Manufacture Royale

In 1770, French philosopher Voltaire established watchmaking workshops in Ferney-Voltaire near Geneva, founding the original Manufacture Royale. Jean-Antoine Lépine, clockmaker to the king, was among its notable watchmakers. The manufacture produced both timepieces and objets d'art. After Voltaire's death in 1778 and the turmoil of the French Revolution, the brand gradually disappeared. In 2010, Arnaud Faivre, owner of TEC Ebauche (a Swiss watch component manufacturer), revived the brand. In 2013, Manufacture Royale was acquired by the Gouten family, with Alexis Gouten taking over management and continuing the brand's mission to create avant-garde haute horlogerie.