Beuchat

Beuchat (also spelled Beauchat) was a French watch brand best known for their anticlockwise watch.

History

C. Beuchat SA was founded in 1905 by Constant Beauchat. The firm was located in Marseilles, as was the unrelated 1934 firm, Beauchat Diving, founded by Georges Beauchat who pioneered the underwater spear gun. Another unrelated firm, P. Beuchat & Cie, produced mainsprings in Bienne by the 1960s.

By 1974, the firm of Constant Beuchat had established an office in Paris and was producing fashionable watches under the direction of Paul Beuchat and Nègre Beuchat. The firm had launched LED digital watches by 1976.

In 1987, Beuchat launched the Beuchat Envers ACW, perhaps the first anticlockwise watch from a major brand. It used a special-purpose movement produced by France Ebauches. The company was now in the hands of the third generation, Bernard Beuchat and Pierre Nègre. It was positioned as a fashionable French alternative to the popular Swatch, with a wide variety of models.