In a very exciting update, the brand, previously known as Michel Herbelin has announced that it will now be known as Herbelin. Reintroducing Herbelin is a huge change for the brand. It has stayed incredibly faithful to its founding philosophies for over seventy years. The change has come about as a result of Herbelin being handed down to the younger generation of the Herbelin family. Maxime and Mathieu Herbelin are working to modernise the brand. They are successfully bringing it into the 21st century whilst retaining its classic sense of French style.
Some eagle-eyed watch enthusiasts may have already noticed this change. The brand has slowly been introducing the new branding onto the dials of its latest timepieces. The dial of each watch will now simply read ‘Herbelin’, creating a clean, minimalist and modern look. This name change signifies a new era for Herbelin and is the start of some very exciting things.
A Brief History of Herbelin
This move into the modern age of Herbelin is a great time to look back at the history of the brand. The brand was first founded in 1947 in Charquemont, France. A young Michel Herbelin was meant to take over his parents’ company. He instead chose to make his own way in the world of watchmaking. In order to gain some valuable experience, Michel Herbelin worked in a local watch factory. He then embarked on his adventure in restoring the prestige of traditional French watchmaking. The brand’s first workshop was on the top floor of Michel Herbelin’s parents’ home. It was here that the “IMPEC” watch was created. Michel Herbelin named the watch this to show how impeccable it was. He was finally achieving his goal of creating elegant watches that function to perfection.
The Michel Herbelin brand was founded in 1965 and was backed by the success of its founder’s creations. The passion for watchmaking has been passed down through the generations of the Herbelin family. The brand was handed down to the founder’s sons, Jean-Claude and Pierre-Michel in 1980. The brothers were faced with the rise of the quartz movement. This posed a challenge for other French watch manufacturers. However, the Herbelin brothers saw it as an opportunity to be more creative and future-proof the brand.
Herbelin Today
In 2020, the brand was handed down to Michel Herbelin’s grandsons. They now run the brand alongside Cédric Gomez-Montiel and Benjamin Theurillat who are members of the Michel Herbelin family. With gradual modernisation and the watchmaking passion of the Herbelin family, the brand has survived more than 70 years whilst retaining its original values. Herbelin still produces timepieces that are made to last that are created with artisanal know-how and French elegance.
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