Leon Hatot watches
by David Barth
written June 2003
Leon Hatot
from http://homepage.bluewin.ch/electric-clocks/ATOtextenglish.htm
and
www.leonhatot.com
Today, this high-value watch is manufactured by the Swatch Group.
The company was started in 1905 by Leon Hatot, 1883 - 1953. Leon was born in Chatillon-sur-seine in 1883. He studied at Ecole l'hor Logorie of Besancon and
at Ecole des Beaux-Arts. In 1911, at age 22, he established a watch-making and jewellery company in Paris. His company supplied jewellery to high-end
companies such as Boucheron, Cartier, and Van Cleef & Arpels. His company acquired Bredillard, a leading manufacturer and supplier of watches, clocks,
jewelry and other stylish accessories to the leading firms of Place Vendome.
Born on the 22nd April 1883 at Chatillon Sur Seine, died on the 11th September 1953, Leon Hatot was a student at the School of Horology in Besancon between
1895 and 1898, then at the ecole des Beaux-Arts in Besancon. In 1905, at an early age, he set up his own business specialising in engraving watch cases which
grew rapidly into a workshop employing artisans making high quality clocks in precious metals and jewels. He later established himself in Paris where, in 1911, he
move in with the firm "Bredillard", while keeping his workshop in Besancon. He was then, and for a while afterwards, one of several creators of artistic clocks and
jewellery, supplying the main dealers in the rue de la Paix.
In "La France Horlogere" in 1920 the Council includes, under specialist contributors, Hatot Industriel et Artiste Bijoutier or "Hatot, Industrial and Artistic
Jeweller".
A questioning and visionary spirit, Leon Hatot interested himself very early on in the subject of electrical horology and, in 1920, founded a separate division for
research and development of clocks and watches powered by electric cells. In the same year, his businesses both in Paris and in Besancon were amalgamated
as a single company: "Societe des Etablissements Leon Hatot". To assist in the research and development of electrical horology, in 1923 he collaborated with
Marius Lavet, an engineer in Arts and Crafts at the Ecole Superieure d'Electricite and who, like himself, was passionately interested in the applications of electricity
in horology.
Trading under the name "ATO" from 1923, electric clocks were produced in Besancon in a partially rebuilt factory in the rue de la Rotonde. They were an immediate
unprecedented success in the market place. At the Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs in 1925, Leon Hatot won a Grand Prix for a whole range of electric
clocks, housed in marble, chrome, marquetry and fine wood cases, even in some instances in cases of moulded glass from the famous Lalique factories (Fig. 5).
Leon Hatot was decorated with the Legion of Honour and nominated as a judge in the commercial tribunal in the Seine as well as being a consultant in
foreign trade.
In 1929, Leon Hatot made a significant invention with the automatic winding watch "ROLLS". In this device, the movement is wound by the motion of an arm sliding
inside the case, guided by balls between two runners (original Patent No. 704.910 of 11 January 1930, first amendment No. 38.984, second amendment No. 39.523,
completed on the 30th November 1931 by a third amendment No. 39.581). This invention was described by his friend Marius Lavet in the Bulletin of the Societe
d'Encouragement pour l'Industrie Nationale. This mechanism had the advantage of working with the minimum of friction and permitted the manufacture of movements
of extremely small size, perfectly adapted to rectangular watches which were in fashion at the time - particularly for ladies watches. A contract dated 23rd September
1930 was drawn up between the Hatot company and a Monsieur Blancpain giving exclusive manufacturing rights and sole distribution right within France and Belgium
for the autowinding "ROLLS" watches. Despite this invention, crowned by a Medal of Honour by the Societe d'Encouragement pour l'Industrie Nationale, it did not yield
the success it deserved as its commercial exploitation was affected by the world economic crisis of 1929.
Throughout this time, Leon Hatot maintained his workshop for jewellery and highly decorated watch cases in Paris which, in 1926, he put under the control of Edouard
Dietsch who became engaged to his daughter.
The works then found a new period of growth which, helped by the sales of ATO electric clocks, financed the very expensive research into electrical horology which Leon
Hatot pursued with his friend Marius Lavet - research which was spectacularly rewarded by the invention of the electric clock "ATO-RADIOLA" which received correcting
time signals by radio waves. Described for the first time in May 1928 in issue No 2 of "Radiola", a publication of the French Radio Society (la Societe Francaise
Radioelectrique), the correcting signal was applied remotely over a distance of 250 kilometres by a radio signal transmitted from the Eiffel Tower or by Radio Paris
during one of their concert broadcasts. It was said to be enough for the clock's owner to listen to one of these concerts at least once per week for the clock to be
maintained at exactly the correct time. It is interesting to note that this device was "reinvented" and launched amid much publicity by Junghans at the end of the 1980's.
The most significant part of this latter was the power of the transmitter, connected to the Observatory at Brunswick, whose signal carries almost 2,000 km.
In 1928, the Hatot company's premises at 23 rue de la Michodiere were the subject of a compulsory purchase prior to demolition. That part of the business was
transferred to a far more salubrious location at 12 Faubourg Saint Honore which was soon frequented by a very particular clientele, rich and exacting, attracted by
the range of high quality, highly decoarated watches which Edouard Dietsch had made his speciality. This new prosperity was, however, short-lived. In common with
all luxury industries, they were direct casualties of the economic crisis which followed the Wall Street Crash of 1929.
By extending his export activities into Italy, Belgium and Germany, where he established agreements with Haller & Benzing and HAC (a company eventually taken
over by Junghans) (Fig. 8) for the manufacture and distribution of ATO clocks, Leon Hatot not only saved his business but succeeded in developing it.
