ZRC

1917: In 1917, the Zuccolo Rochet Company was established in Geneva and Annecy.

1925: The founders bought land and built a factory in Annecy, which led to the closure of their factory in Geneva. They went on to develop gold-plated jewelry under the brand name Orideal.

1947: Joseph Rochet’s daughter married Louis Brunet, who joined the business when Edmond Zuccolo retired. ZRC expanded into watch straps, watch cases and jewelry, and in 1947, decided to create a dedicated sales force to finally establish a sales network with watchmakers, jewelers and goldsmiths.

1950 – 1960: Georgette Rochet, wife of the founder, took the chair of Zuccolo Rochet & Cie and appointed Louis Brunet as General Manager. As a leading specialist in watch subcontracting, ZRC built up a strong reputation among industry professionals in the 1940s and 50s. ZRC was one of the few companies capable of incorporating the whole process of watch case and strap production in-house. Naturally, the idea to create a diving watch was born, in order to meet the needs of the professional divers of Lake Annecy for a robust, accurate and reliable watch. The legendary Grands Fonds 300 M was created, and was used by the French Navy from 1963 to 1974.

1969: When Louis Brunet retired, his son Patrick took over the reins of the business, with a focus on developing exports.

1980: This decade saw the transfer of production to Hong Kong, and the acquisition of Laminor, a producer of silver jewelry. ZRC decided to develop its leather activities and created the Sibra factory in Besançon. Its leather straps proved a huge success and the takeover of their main competitor quickly guaranteed them the role of market leader. The two brands Rochet and ZRC coexisted.

2014: Repositioning of the ZRC brand.

2015: Re-edition of the Grands Fonds watch.