Georges Favre-Jacot

Born Georges-Emile Favre-Bulle in Le Locle in 1843, he came from a watchmaking family: his great-uncle Frédéric-Louis Favre-Bulle was a marine-chronometer maker, one of the masters the Historical Dictionary of Switzerland names among Le Locle's famous watchmakers.^1, 5

French Wikipedia says he left school at nine to learn the trades of pivot maker and escapement maker, and set up on his own at thirteen.¹

On marrying Louise-Philippine Jacot-Descombes, a watchmaker, in 1863 he took the name Favre-Jacot; her dowry helped him found his own workshop in 1865, the firm that became Zenith.^1, 2

French Wikipedia says his first workshop, on the rue des Billodes, made ébauches; he bought up the buildings around it and put up his first new factory building in 1881, the start of a complex of more than twenty.¹

He broke with établissage and made everything under one roof, from movements and enamel dials to cases and tools, on the basis of interchangeable parts. Zenith says he founded "the first integrated watch manufacture in Switzerland", a claim attributed to the company.^1, 3

How he learned of American methods is told two ways: English Wikipedia says he visited the Philadelphia exhibition of 1876; French Wikipedia says he read Jacques David's report. David's report was confidential and circulated in only about eight copies, so neither story is easy to check.^1, 4, 6

According to French Wikipedia, in 1896 he turned his firm into a limited partnership with shares, Georges Favre-Jacot & Cie, to raise capital.¹

In 1911 he handed the management to his nephew and son-in-law Jämes Favre.^1, 2

In retirement he built a villa above his works; French Wikipedia says he designed it with the young Charles-Edouard Jeanneret, later Le Corbusier.¹