Pequignet has three other calibers “maison” used for its high-end watches: the Calibre Royal® Manual, manual winding version (100 hours power reserve, small seconds at 6 o'clock, classic style); the Initial Caliber®, designed for the Attitude collection, optimized for reliability (72% French components, 65h reserve, two patents including a semi-instantaneous date system); finally the Calibre Royal® Tourbillon, an exceptional flying tourbillon based on the Royal® base, with a solid gold balance wheel, handcrafted finishes and a titanium cage, produced in a very limited series.

At the same time, Pequignet is also known for its collections Moorea, recognizable by its innovative and fluid articulated steel rice grain bracelet, asserts a seductive “casual chic”, and Equus, it illustrates Emile Péquignet's passion for horse riding: equipped with curved index fingers, bracelet attachments inspired by harnessing, authenticity of the leather and robustness pay homage to the other great passion of Franche-Comté.

In 2023, at L'second-hand Celebrating its 50th anniversary, Pequignet draws on its rich history to present the Concorde watch, its anniversary model. In 2024, it will unveil the Watches & Wonders 2024 its first flying tourbillon, a truly extraordinary watchmaking feat, intended for lovers of French Haute Horlogerie watches. Available from September, it will be produced in a limited series of 24 pieces.

Access to a Uninhibited Haute Horlogerie, this is what Pequignet offers, in his own way. Between creative independence, technical requirements and contemporary elegance, the Maison offers accessible excellence, free from conventions, dedicated to enthusiasts in search of authenticity and freedom.

Dodane: watches for pilots and explorers

Founded in 1857 in Châtillon-le-Duc near Besançon, Dodane embodies more of a century and a half of watchmaking passion, technicality and innovation in the service of time. From the beginning, the maison is distinguished by itsspecializing in the manufacture of high-precision chronographs and on-board instruments, intended for both aviators and the French and international armed forcesWith its headquarters in Besançon and then Morteau, it is part of the great mechanical tradition of the Jura arc, with expertise passed down continuously over five generations of the family.

The history of Dodane is closely linked to aeronautics and defense: since 1929, there maison is approved as an official supplier by the Ministry of War, helping to equip military and civilian aircraft with cockpit chronographs - a technical feat that would make it world-renowned. One of the flagship models, the Type 21, becomes an absolute reference among air force pilots, appreciated for its robustness, readability and reliability, still prized by collectors today.

In the second half of the 20th century, Dodane continued to assert its technical legitimacy: the manufacturer developed the chronograph Type 23, expands its range of military and civilian watches, and establishes itself as a a sure value in aeronautical instrumentation. The family continues to innovate, experimenting with new calibers, new complications (flight counters, tachometers, Flyback counters) and collaborations with major French and European industrial players.

At the dawn of the 21st century, Dodane relocated part of its production to Morteau, reaffirming its Franche-Comté roots, while remaining committed to local manufacturing and assembly. The company remains 100% family-owned: today it is Cédric Dodane, representing the fifth generation, who ensures that the traditions and independence of the company are perpetuated. maison.

The current range pays homage to the military heritage (Type 21, Type 23, Flyback Chronograph) while opening up to a wider audience: each Dodane watch, assembled in the Jura Arc and controlled according to very strict standards, is aimed at demanding amateurs, professional pilots, adventurers and collectors looking for authenticity and certified robustness.

True to its motto of precision and commitment, Dodane continues today to promote French specialty watchmaking: a clever blend of family tradition, applied innovation and mechanical excellence, the brand asserts itself as an essential link in the living heritage (“Entreprises du Patrimoine Vivant”) of the regional watchmaking industry; a signature of time that transcends the ages without compromising on rigor or technical elegance.

L.Leroy: Heir to the watchmaking elite, guardian of Jura innovation

Founded in 1785, L.Leroy occupies a unique place in the French and international watchmaking pantheon. Initially rooted in Paris, the maison has distinguished itself as official supplier to the Court, absolute record holder for precision, leader in the manufacture of astronomical clocks and on-board chronometers, and prestigious partner of the greatest observatories. The name L.Leroy rhymes with the splendor of the Empire, technical innovations and artistic refinement, nourished by more than two centuries of creativity and expertise.

This prestigious trajectory has taken a new turn since the 21st century: the maison chose to settle in Villers-le-Lac, in the Jura mountains, the centuries-old cradle of French watchmaking. Today, it is in these workshops in Haut-Doubs, a few kilometers from Morteau, that L.Leroy continues its work. Here, master watchmakers perpetuate rare know-how in producing highly complicated pieces entirely by hand : chronographs Osiris double split-seconds, marine chronometers, astronomical watches and ultra-limited hand-sewn series.

