The factory known as Landeron originated from the Hahn family business. Brothers Charles-Alfred Hahn and Aimé-Auguste Hahn started their activity in the 19th century and opened a movement workshop in Landeron (canton of Neuchâtel). According to sources, the establishment dates to 1873 (*Charles Hahn & Cie*) or 1875 (*Hahn Frères*). After the death of Charles-Alfred (1875/76), his son Charles Hahn took over, and in 1898 the company was renamed Charles Hahn & Cie.
By the late 19th century, the firm was producing and finishing movements — simple and complicated — and received several awards (Paris 1878, 1900; La Chaux-de-Fonds 1881; Geneva 1896). From the 1910s, the public and the press increasingly referred simply to “Landeron”. The company was producing chronographs by 1923 at the latest.
In 1924, Landeron/Charles Hahn exploited Breitling patents related to chronographs. This positioned the factory as one of the main Swiss suppliers of column-wheel chronographs (Cal. 11/13, then Cal. 39/42/52) for many brands and military uses until those patents expired in the 1930s.
In 1925, Charles Hahn & Cie merged with the Fabrique d’Horlogerie de Fontainemelon (FHF) and became the “Landeron branch”. The following year, FHF/Landeron became a founding member of Ebauches SA (later ESA, then ETA), created to coordinate and stabilize the Swiss movement industry.
In 1937, Landeron developed the first series-produced cam-operated chronograph: the Cal. 47 (3 pushers), quickly simplified into Cal. 48 (2 pushers). Patented in 1939 under Charles Hahn and Marcel Dépraz, this cam system replaced the column wheel, enabling lower-cost production without sacrificing reliability.
Its operation differs from other chronos: in the 48/148 series, the 2 o’clock pusher starts, the 4 o’clock pusher stops and resets.
The Landeron 48 family (and derivatives 51/54/56/58/148/149/152/153/154/187/189/248, etc.) dominated the post-war years: more than 3.5 million were made between the late 1930s and 1970s. They appeared in watches from Heuer-Leonidas, Baume & Mercier, Edox, Favre-Leuba, Glycine, Helvetia, Nivada, Titus, Zodiac, and others.
In 1961, Landeron produced the first Swiss electric movement: the Cal. 4750 (followed by 4751), with an electrically driven balance. Several brands used it, even in desk clocks.
The late 1960s and the rise of quartz undermined much of the ébauche ecosystem. Landeron’s mechanical chronograph families ended around 1970, with the branch redirected to Ebauches Electronics projects before ceasing operations around 1983. The name Landeron remains associated with the industrialization and democratization of chronographs.
In the 21st century, the name Landeron Swiss Movements was revived, aiming to re-establish production under the historic brand, with facilities announced in Switzerland (La Chaux-de-Fonds, Kaiseraugst).
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