Albert Favre Zanuti | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | |
| Died | |
| Citizenship |   Swiss-Italian |
| Occupation(s) | Watchmaker, Horologist |
| Organization | Zanuti & Cie. |
| Known for | O-yatoi Gaikokujin |
| Spouse | Alice Favre |
| Children | 3 |
Albert Favre Zanuti was a Swiss-Italian [1] watchmaker and entrepreneur, instrumental in the development of the watchmaking industry in Japan in the 1880s as a O-yatoi Gaikokujin. [2]
Albert Zanuti was one of the first watchmakers to travel to Asia (1886) [3] [4] under the O-yatoi Gaikokujin program by the diplomatic invitation of Viscount Aoki Shūzō, and is remembered for his contribution to the early establishment of the watchmaking industry in Japan. [5]
Between the 1870s and the 1880s, Albert Zanuti was one of the main suppliers of pocket watches to brands such as C&J Favre Brandt (founded by his business partner James Favre Brandt) and Siber & Brennwald (established by his acquaintance Kaspar Brennwald, whom he had known since the early days of Union Horlogère Suisse in La Chaux-de-Fonds). [6] [7] [8] As a consequence of the trade agreement between Switzerland and Japan in 1864, [9] [10] both companies were now established in Yokohama, Japan, relying on their Swiss based partners to guarantee supply not just of watches but also spare parts and machinery.
These initial exports of Swiss watches to Japan would be critical in establishing the Japanese watchmaking industry and the birth of the first generation of Japanese watchmakers, including Seijiro Sakurai and Kintarō Hattori (who began his career selling Swiss watches to local Japanese customers and would later found the globally renowned brand Seiko. [11]
In 1887, after several successful years of exports to the US and Japan, Albert Zanuti officially established Zanuti & Cie. [12] Through the invitation of Viscount Aoki Shūzō [13] and supported by his long time business partner James Favre Brandt, Albert Zanuti received a diplomatic invitation to take part in Japan's governmental plan for 'Transfers of technology and cultural ways', joining the so-called O-yatoi Gaikokujin.
Albert Zanuti started his career as a cabinotier-watchmaker, supplying parts and Ébauche movements to established ‘Manufactures’ also known as Etablisseurs. While working as a cabinotier, A. F. Zanuti would initiate his first sales internationally, exporting Swiss watches to jewelers across Europe and South America. Amongst his first orders were several gold pocket-watches sold to Gondolo & Labouriau. [14]
Following on the footsteps of all major watchmakers and Swiss brands of that era, such as Antoni Patek (founder of Patek Philipp) and Jean-Marc Vacheron (founder of brand Vacheron Constantin, Zanuti travelled to the USA during the Gilded era looking to grow his exports and capitalize on the recent Gold rush and expanding Industrial revolution.
Albert Zanuti left the US in 1886 embarking from the port of Seattle (King County, Washington, USA) to Yokohama, Japan aboard the Ocean liner from the American Pacific Mail Steamship Company. [15] [16]
A. F. Zanuti would go on to establish one of the first foreign companies in Asia (Zanuti & Cie.) [17] and was responsible for exporting some of the first Swiss wristwatches into several different Asian countries. [18] [19]
Alongside with François Perregaux and James Favre Brandt, Albert Zanuti was one of the pioneers of watchmaking in Japan. [20]
Born 'Alberto Zanuti', he became known in the watchmaking circles of French speaking Switzerland as 'Albert' (the French variation of the Italian name 'Alberto').
He was born to an Italian father and Swiss mother near Morsano al Tagliamento, Italy, a small town in the region of Veneto at a five-hour driving distance from Switzerland. After relocating to his mother's hometown in Switzerland, Albert Zanuti became a watchmaking apprentice at the age of 14, a passion he would pursue for the rest of his life.
Albert Zanuti married Swiss nurse Alice Favre, with whom he had 3 children: Gianni Zanuti, Isabella Zanuti (who would adopt her husband's surname Bianchi) and Anna Maria Zanuti (who would take her husband's surname Sorrentino). [21] [22]
A watch is a portable timepiece intended to be carried or worn by a person. It is designed to keep a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is designed to be worn around the wrist, attached by a watch strap or other type of bracelet, including metal bands, leather straps, or any other kind of bracelet. A pocket watch is designed for a person to carry in a pocket, often attached to a chain.
The foreign employees in Meiji Japan, known in Japanese as O-yatoi Gaikokujin, were hired by the Japanese government and municipalities for their specialized knowledge and skill to assist in the modernization of the Meiji period. The term came from Yatoi, was politely applied for hired foreigner as O-yatoi gaikokujin.
