At just 22 years old, Georges Favre-Jacot founded what would become Zenith in 1865 in Le Locle, Switzerland. Inspired by the successful American firms like Waltham and Elgin, which integrated mass production into watchmaking, Favre-Jacot revolutionized the Swiss watch industry by combining all stages of watch production under one roof. This break from the traditional établissage system, where parts were made in various small workshops and assembled elsewhere, established his company as the first true Swiss "manufacture d'horlogerie." This approach not only streamlined production but also allowed for the creation of watches with unparalleled reliability and accuracy, a hallmark that defines Zenith to this day. Read more ⇢