A Legacy

Acquired by Swatch Group in 1999, Léon Hatot was known not only for its fine artistry in jewellery, but also for helping bring women’s watches to the forefront of watchmaking. RANVIJAYSINH traces how the company created this unique identity, of being instrumental in bringing timepieces for women to the fore.

There’s a fine line between watches and jewellery. Oftentimes it is believed that watches are to men what diamonds are to women. With men’s watches deified in this manner, very little attention was paid to women’s timepieces when luxury watches started to make their mark. Soon, with jewellery and watches making it to the same platform, a host of jewellery manufacturers ventured into watchmaking. Creating some of the finest, most feminine watches, these brands influenced several watchmakers to begin catering to women’s timekeeping needs. Today, these brands are regarded with the same level of admiration that is awarded to the manufacturers of men’s watches. Among these brands is Léon Hatot — a name that made a distinct impression with its dedication to femininity.

A Flourishing Start
To have played a pivotal role in placing women’s watches on the global map of timekeeping, a strong foundation was required of Léon Hatot. The master watchmaker, who was born in Burgundy, went to the Besançon Watchmaking School at the young age of 12, and later went to the city’s school of Fine Arts. With this knowledge of technique and art aesthetics, Hatot built a foundation capable of inspiring a revolution of sorts. With this boost to his confidence, Hatot went about setting up his own business at the age of 22, hiring a dozen employees in hardly any time. While this was taking shape, the city was in the throes of what was famously known as the Belle Époque, French for “Beautiful Era”.
In the midst of this era, Paris became the City of Lights, a place that everyone craved to visit and be seen in. People splurged and indulged in fashion that was coming of age, and jewellery was very much a part of this emerging trend. Which is why, it came as no surprise when Hatot grabbed the opportunity of acquiring Brédillard, an established Parisian supplier to the leading names in watches and jewellery. Brédillard’s clients courted their customers on Rue de la Paix and Place Vendôme. Soon, Hatot’s name appeared on the watches worn by high society in Paris. The movements at the heart of these watches were some of the finest the industry had ever seen. This feat soon made him a force to be reckoned with.

Warring Worlds
Hatot enlisted for the Great War, which began in 1914. He considered it an excellent opportunity to utilise his technical skills — he invented the cost-effective method to manufacture mechanical artillery parts. While the war was on, the world that Hatot left behind was changing phenomenally. With more and more men being called to arms, the burden of tradition was lifted off the shoulders of women, who had to fend for themselves. This newfound freedom from working in factories and offices was welcomed by them. Soon lighter, easy-to-wear cuts were vying for space in the wardrobes filled with heavily-draped outfits. The corsets and frills were replaced with practical clothing. Women chopped their tresses and donned shorter lengths. This severe change from the pre-war years had a great influence on jewellery as well, a transformation that was reflected in the new collections by Hatot when he resumed production in 1919.

The Prosperous 20s
The change in style sensibility went beyond the war years. As women grew more conscious, the 20s witnessed new designs and dressing styles. Obviously as the sleeves reduced in length, women grew more aware of their unclad arms. At the time, jewellery was considered as an essential accessory. With bare arms, wristwatches could now be flaunted as accessories as well. Encouraged by this trend, Hatot’s creativity transcended to another level. He developed smaller movements for cases of delicate-looking watches. Under the guise of a cover, which he used as a canvas to splash out intricate designs, Hatot began to conceal the small dial of his signature slender watch. These designs were adorned with colourful precious stones. Eventually, the stones and the embellishments wandered onto the straps as well. This was followed by several experiments with stones, their cuts, combinations and more. He created and reinvented geometric patterns to adorn wrists and necks. Breaking all rules of convention, Hatot carved a niche for his creations.
As early as 1920, Hatot set up a subsidiary to research and develop battery-operated timepieces. This led to the formation of the brand name, ATO, under which Hatot created several electronic clocks. Made with different kinds of precious wood or marble, these clocks were rich in aesthetics — made to go perfectly with contemporary furniture. These clocks received global acclaim at the Universal Exhibition of 1925. At the exhibition where a strict selection of only new and original works was displayed, Hatot showcased his clocks and feminine wrist watches, which won the coveted Grand Prix.
Hatot’s son-in-law, Édouard Dietsch was placed at the helm of the company’s highly successful jewellery and watch workshops in 1926, a time when the company was flourishing. This made possible the company’s shift to the prestigious Rue de la Faubourg Saint-Honoré. Hatot’s first patents started coming in 1930, when he was acknowledged as the creator of the self-winding mechanism. This was followed by his creation of the legendary Rolls watch that encased this movement. The Rolls won Hatot the Medal of Honour from the Société Chronométrique de France. In 1933, the enterprising spirit of Hatot made another achievement. He acquired Paul Garnier, the company that supplied clocks for stations and civic buildings.

