ACHARD George

Son of François, originally from Dauphiné (France). Master horologist in Geneva. Married in 1771. In partnership with his brother Jean-François until 1796, then founds the company George(s) Achard et Cie., later known as G. Achard & Fils. Dies in 1820. The Genevan watch-making industry fought everywhere, often winning the battle, with the English watch-making industry. It was often the case that watches manufactured in Geneva bore the engraving “Made in London” instead of Geneva at the request of businessmen who wanted to compete more easily with their English rivals. Even in 1806, merchants from Geneva, among them Georges Achard, father and son, were still imitating watches manufactured by Higgs and Evans in London, and were selling them in Spain and the Spanish colonies for a price of 115, 120 and 130 francs, while their English counterparts could not supply them for anything less than 200 francs. In 1806, the same business, Achard, had 600 watches manufactured based on a model purchased from Georges Prior of London. Achard father and son offered their watches in Izmir at a price of 116 francs each, while Prior could not sell the same model for less than 168 francs. Complicated watches, self-winding watches, repeater watches, date watches – his signature can even be found on an equation of time watch.