A watchmaker named Jean-Francois Bautte in 1791 founded Girard Perregaux. He was soon recognized because of his ultra-slim timepieces and his manufactory in Geneva was graced Queen Victoria of England. In 1837 Jacques Bautte and Samuel Rossel inherited the legacy of the esteemed Jean-Francois Bautte. The company’s proprietorship changed in 1852 when Constant Girard took over the ownership of the company. In 1856 the name of the enterprise was transformed into Girard-Perregaux and it moved to La Chaux-de-Fonds following the marriage of Constant Girard and Marie Perregaux. This brand is the father of the concept of wearing watches on the wrist. Constant Girard, the innovator implemented the idea and was ordered personally by Emperor Wilhelm I to deliver the first ever wristwatch for officers in the German Imperial Navy in 1880. To carry out the imperial order, 2000 Girard Perregaux watches were manufactured. However this avant-garde idea was not accepted in the age when pocket-watch ruled the lives of people. So the manufacture of wristwatches was put to an end. In 1930, the company sold more Girard Perregaux watches than pocket watches making Constant Girard’s dream turn real. Girard-Perregaux was the pioneering company in Switzerland to fabricate quartz watches on an industrial scale.