Not wishing to desert the Franche Comte completely, he maintained a small assembly workshop in Besancon. His great artistic qualities always made him want to
make special pieces. As at the beginning of his career he conceived and realised with his own hands, on behalf of the town of Besancon, a very fine pocket watch
which was presented to the French President, Armand Fallieres, during one of his visits in Doubs.
Later, he designed and modelled the glass trophy presented each year to the horologist who obtained the best results in the annual competition the "Concours de
Chronometrie". He was also a founder member of the French Horological Society.
At the Colonial Exhibition of 1931, Leon Hatot displayed electric clocks of very small proportions which were the origin of a new generation of decorative clocks. In
particular, he created a new model, the concept and presentation of which were revolutionary, in which he dispensed with traditional decorated cases and made the
movement itself the sole decorative element. (Fig 6). This paved the way for a whole new fashion which swept along most makers who adopted this "avant garde"
using glass and chrome which blended perfectly with the furniture of the day. His fertile imagination also launched onto the market other original creations such at the
"Aquatora" in which the time was shown on the circumference of an illuminated aquarium and the "Maplux" where the time anywhere in the world was shown along the
equator of a terrestrial globe.
In parallel with his production of electric clocks, in 1933 Leon Hatot opened a new department for time distribution systems by means of a "master clock" which
controlled several "slave clocks". This was done by taking over the business of Paul Garnier, founded in 1825 which specialised in time distribution at railway stations
and public buildings. The transference of the factory at Besancon was at last decided upon, and the different services of the company were regrouped in the premises of
Paul Garnier at 9, rue Beudan in Paris.
In 1939, from the beginning of the Second World War, the Hatot company was requisitioned for the production of Sperry gyrocompasses and other instruments for
aviation (as the example of an altimeter shown below) as well as various navigational aids for the French Navy. The surrender in 1940 put an end to these activities as
Leon Hatot refused any form of collaboration with the Germans.
Aircraft altimeter for the French Air Force, WWII
It is indeed regrettable that he did not see the technical revolution to which horology underwent following the application of the transistor to this industry. Only days
before his death, he knew of the first prototypes working in laboratories without any electrical contact and he foresaw their eventual success. Leon Hatot's whole life
was dedicated to research into getting the best out everything he did and his extraordinary activity, his strong will, his inventive genius always in evidence enabled the
business to prosper and, despite its modest size, influence much larger horological companies throughout the world.
The Hatot Company was among the first to embody in their instruments important improvements made possible by the application of transistors in horology (Fig 14
and Fig 15). Their first patents were filed on 16th September 1953, but the Hatot Company did not have sufficient funds to exploit their numerous patents worldwide,
so they granted licences to several of the principal horological producers in the industrialised countries which is why there exist throughout the world millions of
watches and clocks signed L. Leroy & Cie., Ebauches S.A., Junghans (Fig. 8), Westclox, Smith & Son, Bulova, Jaz et General Time, all carrying the words "Lic.
ATO".
It was the same for the Chronostats I, II and III, electronic marine chronometers which were supplied by L. Leroy & Co. to the French Navy, the Ecole Normale
Superieure, la Compagnie Generale Transatlantique and the Institut de Physique du Globe. Chronostat III in particular was used for polar expeditions and was
installed in Navy buildings and on the most prestigious vessels including the aircraft carriers "Clemenceau" and "Foch, the helicopter carrier "Jeanne d'Arc", and
various submarines of the "Daphne" class. Eventually, following a decision by the Secretary General of the Merchant Navy dated 31st July 1959, the Chronostat III
was derestricted and made available for use on liners and merchant ships, not only on the prestigious liner "France" and the splendid "Sovereign of the Sea" but also
on numerous oil carriers and container ships of the Shell company.
Leon Hatot died on the 11th September 1953 at the age of 70, following a long illness after a life overflowing with activities in art, where he distinguished himself in the
field of horology as one of the Masters of the Art-Deco period, and in science where his creative and visionary spirit gave birth to several inventions which heralded the
development of horology in the third quarter of the 20th Century.
In 1967, the electrical horology branch of Lepaute took over the ATO production. A new type of seven segment digital clock was developed in 1978 and was immediately
taken up by the French railways "SNCF". These clocks achieved such rapid success that they were copied on a grand scale. Although the Hatot Company adopted new
production techniques and used miniature quartz crystals as time standards, the costs of research and development could not be recovered in small to medium series
production. Competition from South East Asia forced the Hatot Company to abandon its industrial branch and concentrate on the sale of quality watches and domestic
battery electric clocks marketed under the names "ATO-LEPAUTE" and "ATO - PAUL GARNIER".
The entire stock of watches and jewellery, conserved intact in a bank vault after the declaration of WWII, was put up for public auction by Christie's in Geneva on the
1st of May 1989.
The precious Hatot company archives and in particular almost 5,000 magnificent coloured designs for watches and fine jewellery, the inestimable contribution made
by Leon Hatot to the flowering of the Art Dec style of the period 1910-1930, are today in the possession of the new Hatot compay, now a member of the Swatch Group
who have kindly made available to us the following two designs, which illustrate this chapter in history.
The Swatch Group acquired the Leon Hatot company in 1999, and slowly nurtured it to become one of the Swatch Group’s leading luxury brands.
In 1925, at the Paris Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes, he was given France’s highest honor, the Legion de'Honneur.
Leon Hatot died in Paris in 1953.
During his lifetime, he created thousands of sketches, designs and products that remain the inspiration for the new company bearing his name.
The new collection of watches, all equipped with Swiss ETA quartz modules, are adjusted by a push piece imbedded in the case back.