This Thursday in Baselworld, we sat under a magnificent painting of Emile Chouriet, next to the cosy fireplace at the brand’s booth. So we wondered about the story of the man behind the brand’s name. Here it is.

Emile Chouriet was a master watchmaker in the late 17th century in Geneva. In 1685, he opened his workshop where he developed his watchmaking skills. He specialised in watch decoration. Emile Chouriet skilfully decorated enamelled watches to which he added intricate guilloche patterns, foils, pearls and golds of different colours. That same period saw the general adoption of the spiral balance wheel invented by Huygens. This innovation guaranteed unrivalled precision in watches.

Today’s brand name, which was reactivated by co-founder Jean Depéry in 1997, was a means to paying tribute to Emile Chouriet and, through him, his own ancestor, François Dagobert Depéry. Indeed, Jean Depéry comes from a line of master watchmakers, whose history goes back to 1700. At that time, François Dagobert Depéry supplied Emile Chouriet with watch components.

The circle is complete! (SM)