The story of Fabergé is inextricably linked to the lives, loves and tragedy of the last Romanov Tsar Nicholas II and his Empress Alexandra, and to the Russian Revolution that changed the course of world history.
Of Huguenot origin, with a febrile imagination, protean talent and entrepreneurial instincts, Peter Carl Fabergé became jeweller and goldsmith to the great Russian Imperial Court, creating exquisite jewels and objects, including the legendary series of lavish and ingenious Imperial Easter Eggs.
His worldwide reputation attracted royalty, nobility, tycoons, industrialists and the artistic intelligentsia of Paris, Moscow, St Petersburg and London.
In 1917, the Russian Revolution brought a violent end not only to the Romanov dynasty but also to the House of Fabergé.
The Bolsheviks seized the Fabergé workshops and their treasures, all production was closed down and Peter Carl Fabergé and his family fled from Russia.
In a legal settlement in 1951, the Fabergé family lost the right to produce and market designs under the Fabergé name.
Yet, through decades of the 20th century, the noble Fabergé name, separated from the family despite their attempts to honour and perpetuate their legacy, showed an extraordinary resilience.
Throughout, the legend has retained its mystique, charisma and awe-inspiring romance, along with a certain enigma tied to the mystery of the whereabouts of many iconic Fabergé works of art.
History came full circle in October 2007 when Fabergé, under new ownership and direction, announced the reunification of the Fabergé name with the Fabergé family.
This opened a new chapter in the intriguing story of Fabergé, and set the stage for a total revitalisation of the Fabergé name and philosophy, in tune with its original values, aesthetics and spirit.
Fabergé was re-launched on the 9th September, 2009, with three Les Fabuleuses de Fabergé High Jewellery Collections - Les Fleurs, Les Fables and Les Fauves de Fabergé.
Today, with Katharina Flohr as Creative and Managing Director, and her in-house creative team, Fabergé is forging a fresh yet strong identity.
Paying homage to Peter Carl Fabergé’s genius as a visionary artist-jeweller, and benefiting from the expertise and guidance of Tatiana and Sarah Fabergé, his great-grand-daughters, contemporary Fabergé collections are imbued with poetry, artistry and refined ideals of beauty made possible by unrivalled craftsmanship, innovation and ingenuity, all underlined with a strong emotional engagement.
Distinguished by Fabergé’s dedication to excellence and pursuit of perfection, the jewels are both linked to Fabergé’s world, yet of the moment and relevant today, demonstrating the modernity that Peter Carl Fabergé was always able to bring to his own eclectic cultural and stylistic references.
Fabergé’s collections of hand-made watches continue the tradition of watch and clockmaking established by Peter Carl Fabergé, exquisitely fusing the past and the present, artistry and craftsmanship, and deploying the finest materials, techniques and components.
Each collection represents a different aspect of the Fabergé legend: Alexei, a contemporary classic, understated in its luxury, blends the softness and the modernity that characterises original Fabergé creations, while Agathon, with its sporty elegance, and many variations, celebrates today’s ingenious watchmaking, and the art of enamelling for which Fabergé is famed.

History of Favre-Leuba begins in 1718, when watch enthusiast Abraham Favre decided to become a watchmaker. His profession was soon recognized, and his manufactory was officially registered in 1737.
Abraham Favre started one of the earliest watch-making businesses in a small Swiss village called Le Locle in Neuchâtel.
His son went a step further by going into partnership with the watch-dealer, Auguste Leuba in 1814 and hence derived the brand name of Favre Leuba.
Since then the company is remained and managed in the hands of family for eight generations.
Until 1969, the quartz revolution came along, bringing many changes for the watchmaking industry.
Favre-Leuba, one of the largest companies of its time, passed through different hands such as Benedom SA and LVMH before finally regaining its independence in 2003.
Under the leadership of Henry A. Favre during the years following the Second World War, the company continued efforts to improve the technology of the watch movements, focusing on improving their properties at different temperature.
This research indeed resulted in more accurate and reliable movements, most of which are still running well today – some 50 years later.
The FL 251 movement designed in 1962 is a good example of these exceptional masterpieces: it is an extra-thin twin-barrel movement with a centre second hand and 50 hours of power reserve.
It was a good 30 years ahead of its time.
1962 was also important to Favre-Leuba as the year when the “Bivouac” was launched, the first wristwatch with an altimeter/barometer function.
It was a runaway success and became a must for the major expeditions of the time.
Paul-Emile Victor used it in Antarctica, Vaucher and Bonatti for conquering the north face of the Grandes Jorasses in the Alps.
Many others followed in their footsteps.
1964 saw the launch of one of the earliest diving timepieces, the “Deep Blue”, which was waterproof to 200m.
In 1966 came the legendary “Bathy”, a unique mechanical instrument giving divers not only a precise indication of their time under water, but also a direct and accurate reading of their actual depth.
The Duomatic in 1968 followed by the Sea Raider in 1970 introduced a true technological breakthrough: their first high-frequency movement of 36,000 alternances per hour giving the watch unparalleled accuracy.

1912 - The watch company was founded in Grenchen, Switzerland by Walter Vogt, although the Fortis trademark and logo were first registered a year later.

1922 - John Harwood visited Switzerland in search of a production company for the self-winding wristwatch he had invented. He met Walter Vogt and they agreed to work together.

1937 - The first chronographs were manufactured on the occasion of the company’s 25th anniversary.

1961 - The early years of the Space Race was spotted as an opportunity by Fortis, which created the Spacematic Automatic, constructed for extreme conditions, which prompted seven astronauts of the US space programme to choose it during training.

