Léon L. Gallet (1832–1899), watchmaker, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and past family patriarch of the Gallet Watch Company of Switzerland,[1] is considered as one of the primary architects and founders of the 19th century industrialization of the Swiss watchmaking industry.
The son of Julien Gallet (1806–1849), who moved the family watchmaking business from Geneva, Switzerland, to the manufacturing district of La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1826, Léon L. Gallet was responsible for the creation of numerous Swiss and American watch brands.[2] Among these was the prestigious Fabrique Electa, which became the upscale line of the jewelry department at Macy’s Department store in New York City during the first quarter of the 20th century. Léon L. Gallet also established the brands National Park, Continental Watch Company, Jerome Park, Bridgeport, Eureka, Commodore, Union Square, and Lady Racine.[3] While the appearance and function of many of Gallet’s timepieces were tailored to the tastes of the American consumers, all of the movements in these watches were manufactured in Switzerland.
Léon Gallet played a philanthropic role in the business, cultural, and social life of his native home. As well as his prominent position as a member of both the legislature of Neuchâtel and the Council of La Chaux-de-Fonds, he was for many years, the president of the Société des Amis des Arts (Fine Arts Society) and Grand Master of the Free Masons. Together with Louis & Jules Courvoisier, Ernest Francillon of Longines, and Constant Girard-Perregaux, Léon Gallet founded the Société Intercantonale des Industries du Jura (Intercantonal Society for the Industries of the Jura Area) in 1876. The purpose of this organization was to assist in the promotion and distribution of products from Switzerland's Watch Valley while addressing the growing threat of competition in European markets from American watch manufacturers.
Upon his death in 1899, Léon Gallet bequeathed a sum of 43,000 Swiss Francs (today equivalent to 1,000,000 Swiss Francs or approx. 1,000,000 US dollars) to his hometown of La Chaux-de-Fonds, of which 25,000 Swiss Francs were earmarked to build the Musée International d'Horlogerie (International Watch Making Museum).[4] Donated by Léon Gallet’s son Georges, the museum’s collection was started with a body of over 100 of Gallet's most complicated and valuable timepieces, including the world's first wristwatch produced for mass consumption in 1892. The balance of the bequeathed funds was used to construct the Musée des beaux-arts de La Chaux-de-Fonds (Beaux Arts Museum of La-Chaux-de-Fonds), designed by renowned painter Charles l’Eplattenier and architect René Chapallaz, Le Corbusier's architecture teacher.
Prior to his passing, Léon Gallet commissioned René Chapallaz, to design "Villa Gallet". Situated in "Parc Gallet" in the southern part of La Chaux-de-Fonds, "Villa Gallet" still retains its original name and is considered as an important historic contribution to the Swiss Art Nouveau movement of the late 19th century.
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