What Herbelin does

Herbelin is a French watchmaking maison founded in 1947 and headquartered in Charquemont, Franche-Comté. The company designs, hand-assembles, quality-controls, and repairs all of its watches in its French workshops, while sourcing movements exclusively from Switzerland (Ronda quartz calibers and Sellita SW300-1 automatic movements). The product portfolio spans roughly ten core collections: Newport (flagship maritime-inspired line launched 1988, with chronograph, automatic, carbon composite, diver, slim, heritage, and originals variants), Antarès (women's collection built around a patented quick-release interchangeable bracelet system with over 40 strap options), Cap Camarat (sporty diver line), Inspiration (vintage aesthetic), plus dedicated automatic, chronograph, dive, moon phase, and skeleton collections, alongside a complementary Bijoux jewelry line.

The business operates a hybrid distribution model combining direct e-commerce via herbelin.com (with DPD and UPS logistics, and multi-processor checkout including Stripe, PayPal, Alma, and BNP Paribas Mercanet) and a global network of more than 1,850 authorized retailers, supported by a company-owned boutique in Paris. Revenue is generated primarily through one-time unit sales of watches priced €400–€1,580, separate sales of interchangeable bracelets at €90–€180, and after-sales service with part-level pricing from €15–€280. Herbelin serves individual consumers — men (mechanical/automatic and chronograph buyers) and women (Antarès and Bijoux buyers) — across global markets, with France as the primary market. The company is privately held by the Herbelin family through MH DIFFUSION SARL, with Maxime Herbelin serving as Co-gérant and Mathieu Herbelin as Creative Director.

Name

Herbelin

Legal name

MH DIFFUSION SARL

Website

https://herbelin.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Herbelin is a French watchmaker, founded in 1947, that designs, hand-assembles, and services quartz and mechanical wristwatches in Charquemont, France, using Swiss-made movements and selling through 1,850+ retailers and direct e-commerce to individual consumers globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Luxury Watches / Horology

NAICS

Jewelry and Silverware Manufacturing (33991)

SIC

Jewelry, Precious Metal (3911)

akta.pro primary industry

Luxury Mechanical Watches (CRAKADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Luxury Quartz Watches (CRAKADAB), Watch Parts & Components (Straps/Bracelets, Crystals, Hands, Buckles) (CRAKADAK)

Keywords

• French watchmaking
• Quartz wristwatches
• Automatic watches
• Dive watches
• Interchangeable bracelet watches

Headquarters

HQ city

Charquemont

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Watch Sales (B2C): Primary revenue from direct sales of watches to consumers through e-commerce and authorized retailers. One-time purchase model with watches ranging from approximately €400 to over €1,500.
2. After-Sales Service & Repairs: Comprehensive repair and maintenance services including movement servicing, glass replacement, dial replacement, crown replacement, and full service packages. Repair parts and labor charges generate service revenue.
3. Accessories (Bracelets): Separate sales of interchangeable bracelets for the Antarès collection, ranging from €90 to €150 per bracelet, enabling customization and after-market purchases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Herbelin designs, hand-assembles, controls, and repairs French-made quartz and mechanical wristwatches for men and women in its Charquemont workshops, using Swiss-made movements. The company sells through themed collections (Newport, Antarès, Cap Camarat, Inspiration, Vème Avenue) at price points ranging from approximately €400 to over €1,500, plus a jewelry line and after-sales service.

Product overview

Herbelin is a French watchmaker headquartered in Charquemont, Franche-Comté, operating since 1947 and producing all watches in its own workshops. The company offers multiple watch collections organized primarily by design aesthetic and complication type: ANTARÈS is a women's collection built around a patented interchangeable bracelet system offering square, rectangular, and rounded case options; Newport is the flagship maritime-inspired collection spanning chronographs, automatic, carbon composite, diving, slim, and heritage variants; Cap Camarat covers sporty diving models across genders; and dedicated collections cover automatic mechanical watches, chronograph watches, diving watches (montres de plongée), moon phase complications, and skeleton watches. Herbelin also offers a jewelry line (bijoux) spanning Newport, Amarrage, and Cap Camarat motifs, and provides a structured after-sales service (SAV) with full and partial service packages, spare parts, and repair services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Newport: Flagship collection launched in 1988, inspired by maritime heritage, featuring automatic, chronograph, diver, and slim models. The collection celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2023.
• Antarès
• Cap Camarat
• Inspiration

