Our History

Since 1885, Saint Honore has been part of the history of French watchmaking brands.
  • Previous
  • Next

1885 – 1936 : Watchmaking, a complementary activity that became a core business

 

Founder of a dynasty of master watchmakers, Victorin Frésard was born in the late 19th century to a family of farmers in Charquemont, in the Jura department of France. At the time, a number of the region’s inhabitants maintained a secondary activity, especially during the long winter months. Thus a specific form of craftsmanship developed over time: watchmaking. The father of Victorin Frésard himself made a trip to Switzerland to perfect his knowledge in the field. Upon his return to Charquemont, he founded a company specialising in cylinder escapements while continuing his profession as a herdsman.

 

When he retired in 1911, the following generation took over the company, and his son Victorin became head of the “Frésard Frères et Paul Bessot” company, where his brothers and sisters also worked. At the time, the new organisation employed 60 people in the workshop as well as 40 people working from home, since this method made it possible to combine flexibility and competitiveness.
To fulfil his passion for art, Victorin Frésard regularly travelled to Paris, a hub for French artistic creation. He took inspiration from the craftsmen, writers, sculptors and painters in the neighbourhood of his pied-à-terre on rue Saint-Honoré.

 

In 1932, he decided to leave the company to found a new one, “Victorin Frésard & Enfants”, specialising in watchmaking components. This was a substantial factory that included up to 150 employees and called on the services of subcontractors; but gone were the herdsmen/craftsman producing on an exceedingly small scale a few hours per day. These were true workshops equipped with modern mechanical machinery.

1885

Example of a cylinder escapement, 19th century

1911

Victorin Frésard manages the family business “Frésard Frères et Paul Bessot”

1932

Victorin Frésard’s house in Charquemont

1936 – 1985 : Entrepreneurship and watchmaking, a family saga

 

Upon Victorin’s death in 1936, his son Roger took over the company, which became “SARL Maison Victorin Frésard”. He decided to specialise in pivoting (fitting a pivot onto a mobile component), a promising field.

 

By this time, the population of the Jura Mountains lived to the pace of watchmaking, and the destinies of its families were tied to success of the industry. Victorin’s brothers and sisters also founded their own respective companies, and all were based in the village of Charquemont.

 

As time went by, the generations to follow continued to solidly reinforce Frésard as a name in watchmaking. Before marrying Roger, his wife-to-be was a worker in his father’s workshop; and most of his daughters also married within the circle of manufacturers and watchmakers.

 

Beginning in 1947, Roger Frésard’s company began to assemble and sell its own watches under two different brands: MVF (Maison Victorin Frésard) for pieces with a cylinder escapement; and SardLux for those with an anchor escapement. All the movements were sourced within the Jura Mountains and the Savoy region. The production quickly increased, and more than half of it was intended for exportation.

 

Although the SARL Maison Victorin Frésard factory was taken over by another company outside the family at the end of the 1950s, the story carried on with another of Victorin’s sons, Raymond, who founded a watch manufacture called Sarlux with some ten employees in 1960. In 1971, it was passed along to his nephew, Jacques Frésard. This watchmaker, Victorin’s grandson, brought the Frésard family name back into the spotlight, since in addition to Sarlux watches, another brand bearing its name was also brought to the market.

1936

The story continues with SARL Maison Victorin Frésard

1971

Jacques Frésard took over Sarlux, his uncle’s business

1976

Sarlux brings Jacques Frésard watches to the market

1985 – 2005 : A French brand ready to take over the world

 

In 1985, it was up to Thierry Frésard, the son of Jacques Frésard, to take the helm of the company alongside Christian Frésard and Gérard Jeannoutot. A watch model was created in a tribute to the family pioneer, Victorin: it was called Saint Honoré. The name was chosen for the brand in 1991 to bring it a strong identity.

 

Thus SAINT HONORE PARIS was born.

In keeping with this development, the Charquemont factory was updated with modern equipment, and the new installations were inaugurated the following year.

The year 1993 was marked by an important event: the opening of the first SAINT HONORE boutique on rue Réaumur in Paris.

 

Under this new management, a competitive development policy was implemented, and exportation became a priority. It was also in the beginning of the 1990s that SAINT HONORE took on the “Swiss Made” adventure, establishing its watch production in Switzerland. This decision reinforced the brand’s position and addressed market demand, with 80% of the production intended for exportation.

 

Thanks to these watches, appreciated for their design and sophistication, the company’s success abroad made it possible to put forth its French ambition. A recognition symbolised by the Opéra watch, which won two awards in the United States, as well as the Manhattan chronograph, which won the “New York Luxury Design” award in 1997.

 

The success story continued in the early 2000s, characterised by a strong geographic development in France and abroad, including a new boutique on 326, rue Saint-Honoré in Paris. A number of points of sale and exclusive boutiques were inaugurated throughout the world, principally in Asia and the Middle East, the brand’s historical markets. In particular, a subsidiary opened in Dubai to support the development of that region.

