Founded in Paris in 1837, the House of Hermès built its reputation for excellence on its skill in making horse saddles. In the early 20th century, it further developed this know-how acquired in the field of leather craftsmanship, notably by producing belts, clothes and bags. The Hermès watchmaking tradition dates back to the 1920s, when its saddle-making talent was first exercised on watch straps. In 1928, the first Hermès watches were presented in the company store at 24, Faubourg Saint-Honoré. At the time, Hermès placed its signature on “timepieces” created in cooperation with the greatest names in the Swiss watch industry – such as Jaeger-LeCoultre, Universal, Vacheron Constantin and Audemars Piguet – before founding in 1978 the Ateliers de La Montre Hermès in Biel, Switzerland.