The L.Leroy factory combines a taste for complication with a demanding attention to detail. : each watch or scientific instrument is designed from start to finish in Villers-le-Lac, taking advantage of the regional artisanal heritage to guarantee exceptional manual finishes (côtes de Genève, chamfering, circular graining), refined decorations and technical innovations (specific escapements, high stability balances, ultra-fine adjustment). maison is also distinguished by the restoration of historical archives, highlighting the continuity of centuries-old excellence adapted to contemporary challenges of high precision and exclusivity.

L.Leroy combines the grandeur of its Parisian past with the creative and technical vigor of the French Jura. By establishing itself in the Jura Arc, it reaffirms the role of this region as the epicenter of national fine watchmaking, pursuing the requirement for innovation, elegance and exclusivity which have made its international reputation. A true link between history, culture and technology, L.Leroy remains today a very active guardian of time, heritage and the future of French watchmaking..

UTINAM: the poetry of watchmaking artifacts 

Founded in 1993 by inventor and watchmaking artist Philippe Lebru, UTINAM emerges like a shooting star in the landscape of contemporary watchmaking; defying traditions, sublimating mechanics and re-enchanting the reading of time. At the antipodes of industrial standards, the UTINAM workshop became known for its monumental wall clocks, notably that of the Besançon train station, true kinetic works animating public spaces and art galleries. UTINAM also imagines table clocks “skeletons”, where all the apparent mechanism becomes ballet, but also tailor-made creations for collectors and institutions.

UTINAM is first and foremost a philosophy: playing and thwarting the codes of timeps for “create a new way of conceiving and experiencing time”. The name itself, "utinam"("if only..."), inspires a quest, an invitation to dream. Philippe Lebru frees himself from watchmaking constraints to bring monumental clocks to life – pendulum clocks with visible balance wheels, but also incredible table or wrist timepieces: models Breakthrough merging 3D printing and tradition, Meteorite with a dial made from 4.5 billion year old stardust, limited collaborative series created with designer Alain Silberstein or street artist Pablito Zago.

The UTINAM Grande Horlogerie manufacture stands out with its master complications: retrograde minute, regulator, 7-day power reserve, etc. The collection Ballastograph embodies the latest evolution of the exclusive suspended movement, pushing the limits of contemporary watchmaking mechanics. Multi-award winning (Grand Prix du Concours Lépine, Gold Medal in Geneva), the workshop favors ultra-limited editions, unusual collaborations, and cultivates the encounter between art, technology and heritage.

UTINAM ultimately embodies the revival of the “new Jura watchmaking”, claiming the fundamental place of Besançon on the international scene : a creative, rebellious, deeply emotional watchmaking focused on the spirit of collecting, audacity and the living transmission of time which today attracts collectors keen on originality, museums and architects passionate about mechanics.sculptural”.

Humbert-Droz: The confidential soul of Besançon watchmaking

Anchored in the heart of Besançon, Humbert-Droz East one of the rare French watchmaking houses to have preserved, generation after generation, an authentic artisanal workshop in the heart of the capital of Franche-Comté. A family and independent brand, it perpetuates the tradition of "fhas hand" and tailor-made, combining techniques inherited from the great master watchmakers and modern adaptability to the demands of its customers. Under the direction of Ludovic Humbert-Droz, the company today shines through its discretion and its ability to respond to varied projects: acustom assembly of limited series, restoration of historic pieces, development of own models and industrial collaborations with French or Swiss brands seeking Besançon know-how.

It is in Besançon, at 8 rue Jacquard, that the Humbert-Droz workshop brings its watches to life. This place, open to the curious during private appointments, is a veritable laboratory where each movement, each dial and each finish are designed, checked and assembled on site by a team of passionate craftsmen. The Collection HD, emblematic line of the maison, draws its inspiration from the watchmaking heritage of Franche-Comté: robust cases, reliable movements, sober and elegant finishes, it is aimed at a clientele seeking the solidity and refinement of the real thing.made in Besançon".

Humbert-Droz's influence doesn't stop with its watches. The workshop also plays an important role in the transmission of knowledge: it trains young watchmakers, collaborates with technical schools, and is involved in the restoration of heritage movements. thus strengthening its local roots and its commitment to the sustainability of the profession. Rare maison to offer an immersive experience to its customers – who can watch their own watch being assembled –, Humbert-Droz stands out as the guardian of a certain idea of discreet excellence, faithful to the Besançon spirit of authenticity and precision, far from the sirens of marketing. His timepieces are everyday allies, designed to last, transmit and advance the great history of time, on the scale of an exceptional territory.

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