French brands at Inhorgenta in February 2026

Kelton, the pop icon of French watchmaking, was born in 1955, between the United States and France, under the impetus of Stéphane Boullier, a watch manufacturer in Besançon, who was entrusted with part of the production of the American brand Timex on the condition that he create a French brand: Kelton. 

Kelton became the French watch brand par excellence and a pillar of our pop culture, reigning supreme in the mass market watch sector for several decades. It stood out for its disruptive distribution and youthful, joyful spirit, shattering a number of French social clichés with its offbeat advertising and famous musical signature: “Vous vous changez, changez de Kelton. ”

2020. These principles gave rise to five major watch collections designed and assembled in France.

A truly legendary French brand, the LIP story began in 1867 when Emmanuel Lipmann founded a small watchmaking workshop in Besançon. Driven by its visionary owners, the family business quickly wrote some of the finest pages in the history of watchmaking technology, producing timepieces with sophisticated and often avant-garde designs. For more than 158 years, thanks to its unique vision of the profession, and unlike most of its competitors, it has made precise, elegant instruments that were usually reserved for wealthy people, accessible to the widest possible audience.

Since its takeover by the first French watch manufacturer SMB in 2015, this historic French company, with over 110 employees, develops and manufactures its creations in Besançon. Its aim, as it has for over 158 years, is to perpetuate its founding principles in order to project itself into the future by offering atypical, timeless watches which, as worthy heirs to those of the past, demonstrate its expertise and capacity for innovation.

The French brand Pierre Lannier was established in 1977 by the Burgun family in Alsace, and is now led by the second and third generations: Pierre Burgun and his daughter Laura.

With traditional values rooted in a deep passion for watchmaking, creativity, and the desire to promote French savoir-faire, the Burgun family continues to pursue innovation, aiming to elevate both the brand and its quartz & automatic collections.

At their Alsace-based workshop, designers and watchmakers combine their know-how and passion to create expertly hand-assembled timepieces.

Every day, the head watchmaker and his team carefully craft each watch with exceptional precision, using the time-honoured techniques of French watchmaking.

They are committed to upholding the highest quality standards and proudly bear the label “Made in France.”

Founded in 1948 in Besançon, the historical heart of French watchmaking, Yema is a French independent watch brandthat has built its reputation on precision, innovation, and durability.

Throughout its history, Yema has created iconic tool watches designed for professional use, whether for divers, pilots, racing drivers or astronauts. Some of its most emblematic models include the Superman (created in 1963 and famous for its unique bezel-lock mechanism), the Rallygraf, and the Flygraf.

All Yema watches are designed, assembled and tested in France, in the brand’s own workshops in Morteau, near the Swiss border. Yema is also one of the few French brands to develop its own in-house mechanical calibres, reaffirming its commitment to local craftsmanship and technical excellence."

Girls have finally their watch collection especially studied and designed to their attention!

Go Mademoiselle watches are their best key accessory which reflects the latest fashion trends and enhance the girl’s spirit.

This French watch collection has not been created to simply tell the time but to reflect feminine mood and personality clearly illustrated by incorporating fashionable codes such as the use of straps colours range, charms, stones. It has succeeded to combine colourful, trendy, attractive and seasonal watches with affordable and competitive prices. These are timepieces intended to be instant purchases.

The collection is designed with girl in mind with more than 300 models, constantly renewed that offer girls real choice and are certain to make a statement on the wearer’s wrist.

Since its creation in 1908, the family company ROCHET GROUP (Annecy, France) has been designing, manufacturing and distributing watch straps for watch brands and jewelers. 

Inventor of the expansion metal watchband in 1917, the ROCHET brand has since widely diversified its range of synthetic and especially leather watch bracelets.

With over a million watchstraps sold each year, and nearly 4,000 retailers worldwide, ROCHET GROUP is the undisputed leader in France, and has an international presence in over 45 countries, with its own subsidiaries in Hong Kong, Japan and Belgium. 

With an advanced logistics center integrated into its Annecy headquarters, ROCHET GROUP also has its own 100% French unit production, SIBRA BOUVERET MANUFACTURE in Besançon, producing over 30,000 top of the range taylor made straps a year, in exceptional skins.