Seiko Group Corporation, commonly known as Seiko, is a Japanese maker of watches, clocks, electronic devices, semiconductors, jewelry, and optical products. Founded in 1881 by Kintarō Hattori in Tokyo, Seiko introduced one of the first quartz watches and the first quartz watch with a chronograph complication.
La Chaux-de-Fonds is a Swiss city in the canton of Neuchâtel. It is located in the Jura mountains at an altitude of 1000 m, a few kilometers south of the French border. After Geneva, Lausanne and Fribourg, it is the fourth largest city located in the Romandie, the French-speaking part of the country, with a population of 36,915.
Breguet is a Swiss-French luxury watch, clock and jewelry manufacturer founded by Abraham-Louis Breguet in Paris in 1775. Since 1999, it has been a subsidiary of the Swiss Swatch Group. Headquartered in L'Abbaye, Switzerland, Breguet is one of the oldest surviving watchmaking brands and a pioneer of numerous watchmaking technologies such as the tourbillon, which was invented by Abraham Breguet in 1801. Abraham Breguet also invented and produced the world's first self-winding watch in 1780, as well as the world's first wristwatch in 1810.
Compagnie des Montres Longines, Francillon S.A., or simply Longines, is a Swiss luxury watchmaker based in Saint-Imier, Switzerland. Founded by Auguste Agassiz in 1832, the company has been a subsidiary of the Swiss Swatch Group and its predecessors since 1983. Its winged hourglass logo, registered in 1889, is the oldest unchanged active trademark registered with WIPO.
Viscount Aoki Shūzō was a Japanese politician and diplomat who served as Foreign Minister during the Meiji era.
Audemars Piguet Holding SA is a Swiss manufacturer of luxury watches and clocks, headquartered in Le Brassus, Switzerland. The company was founded by Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet in the Vallée de Joux in 1875, acquiring the name Audemars Piguet & Cie in 1881. The company has been family-owned since its founding.
Antoni Norbert Patek was a Polish pioneer in watchmaking and the creator of the Patek Philippe & Co., one of Swiss watchmaker companies, and Polish independence fighter and political activist.
The "Watch Valley" covers all the Swiss Jura Arc, from Geneva to Basel, and is the primary location of the Swiss watch-making industry.
The quartz crisis was the upheaval in the watchmaking industry caused by the advent of quartz watches in the 1970s and early 1980s, that largely replaced mechanical watches around the world. It caused a significant decline of the Swiss watchmaking industry, which chose to remain focused on traditional mechanical watches, while the majority of the world's watch production shifted to Japanese companies such as Seiko, Citizen, and Casio which embraced the new electronic technology.
Bovet Fleurier SA is a Swiss brand of luxury watchmakers chartered 1 May 1822 in London, UK by Édouard Bovet. It is most noted for its pocket watches manufactured for the Chinese market in the 19th century. Today it produces high-end artistic watches with a style that references its history. The company is known for its high-quality dials, engraving and its seven-day tourbillon. The original Bovet watches were also among the first to emphasize the beauty of their movements with skeletonized views and highly decorative movements. Bovet watches were also among the first to include a second hand while the company has a tradition of employing women artisans, which is rare for traditional watch making companies in Europe. Pascal Raffy is the current owner.
An observatory chronometer is a timepiece that has passed stringent testing and a slate of accuracy tests. Thus, the "observatory trial" developed as the standard process for determining accuracy of timepiece movements. If the chronometer passed the stringent testing, it would be certified.
Favre-Leuba is a Swiss manufacturer of luxury wristwatches headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, and formerly a pioneer in watch design, manufacturing and distribution. The foundation of the brand was laid in 1737 when Abraham Favre was registered as a watchmaker, so it has been reported as the second-oldest watch brand in Switzerland, after Blancpain (1735).
François Perregaux was a Swiss watchmaker and businessman.
ZANUTI INC. is a mechanical watch manufacturer established in 1887 by Albert Favre Zanuti, currently headquartered in Switzerland and with regional offices in the United States and Japan.
Kintarō Hattori was a Japanese businessman and one of the first and most important Japanese watchmakers in history, as well as the founder of Seiko, one of the world's largest manufacturers of watches. He was a permanent council member of the Japanese Red Cross.
Friedrich Wilhelm Retz was a German entrepreneur and watchmaker in the early days of Meiji Era in Japan and honorary consul for Holland, Norway and Sweden.
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