Maurice Lacroix

Maurice Lacroix is a long-standing company with roots in the silk trade, founded in 1889 by Desco von Schulthess (Desco). It also served as an agent for luxury watch brands such as Audemars Piguet, Heuer, Eterna, and Jaeger-LeCoultre. In 1961, Desco acquired an assembly plant called Tiara in Saignelégier, in the Swiss canton of Jura, which produced private-label watches for third parties. In 1975, Desco began marketing watches under the Maurice Lacroix brand, led by a board member of Desco von Schulthess, the parent company and founder.

In 1989, Maurice Lacroix acquired the casing manufacturer Queloz S.A., also based in Saignelégier. The ability to produce watch cases in-house set Maurice Lacroix apart from other luxury watch companies.

In 1990, Maurice Lacroix experienced a "meteoric rise" with the launch of its high-end "Les Mécaniques" collection, later renamed the "Masterpiece" collection. During this period, the company elevated itself to the ranks of high-end Swiss watchmakers by both upholding traditional 'Swiss watchmaking art' and creating its own movements for the Masterpiece collection.