Products and services

• Antarès Collection Women's watch collection with a patented interchangeable bracelet system, allowing wearers to switch between simple and double-strap configurations in various materials and colors without tools. Available in square, rectangular, and rounded case shapes with quartz movements, sapphire crystal, and 30m water resistance.
• Newport Collection Flagship maritime-inspired watch collection blending traditional watchmaking with nautical aesthetics. Includes Newport Chronographe, Newport Automatique, Newport Carbone, Newport Diver, Newport Héritage, Newport Slim, and Newport Originals variants spanning chronograph, automatic, carbon composite, diving, slim, and heritage dress-watch formats.
• Cap Camarat Collection Sporty watch collection named after a Mediterranean coastal location, including the Cap Camarat Diver Automatique model in stainless steel (ref. 1745A14CMD) priced at €1,200 with automatic movement and diving specifications, spanning both men's and women's offerings.
• Montres Automatiques Collection of mechanical automatic watches featuring Swiss movements, assembled, regulated, and quality-controlled in Herbelin's Charquemont workshops. Movements are tested in a minimum of 3 positions with a tolerance of 0 to +15 seconds per day.
• Montres Chronographes Chronograph watches available in both quartz and automatic movements, featuring dedicated pushers for independent time-interval measurement. Configurations include bicompax (two subdials) and tricompax (three subdials) layouts.
• Montres de Plongée Diving watch collection featuring enhanced water resistance with screw-down crowns, unidirectional rotating bezels for dive-time tracking, and high-luminescence Super-LumiNova indices for underwater readability.
• Montres Phase de Lune Moon phase complication watches that display the lunar cycle on the dial via an animated disc, reproducing an astronomical phenomenon with horological precision.
• Montres Squelette Skeleton watches featuring dials or case backs that are hollowed out to reveal the movement's gears in motion, transforming the mechanical movement itself into a decorative element.
• Bijoux Herbelin Jewelry collection complementing the watch lines, including pieces from the Newport, Amarrage, and Cap Camarat collections, offered alongside watches on the same e-commerce platform.
• Service Après-Vente et Révisions After-sales service offering full and partial maintenance packages covering movement disassembly, cleaning, oiling, part replacement, water resistance testing, polishing, and quality control. Spare parts available for movements, dials, crowns, pushers, crystals, and hands. Service packages include 12-month warranties on work performed.

Quantifiable outcome

• Swiss movements regulated to tolerance of 0 to +15 seconds per day
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature2 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tissot: Tissot is a Swiss mid-tier watchmaker offering quartz and automatic watches in a comparable €400-€1,500 price band with extensive multi-channel distribution. Both brands target entry-luxury buyers seeking credible mechanical options at accessible prices.
• Mido: Mido is a Swatch Group-owned Swiss mid-range mechanical watchmaker with similar pricing (€500-€1,500), distribution through jewelers, and crossover quartz/automatic catalogs. Closely aligned tier and go-to-market model to Herbelin.
• Hamilton Watch: Hamilton produces Swiss-made mechanical and quartz watches in a comparable accessible-luxury tier with strong heritage positioning. Both brands serve as alternatives to luxury Swiss marques in the €500-€1,500 band with broad retail distribution.
• Lip (Maison Lip): Lip is a heritage French watchmaker reactivated under French manufacturing, competing for the same 'Made in France' watch buyer with comparable mechanical offerings. Direct competitor on national provenance and similar heritage-driven positioning.
• Yema: Yema is a French watchmaker headquartered in the same Jura/Franche-Comté region, leveraging a 'Made in France' manufacturing narrative to sell mechanical watches at similar price points. Direct competitor on the same provenance story Herbelin anchors its brand on.
• Junghans: Junghans is a German heritage watchmaker producing Bauhaus-influenced mechanical and quartz watches in a comparable €500-€1,500 accessible-premium tier. Similar mid-sized, design-led independent maker position relative to global Swiss incumbents.
• Certina: Certina is a Swatch Group mid-tier Swiss watchmaker emphasizing sports and diving models within the same accessible price range. Comparable in distribution model, complications menu, and target buyer profile to Herbelin's Cap Camarat and Newport lines.
• Pequignet: Pequignet is a French haute horlogerie manufacturer with a 'Made in France' production message directly analogous to Herbelin. Both brands operate from France, sell mechanical watches, and tap the same preference for French artisanal production.
• Maurice Lacroix: Maurice Lacroix is an independent Swiss mechanical watchmaker with niche positioning in the €1,000-€3,000 segment, making higher-end Swiss mechanical timepieces with similar heritage-led brand storytelling. Comparable as an independent, design-driven mechanical alternative.

Broad incumbents

• Longines: Longines is a larger Swatch Group brand offering mid-tier mechanical and quartz watches with broader global reach and historical prestige. Competes in the same accessible-to-mid-luxury band but with substantially more scale and brand investment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HerbelinParis
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/groupe-herbelin
• Instagraminstagram.com/herbelin_officiel

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Herbelin