1992 - Fortis recorded the first instance when one of its watches finally made it into space. A Russian proton rocket launched what was billed as the first art museum in orbit, including a painted Fortis Stratoliner Chronograph dial.

1994 - Russia’s legendary Star City Training Centre selected Fortis’ Official Cosmonauts Chronograph for its kit, and its watches became part of the cosmonauts’ official equipment. In 1997, the German Aerospace Centre also selected Fortis chronographs for the German-Russian MIR 97 space mission.

2004 - 10 years after the first official flight, Fortis was reconfirmed as the exclusive supplier of manned space missions for the Federal Space Agency of Russia. The new B-42 Official Cosmonauts Chronograph performed on board the International Space Station, floating in weightlessness.

2009 - The start of a second space race, as Russia announced plans for a manned mission to Mars – a round trip that will take 500 days to complete. Fortis was named as the official mission supplier and launched the B-42 Official Cosmonauts Mars 500 Titanium as a special commemorating edition.

2012 - On the occasion of the 100th anniversary Fortis presents the new Chronograph Alarm GMT Automatic calibre F-2012 with two power reserves and indications for a 2nd time zone and AM/PM indication. The mechanism is used in what Fortis calls its masterpiece, the F-43 Flieger Chronograph Alarm GMT Chronometer.

In 1936 Fred Samuel opened its first boutique at number 6 Rue Royale in Paris, next to the Place de la Concorde.
Avant-gardist, he presented himself as a "Modern Jewelry Designer" and created jewels that matched fashion.
As he had always been a precursor, international celebrities such as Marlene Dietrich became fans of his style and his success spread rapidly from Paris to the rest of the world.
Jeweler of the artists and the cinema, FRED achieves many ornaments for the 7th Art, among which the superb ruby necklace set with diamonds, worn by Julia Roberts in "Pretty Woman".
In 1995 the FRED House joined the LVMH Group and started the second chapter of its history.
FRED remains faithful to its founder’s original successful slogan and reinvents FRED’s line according to the basic rules of jewelry: jewels reject clichés and lines match women’s sensuality.
FRED’s innovative spirit remains in the sales spaces, which are at once lively and luminous, daring and elegant.
Since 2002 FRED has opened more than 10 boutiques the world over from London to Paris, via Tokyo.

Charles Frodsham, the founder of the company, was the son of William Frodsham an established London clockmaker.

Charles was born on the 15^th April 1810 and at the age of 14 he was apprenticed to his father for seven years.

At twenty, Charles distinguished himself by submitting one of his first marine chronometers to the Premium trials at Greenwich Observatory, receiving the second prize of £170.

In 1834 he was made a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Shortly after and doubtless encouraged by his recent successes, Charles ventured out on his own establishing his business in London.

Charles gained an enviable reputation for the manufacture of precision timekeepers, both as a supplier of marine chronometers to the Admiralty, and as provider of fine watches and regulators to discerning clients worldwide.

He later acquired three prestigious businesses, that of, J.R. Arnold, Vulliamy and William Johnson late of Grimalde & Johnson.

In 1854 the firm was granted the Royal Warrant and made keeper of Her Majesty’s clocks.

For over 125 years Charles Frodsham & Co. were responsible for the maintenance of the Royal clocks and remained the last independent clockmakers permitted to have workshops in Buckingham Palace.

Throughout the second half of the 19^th Century the firm of Charles Frodsham exhibited at all the major International Exhibitions – including, Paris, Philadelphia, Sydney and the Great Exhibition of 1851 at Crystal Palace, where a first class medal was received.

In all, Frodshams obtained fourteen medals and diplomas.

From 1850 the majority of the finest Frodsham watches were distinguished with the code AD fmsz.

Many of these pieces were sent to Kew Observatory for rigorous timing tests, attaining consistently high marks, with one tourbillon watch holding the record in 1906 with a mark of 93.9.

Charles Frodsham & Co. became a limited company in 1893.

With the advent of the motor car in the early part of the 20^th Century, the business expanded with the introduction of speedometers.

From the late 1940’s through to the ‘80s, the firm concentrated on the production of mantel and carriage clocks, producing amongst other things the ‘Princess’ clock presented in 1947 to HRH Princess Elizabeth on the occasion of her marriage.

Today Charles Frodsham & Co. proudly maintains the exacting standards and enthusiasm of its founder, Charles Frodsham.

A fuller account of the life and times of Charles Frodsham and the company can be found in The Frodshams, The Story of a Family of Clockmakers by Vaudrey Mercer, Published by The Antiquarian Horological Society, 1981.

It all started with Ahasuerus Fromanteel, a clockmaker from the 17th century who owned a modest workshop at the Dam square in Amsterdam.

Back in 1660 AD, Fromanteel began to manufacture a series of revolutionary clocks, equipped with the advanced pendulum mechanism.

This clock was known as the most accurate clock at that time.

The pendulum enabled the Fromanteel clocks to measure 'seconds', which was quite unique in a world dominated by 'minutes' only.

The clocks were sold as if they were iPads and because of this huge success, Fromanteel expanded his operations and opened a second workshop in London and not much later one in Newcastle.

Instantly creating the world's first multinational clockmakers firm.

That is what inspired us to do what we do today.

Now the name Fromanteel lives on as a brand of fine crafted watches.

Our timepieces apply the mastery technique of the Fromanteels to today's modern age.

A Fromanteel watch is a contemporary designed timepiece, with an eye for the smallest detail and the highest level of quality.