Blancpain

Jehan-Jacques Blancpain registered himself as a watchmaker in the Villeret village records in 1735. The company remained family-owned for almost 200 years. In 1815, grandson Frédéric-Louis Blancpain upgraded the workshops and developed ultra-thin construction. In 1830, son Frédéric-Emile renamed the company Fabrique d'horlogerie Emile Blancpain. Frédéric-Emile Blancpain, the 7th generation, died in 1932 and left the company to his long-term assistant Betty Fiechter, who became the first female CEO of a leading watchmaking company. In 1961, Blancpain joined SSIH alongside Omega, Tissot and Lémania. In 1982, Jacques Piguet, heir to the Piguet watchmaking family, bought Blancpain and in 1983 hired Jean-Claude Biver as vice-chairman. In 1992, Jacques Piguet sold Blancpain and Frédéric Piguet to SMH (later Swatch Group). Marc A. Hayek became president and CEO in 2002. In 2010, Frédéric Piguet was absorbed within the Blancpain manufacture.