Huguenin: Medals, the be-all and end-all of a family and company existence

In 1868 two young craftsmen, Fritz Huguenin, engraver, and his brother

Albert, engine turner, set up a small watchcase-decorating workshop.

Very quickly they grasped how much benefit they could derive from the

striking process and purchased their first balance-wheel. Thus, they issued

their first medal in 1888. Gradually the Huguenin brothers specialised in

the "Niel" method of decorating silver cases in black, which made them

famous in the whole world.

1899 saw the transition of crafts to industry with the construction start

of the current plant. The company was then taken over by the three sons

who developed new products, particularly shooting awards.

World War I and the Crisis of the Thirties, during which silver pocket

watches were replaced by the stainless steel wrist watches, severely affected

the company, which led to its becoming a public limited company in 1934:

Huguenin Brothers & Co. S. A.

The company then went on enjoying significant growth in both fields of

watchcases and medals. The watchcase business was sold to a new company

also in 1955.

In 1968, the year of its centenary, the company was given a more suitable

corporate name: Huguenin Medailleurs S.A. Directed by a member of the

third generation of the Huguenin family, the thus rejuvenated company

has been entering into the second century of its existence with confidence

and dynamism.

In 1987 the company changed hands with the then CEO, Pierre-André

Zanchi buying back the majority of shares (in spite of this, the family,

represented by Paul Huguenin, still holds a sufficient amount of stakes

to ensure a smooth running of business operations).

In 1992 HUGUENIN made and launched the first mints with a colour

imprint.

In 1999 a first merger took place with Kramer headquartered in Neuchatel.

In 2002 Huguenin + Kramer joined with Faude, giving birth to the current

company Faude & Huguenin SA.