By the time he obtained the coveted qualification ofMaître Horloger–Master Watchmaker–in 1809,Charles Girardier l’Aîné–the Elder–had already secured his place in watchmaking history, and notleast in Geneva, the city where it was being written. The credential earned him the right tomanufacture and sign his own timepieces within the boundaries of the city by the lake.

When young Charles first set up hisatelierin Geneva in 1780, the city was vibrant with workshopsmanufacturing exquisite timepieces, many of which featured gold and enamelled cases, elaboratefaces and sophisticated mechanisms. It was the epicentre of high-end watchmaking and the twenty-one-year-old was determined to make his mark.

His name gradually became synonymous with pocket watches that stood out for their finely painted scenes on dials and cases, répetition movements that chimed the time, and jaquemarts, miniature automatons with animated, mechanised figures moving on the dial and powered by the watch movement. Charles Girardier meant a promise of exceptional watchmaking, always kept and just as often exceeded.