The French watchmaker Herbelin, which celebrated its 75th birthday last year, has begun an operation to modernize its brand while keeping its DNA intact, based on the meticulous manufacture of affordable luxury watches designed to last. 

You may have already noticed it on the wrist of First Lady Brigitte Macron or actress Vanessa Guide, the Antares Interchangeables model from Herbelin. Launched in 2000, it is now one of the house's bestsellers. A reference among the 400 watches that the French watchmaker produces in its workshops in Charquemont, in the Doubs, cradle of the brand. Created in 1947 by Michel Herbelin – whose first and last name it will bear until 2022 – it embodies his desire to offer pieces combining quality and precision, intended for the luxury market but offered at more affordable prices than its competitors. " Our goal has always been to do as well as the others, but more accessible “, explains Cédric Gomez Montiel, general manager of the company. 

The latter accompanies the third generation of Herbelin at the head of the company, which now has 130 employees, two subsidiaries (in Germany and the United Kingdom) and a presence in 37 countries. Like the company itself and the watches it produces, its know-how has been passed down from generation to generation, in particular thanks to the apprentices who joined the Franche-Comté workshop over the decades. 

Learning, an essential part of the brand mechanism

Coming largely from the Lycée Edgar Faure in Morteau, these young people stay with the company after their graduation and in turn train new recruits, perpetuating the artisanal manufacturing process dear to the brand. " We pass on the technique and the passion and we do everything to ensure that these apprentices stay with us “says Cédric Gomez Montiel. A strategy that seems to bear fruit since some work there until their retirement.  

« We welcome between six and eight apprentices each year, he says. This therefore represents approximately 25% of our workforce. They come to us for a minimum of three to five years, since they sometimes continue their CAP with a patent of crafts (BMA) then a national diploma of crafts and design (DN MADE) ". According to the general manager of the company, the craze is not about to fade. It must be said that the workshop enjoys an ideal location, located in the heart of the Franche-Comté “Pays Horloger”, near the Swiss border. " Everyone necessarily has a loved one who works in watchmaking and this will continue to create vocations ».  

The last watchmaker made in France

Whether quartz, automatic or mechanical, mass-produced or even custom-made, each Herbelin watch is individually assembled with meticulousness and constant quality control. " It's mechanical surgery “Summarizes the general manager of the company, adding that each copy passes 62 checkpoints before being marketed. Attention paid to precision, 100% artisanal manufacturing… and yet the workshop manages to make between 250 and 450 watches per day, and between 70 and 000 per year. A rate that makes Herbelin the last great “made in France” watchmaker to produce such a volume.  

The components assembled in Charquemont come from all over the world, and in particular from Switzerland for the movements and dials. The leather straps are supplied by a French partner. The workshop also has a repair service illustrating its commitment to creating real “timepieces” that last through the ages. " We are sometimes asked to repair watches that are over 30 years old and it is really very rewarding. These are first communion gifts, baccalaureate gifts... objects with strong sentimental value that the owners wish to maintain and bequeath ». 

An opening to new segments and horizons 

True to its values ​​and respect for craftsmanship, Herbelin is also attentive to changing times, markets and trends. The year 2022 marked a major shift for the brand: in addition to the abandonment of its founder's first name (with a view to better internationalization), the house also opened its very first "flagship", a showcase store for the brand, in Paris, rue Bonaparte. “Very proud,” says Cédric Gomez Montiel. In July, the company also acquired MRC Group, notably the owner of Jourdan Bijoux, opening the doors to men's jewelery which Herbelin wishes to move towards, in parallel with its historic watchmaking activity. 

Herbelin's ambitions now concern export – and more particularly China, a country on which the company intends to “double or even triple its efforts”. In this process, it is supported by Bpifrance via an export prospecting insurance contract. Currently actively looking for partners, the brand wants to quickly create a subsidiary and make it functional. " We want to show our Chinese interlocutors our desire to settle permanently in the territory. “, concludes the general manager.