Huguenin Freres & Co, le Locle, Switzerland

Niello jewelry, watch boxes, medals, badges, pins. In 1868 two young craftsmen, Fritz Huguenin, engraver, and his brother Albert, engine turner, set up a small watchcase-decorating workshop. Very quickly they grasped how much benefit they could derive from the striking process and purchased their first balance-wheel. Thus, they issued their first medal in 1888. Gradually the Huguenin brothers specialised in the "Niel" method of decorating silver cases in black, which made them famous in the whole world. 1899 saw the transition of crafts to industry with the construction start of the current plant. The company was then taken over by the three sons who developed new products, particularly shooting awards. World War I and the Crisis of the Thirties, during which silver pocket watches were replaced by the stainless steel wrist watches, severely affected the company, which led to its becoming a public limited company in 1934: Huguenin Brothers & Co. S. A. The company then went on enjoying significant growth in both fields of watchcases and medals. The watchcase business was sold to a new company also in 1955 In 1968 the company changed its name to Huguenin Medailleurs S.A. In 1999 the company merged with Paul Kramer headquartered in Neuchätel. In 2002 Huguenin + Kramer joined with Faude, giving birth to the current company Faude & Huguenin SA, headcurtered in Gippingen