History
De Caron stands for functional lifestyle jewellery that has been designed for trendsetters. The inspiration behind the brand is a historic figure called Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais who created the watch ring back in 1754.
He was the son of Parisian master watchmaker André Charles Caron who was the son of Daniel Caron, also a watchmaker. Pierre-Augustin followed family tradition and started an apprenticeship at his father’s workshop in Paris. At that time, watchmaking had reached its highest degree of refinement.
Nevertheless, these exquisite works of arts didn’t tell time correctly, often running more than a half hour ahead. Pierre-Augustin Caron who was just 19 years old decided to solve this problem and achieved an escapement that revolutionized watchmaking and rendered timepieces slim and readable.
“With my escapement and my mode of construction, excellent watches can be made as flat and as small as may be thought fit”. –Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais
His invention made big headlines as the king’s watchmaker tried to officially release this ground-breaking invention as his own. (Click here to find out more about this story on our Blog). King Louis XV ordered several watches from Caron who created a fob watch for the sovereign and a miniaturized watch in a ring setting for the Madame de Pompadour, the king’s mistress.
The Monarch was so delighted with the miniature watch on a ring that he also ordered one for himself. This catapulted Caron into Versailles and all the court nobles gave him their watch orders. With the tender age of 22, Pierre-Augustin Caron received the highly prestigious title of “horologist to the king”.
Pierre-Augustin Caron was an inventor, far ahead of its time. One could say he was a true visionary who with his watch ring for Madame de Pompadour, a proper trendsetter of her time, would change watchmaking and how watches would be worn forever.