1985

Thierry Frésard takes over as head of SAINT HONORE

1997

Manhattan collection: First prize of the “New York Luxury Design” award

2004

Opening of the boutique on 326 rue Saint-Honoré in Paris

2005-2017 : A burst of creativity for the watch industry

 

Strengthened by the success of its expansion, and to address an ever-increasing demand, the SAINT HONORE company is an active participant in the creative effervescence taking place in the watchmaking world. In 2005, the “Tourbillon 1885” Haute Couture Collection addressed well-informed collectors seeking watch complications.

 

The brand calls on ambassadors and has an active sports partnership policy. In particular, it has invested a number of times with racing drivers, including Paul Belmondo, who remained the brand’s icon for a decade. An increasing number of watches with distinctive allures are thus proposed, and SAINT HONORE reinterprets its emblematic collections. Its Opéra, Monceau and Orsay watch designs are becoming rounder to correspond with today’s trends. The spectacular Effet Eclair innovation illuminates the more feminine models, and capsule collections set the pace for the SAINT HONORE offer, marking the brand’s anniversary dates and other notable events.

 

In 2015, for example, came the launch of the Tour Eiffel collection, exceptional timepieces crafted in metal taken from the legendary Parisian building.

 

This dynamic energy also makes itself felt in the company’s sales strategy. Present from the beginning at the Baselworld watchmaking trade fair in Switzerland, SAINT HONORE has acquired a stand deserving of the best houses, enabling it to welcome clients and prospects from all over the world in space with resolutely Parisian inspiration. This image is also expressed in the brand’s digital strategy, with a website that quickly expanded to include an e-commerce boutique, quickly followed by a presence on the social networks.

2005

Introduction of the “Tourbillon 1885” Haute Couture watch collection

2006

Paul Belmondo and the Orsay Black Racing watch

2015

Launch of the Tour Eiffel watch for the 130th anniversary

2018 : Saint Honoré Paris … time for ILG

 

An eventful year, 2018 represents the beginning of the collaboration with Kiera Chaplin. Representing SAINT HONORE’s collections, Kiera Chaplin is a symbol of our legacy of Parisian splendor and elegance.

 

2018 is also the year that SAINT HONORE is branching out into the connected world. With the SH Connect collection, an interchangeable connected strap transforms traditional watches into smart watches. A connection between tradition and modernity, the symbol of a brand that never ceases to adapt to its time.

 

2018 is a significant year as it marks the acquisition of SAINT HONORE by the International Luxury Group (ILG). An eminent player in the field of luxury watches and accessories, ILG extends its expertise to SAINT HONORE’s product development and innovation and furthers its global reach and appeal.

 

For SAINT HONORE PARIS, the story continues…

2018

Kiera Chaplin is the new SAINT HONORE ambassador

2018

Launch of the SH Connect collection

2018

The family business joins the ILG corporation

1885 – 1936 : Watchmaking, a complementary activity that became a core business

 

Founder of a dynasty of master watchmakers, Victorin Frésard was born in the late 19th century to a family of farmers in Charquemont, in the Jura department of France. At the time, a number of the region’s inhabitants maintained a secondary activity, especially during the long winter months. Thus a specific form of craftsmanship developed over time: watchmaking. The father of Victorin Frésard himself made a trip to Switzerland to perfect his knowledge in the field. Upon his return to Charquemont, he founded a company specialising in cylinder escapements while continuing his profession as a herdsman.

 

When he retired in 1911, the following generation took over the company, and his son Victorin became head of the “Frésard Frères et Paul Bessot” company, where his brothers and sisters also worked. At the time, the new organisation employed 60 people in the workshop as well as 40 people working from home, since this method made it possible to combine flexibility and competitiveness.
To fulfil his passion for art, Victorin Frésard regularly travelled to Paris, a hub for French artistic creation. He took inspiration from the craftsmen, writers, sculptors and painters in the neighbourhood of his pied-à-terre on rue Saint-Honoré.

 

In 1932, he decided to leave the company to found a new one, “Victorin Frésard & Enfants”, specialising in watchmaking components. This was a substantial factory that included up to 150 employees and called on the services of subcontractors; but gone were the herdsmen/craftsman producing on an exceedingly small scale a few hours per day. These were true workshops equipped with modern mechanical machinery.

1936 – 1985 : Entrepreneurship and watchmaking, a family saga

 

Upon Victorin’s death in 1936, his son Roger took over the company, which became “SARL Maison Victorin Frésard”. He decided to specialise in pivoting (fitting a pivot onto a mobile component), a promising field.

 

By this time, the population of the Jura Mountains lived to the pace of watchmaking, and the destinies of its families were tied to success of the industry. Victorin’s brothers and sisters also founded their own respective companies, and all were based in the village of Charquemont.

