The story begins 140 years ago in Paris, where Clerc began producing fabulous individually crafted and assembled pocket watches issued in small series, thereby instating a tradition that has endured to this day. Ever since, the Clercs have faithfully perpetuated this spirit of excellence while keeping step with the sweeping changes that saw watches graduate from the pocket to the wrist. Until the 1970s, the Maison Clerc successively cooperated with some of the most renowned brands in the Swiss watch industry, such as Rolex, Vacheron Constantin and Jaeger-LeCoultre. Its creations found favour with artists including Salvador Dali, Paco Rabanne and Maurice Chevalier. Statesman General de Gaulle even ordered a one-of-a-kind model – a fascinating clock depicting the globe – which he presented as an official state gift to Nikita Khrushchev in the 1950s.

During that same period, the Maison Clerc started producing its first diver’s watches, which were already authentic exploring machines equipped with hermetically sealed innovative cases providing an airlock for the movement thanks to thick glasses, impressively sturdy gaskets and robust screw-down case-backs. At a time when the vogue of underwater expeditions was in full swing, Clerc watches fully met the demands of professionals by remaining imperturbably water-resistant and operational despite the strong pressures to which they were subjected. With the release of Jacques-Yves Cousteau’s film The Silent World, the general public also soon discovered these hitherto little-known deep waters. Scuba diving gradually became more accessible and its popularity has steadily increased ever since.

Gérald Clerc also caught the ‘virus’ and regards the conquest of the depths as the most formidable human adventure of all time. The first watch collection created by Gérald Clerc in 1998 was to give rise to the successful collection that delights fans around the world.