BAYARD CLOCKS

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1867: Albert Villon founds his first watchmaking workshop in Saint-Nicolas d'Aliermont, a future Bayard house. He specializes in the travel pendulum and the marine watch.

1873: Association between Albert Villon and the brother-in-law of his wife, Ernest Dessiaux. That same year, they filed a patent of "Improvement and additions to ordinary awakenings". We do not know his training, but the patent suggests that he had strong skills in watchmaking. With Albert Villon, he created A.Villon and Dessiaux, which he left in 1883 to start his own business.

Sep 10 1885: Association between Albert Villon, Paul Duverdrey, accountant of formation, and Joseph Bloquel, watchmaker of formation. Ten-year agreement. Paul Duverdrey takes over the management of the workshops with Joseph Bloquel. Villon deals with general surveillance and prospection abroad.

1896 Albert Villon founds the partnership of Albert Villon, Duverdrey and Bloquel.

Oct. 15, 1897 Paul Duverdrey and Joseph Bloquel take over the Saint-Nicolas-d'Aliermont and Bledsal plants.

1902 Departure from Villon. The company becomes a Duverdrey and Bloquel partnership. It persists in this form until December 2, 1916.

February 1907: Duverdrey and Bloquel give the name Bayard revivals, and that well before the mark Bayard was filed in 1928.

1911 On the death of Paul Duverdrey, his son Robert replaces him at the head of the Duverdrey and Bloquel partnership. Charismatic director, he modernizes the factory and leads a fairly advanced social policy although very particular. All employees must join the CGT union and the amount of the contribution is deducted from wages. Under his leadership, there will be no strike action, even in 1936. He establishes in particular a frank collaboration with the works council and his representative Achille Pégis. He sets up the distribution of profits among the workers, a small cooperative, selling groceries and fish in a factory room, a refectory (which worked every afternoon with a person used to warm the bowls) , two buses from the factory to get the workers to Dieppe.

Dec 2 1916 Duverdrey and Bloquel becomes a public limited company named Duverdrey-Bloquel Former Establishments Corporation (five-year term). The name remains until 1962

Early 1920s Joseph Bloquel designs the Alarm clock Bijou, whose particularity lies in the fact that its pendulum axis pivots on two synthetic rubies.

1922 Manufacture of new models known as "grand Réveils" such as the Sonnfor and the Tapageur which, as their name indicates, have the peculiarity to ring loudly.

1923 Louis Guilbert, in a plant room, teaches courses at the Society for Technical Education and Watchmaking, of which Robert Duverdrey is president.

1925 Louis Guilbert continues the work of Bloquel and designs the Economic Jewel to replace the Jewel, replacing the synthetic rubies with steel screws. He also designs small machines, tool plans and sets up a design office and some workstations

1928 The Bayard mark is registered by the Duverdrey-Bloquel Ex-Establishments Corporation.

It is at this time that will begin the design, then the manufacture of high quality clocks, a flawless and luxurious design.

1930 Manufacture of the Bayard-Bayard alarm clock. In the circular addressed to watchmakers and points of sale dated May 1930, it is underlined that the "Bayard-Bayard" "is distinguished between all the revivals existing to date, awakening form whose lines and elegance make it at the same time a pendulum.

Bayick's first animated alarm clock: Mickey Mouse. The second will be Snow White, marketed in 1938.

1931 Robert Duverdrey entrusts Louis Guilbert with responsibility for the production workshop.

1947 Death of Robert Duverdrey. Raphael Hennion, board member and shareholder at Bayard, is named CEO of the company following the death of Robert Duverdrey.

February 1949 A strike action paralyzes the company.

Raphaël Hennion uses the gendarmerie and the closure of the factory lasts three weeks during which he fires all the shop stewards and closes the shop selling staff. It continues to modernize the plant and sales are increasing. Under his direction, the factory equipped with showers, a library, a laundromat, a medical office and a music room

1950s Launch of the Stentor alarm clock, characterized by a strong ringing tone. This alarm clock was a huge success in the 1950s and 1960s, thanks to the choice of the striking mechanism: repetition (six times alternately) or continuous ringing.

1960 Raphaël Hennion leaves office.

Edmond Forest, son-in-law of Raphaël Hennion replaces him as CEO. Engineer of the Ecole Centrale he was a shareholder of the company and participated in its development since the 1950s (developing in particular the non-watchmaking sector (rocket head, lighter Ronson, part for IBM etc.) Upon arrival, it rationalizes production and renames the different types of model according to the caliber they use (from A to Z with variants).

Feb. 15 1961 Michel Bouquet, representative of the advertising company Opera is recruited by Bayard as commercial director. He will exercise until August 31, 1970.

Dec 14 1962 The Society of Former Establishments Duverdrey-Bloquel becomes the society Réveils Bayard.

1967 Bayard manufactures 1,200,000 movements a year.

1978 Jaeger-Levallois, a Swiss company, becomes the majority shareholder of SA Réveils Bayard.

March 1980 Edmond Forest leaves the management of the factory.

October 1980 to Jan. 1984 Alain Beaud, secretary general of S.A Jaeger-Leval-lois becomes CEO of Réveils Bayard. Bayard

is part of the Matra-Horlogerie group as a subsidiary of Jaeger-Levallois.

Jan. 24, 1984 Bankruptcy filing of S.A. des Réveils Bayard.

Spiero Horlogerie, an Alsatian company, currently owns the Bayard brand.