 

As time went by, the generations to follow continued to solidly reinforce Frésard as a name in watchmaking. Before marrying Roger, his wife-to-be was a worker in his father’s workshop; and most of his daughters also married within the circle of manufacturers and watchmakers.

 

Beginning in 1947, Roger Frésard’s company began to assemble and sell its own watches under two different brands: MVF (Maison Victorin Frésard) for pieces with a cylinder escapement; and SardLux for those with an anchor escapement. All the movements were sourced within the Jura Mountains and the Savoy region. The production quickly increased, and more than half of it was intended for exportation.

 

Although the SARL Maison Victorin Frésard factory was taken over by another company outside the family at the end of the 1950s, the story carried on with another of Victorin’s sons, Raymond, who founded a watch manufacture called Sarlux with some ten employees in 1960. In 1971, it was passed along to his nephew, Jacques Frésard. This watchmaker, Victorin’s grandson, brought the Frésard family name back into the spotlight, since in addition to Sarlux watches, another brand bearing its name was also brought to the market.

1985 – 2005 : A French brand ready to take over the world

 

In 1985, it was up to Thierry Frésard, the son of Jacques Frésard, to take the helm of the company alongside Christian Frésard and Gérard Jeannoutot. A watch model was created in a tribute to the family pioneer, Victorin: it was called Saint Honoré. The name was chosen for the brand in 1991 to bring it a strong identity.

 

Thus SAINT HONORE PARIS was born.

In keeping with this development, the Charquemont factory was updated with modern equipment, and the new installations were inaugurated the following year.

The year 1993 was marked by an important event: the opening of the first SAINT HONORE boutique on rue Réaumur in Paris.

 

Under this new management, a competitive development policy was implemented, and exportation became a priority. It was also in the beginning of the 1990s that SAINT HONORE took on the “Swiss Made” adventure, establishing its watch production in Switzerland. This decision reinforced the brand’s position and addressed market demand, with 80% of the production intended for exportation.

 

Thanks to these watches, appreciated for their design and sophistication, the company’s success abroad made it possible to put forth its French ambition. A recognition symbolised by the Opéra watch, which won two awards in the United States, as well as the Manhattan chronograph, which won the “New York Luxury Design” award in 1997.

 

The success story continued in the early 2000s, characterised by a strong geographic development in France and abroad, including a new boutique on 326, rue Saint-Honoré in Paris. A number of points of sale and exclusive boutiques were inaugurated throughout the world, principally in Asia and the Middle East, the brand’s historical markets. In particular, a subsidiary opened in Dubai to support the development of that region.

2005-2017 : A burst of creativity for the watch industry

 

Strengthened by the success of its expansion, and to address an ever-increasing demand, the SAINT HONORE company is an active participant in the creative effervescence taking place in the watchmaking world. In 2005, the “Tourbillon 1885” Haute Couture Collection addressed well-informed collectors seeking watch complications.

 

The brand calls on ambassadors and has an active sports partnership policy. In particular, it has invested a number of times with racing drivers, including Paul Belmondo, who remained the brand’s icon for a decade. An increasing number of watches with distinctive allures are thus proposed, and SAINT HONORE reinterprets its emblematic collections. Its Opéra, Monceau and Orsay watch designs are becoming rounder to correspond with today’s trends. The spectacular Effet Eclair innovation illuminates the more feminine models, and capsule collections set the pace for the SAINT HONORE offer, marking the brand’s anniversary dates and other notable events.

 

In 2015, for example, came the launch of the Tour Eiffel collection, exceptional timepieces crafted in metal taken from the legendary Parisian building.

 

This dynamic energy also makes itself felt in the company’s sales strategy. Present from the beginning at the Baselworld watchmaking trade fair in Switzerland, SAINT HONORE has acquired a stand deserving of the best houses, enabling it to welcome clients and prospects from all over the world in space with resolutely Parisian inspiration. This image is also expressed in the brand’s digital strategy, with a website that quickly expanded to include an e-commerce boutique, quickly followed by a presence on the social networks.

2018 : Saint Honoré Paris … time for ILG

 

An eventful year, 2018 represents the beginning of the collaboration with Kiera Chaplin. Representing SAINT HONORE’s collections, Kiera Chaplin is a symbol of our legacy of Parisian splendor and elegance.

 

2018 is also the year that SAINT HONORE is branching out into the connected world. With the SH Connect collection, an interchangeable connected strap transforms traditional watches into smart watches. A connection between tradition and modernity, the symbol of a brand that never ceases to adapt to its time.

 

2018 is a significant year as it marks the acquisition of SAINT HONORE by the International Luxury Group (ILG). An eminent player in the field of luxury watches and accessories, ILG extends its expertise to SAINT HONORE’s product development and innovation and furthers its global reach and appeal.

 

For SAINT HONORE PARIS, the story continues…