War Again
With war breaking out again in 1939, Léon Hatot was assigned to produce the maritime and naval navigating instruments. This was another feather in the company’s cap, which was already involved in so many projects. The production at the Léon Hatot workshops was however affected by the war, and operations were hampered till 1945 when the war finally ended.
World War II was perceived as a threat to the exceptional works of Léon Hatot. When the war began, several of these pieces were locked in a bank vault, not to resurface for another 50 years. When these pieces finally appeared, they caused quite a stir in the world of jewellery and watches. The sale of these pieces took place at Christie’s, Geneva, in 1989. The auction witnessed several collectors and traders bidding for even the unfinished pieces.

A Legacy Left Behind
The master watchmaker, artist and entrepreneur, Hatot died in 1953, leaving a rich legacy for his company to thrive on, applying his principles of work, and his spirit of art and innovation. Around 5,000 drawings and sketches by Hatot comprise the prized possessions of the company. Léon Hatot has worked on restoring these sketches to recreate the magic they once made. With minor adaptations to suit modern tastes, these timeless designs of watches and jewellery continue to guide the company and its future. Taking forward the name that forecasted the modern woman in all her style and flamboyance, Léon Hatot lives on.

Interview with the President of Leon Hatot
La féminité Moderne

As a brand that played a role in defining the revolutionary spirit of women, Léon Hatot represents a modern sense of femininity. President ARLETTE ELSA EMCH elaborates on what the brand stands for, in an interview with ANITA KHATRI

What are the defining qualities of Léon Hatot?
Léon Hatot stands for uniqueness and subtlety. Like a woman, a discreet Léon Hatot watch carries a secret that anyone would want to discover. At the same time, it represents the mentality of a modern woman, who is not dominated by any man. Made up of small collections, Léon Hatot incorporates the number seven in various permutations and combinations. Our belief in the purity of the number seven does help define Léon Hatot.

Tell us a little more about Léon Hatot’s embodiment of the spirit of women.
Léon Hatot represents femininity, as it reflects how a women’s watch can stand out in an industry dominated by men. It is the one watch brand that realises the power of women, and has maintained its status as a brand for women.

How has the spirit of Léon Hatot evolved over the years?
At the beginning of the 20th century, when World War I broke out, men from all over Europe enlisted. The women had to fend for themselves. Their jobs took them out of their homes. Soon a rising number of women began to don pants and started sporting shorter hair. This later evolved into a style sensibility, which more and more labels began to explore. With women’s clothing no longer restricted to long sleeves, hand jewellery acquired significance. It was around this time that Léon Hatot started out. The brand played an active part in establishing the spirit of the modern woman, the woman that grew during the era of the brand’s birth.

How do you ensure that your designs appeal to women?
About 40 to 60 per cent of the employees at Léon Hatot are women, which includes a majority of the designing team. I believe that a woman can understand best what other women want from their jewellery and watches.

What is the meaning of ‘femininity’ today?
Since the beginning of the 20th century, women have carved a position for themselves in a ‘man’s world’, as they started working and sustaining themselves. The 80s and 90s saw this movement growing even more rapidly. Today, women appear in public more than ever before. She is self-sufficient and self-confident. That is what femininity is today.

Who are your competitors?
Léon Hatot is very different from any other brand, internationally, as far as positioning is concerned. So in that sense, we have no competition. Going by the price range, brands that could be considered as competition are Piaget, Harry Winston and Van Cleef & Arpels.

What inspires you and the company to come up with its various creations?
Recently, thousands of old sketches were discovered. These old drawings are being adapted to suit modern tastes and are being remade. Besides that, Léon Hatot usually works on themes. For a collection, a particular theme is used and all the inspiration comes from there. For instance, inspired by these drawings, our theme last year was the peacock.

If you were to pick a brand ambassadress Léon Hatot, what qualities would the person have?
A brand ambassadress for Léon Hatot would neither have to be very good-looking, nor would she have to be a celebrity. The person would have to possess an inner beauty that is apparent from the persona she carries. She must have a refined personality, with some accomplishments to talk about. Even age would be no barrier for our choice of a brand ambassadress.

What would be your message to women in India?
I’d like to say that for a woman, Léon Hatot is a beautiful story. Going by the speciality of number seven, which represents Léon Hatot, sept — une belle histoire (seven — a beautiful story).

If there was a particular kind of watch you’d prefer, what would that be?
I generally prefer watches that have diamonds, simply because of the value of the stone. Besides its obvious value, a diamond is something that has travelled a great distance and has been acquired with great effort. The fact that a diamond has existed long before you and I, and will continue to exist long after we pass on, is very fascinating to me.

Does Léon Hatot have any specific plans for India?
We’d like to enter the Indian market soon, as we believe that the Indian woman is one who believes in design aesthetics. Besides that, India is already such a big part of the international watch market. Swatch Group has been putting jewellery and watches on the same platform, and we are a part of that, with other brands like Breguet and Omega. India is a land of jewellery-making also, so that’s another reason for our interest in India. For our entry, we’ll be looking at the three major cities here: Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.