In 1833, Pierre-Henri Paur, a Geneva-based maker of music box pin-barrels, moved to Sainte-Suzanne, near Besançon in France. He died unfortunately six years after. Auguste l'Epée, his associate, founded his own music box and watch component workshops on August 1st 1839. It became the “Manufacture l'Epée” (manufacture being a French word derived from Latin and carrying connotations of manual craftsmanship).
Auguste L'Epée started producing “platform escapements”. From 1855 onwards, he began making all kinds of varieties designed to equip alarm clocks, table clocks and musical watches. His escapements replaced the previous balance-type escapement which obliged travellers to stop the mechanism while travelling.
Henry l'Epée, representing the fourth generation of the founding family, took over the factory and substantially enhanced one of the firm's key areas of expertise by developing the production of sophisticated escapements and considerably improving the mechanisation of this production. New escapements were developed, such as the cylinder type or specialities anti-rabattement, anti-démarrant and à force constante (constant-force) escapements. However, Henry l'Epée was reluctant to go too far in terms of mechanisation, preferring to safeguard the spirit of traditional hand craftsmanship which he so greatly cherished.
His successors followed his path. Prestigious gold awards were received by the L’Epée Manufacture in international exhibitions.
L'Epée owes much of its brilliant reputation to carriage clocks, also known as officer's clocks. (This type of clock owes its name to Napoleon who, after one of his superior officers arrived late and almost cost him a battle, obliged all officers to take their travel clock with them.)
In 1976, L’Epée was chosen to equip the Concorde supersonic aircraft with a wall clock. In 1994, L’Epée was the only factory in the world which could elaborate a giant and unique clock: The Giant Regulator. It did beat all records: 2,20 meters high and with a weight of 1,2 tons, a mechanical movement of 120 kilos and 2 800 hours of work.

Swiza SA acquired the prestigious L'Epée Manufacture In 2008. Its collections are produced in Delémont, in the Swiss Jura, with complete respect for these legendary timepieces and the legendary Swiss-Made label.
In 2010, L'Epée becomes the only clock manufacturer on the market with a 46-jewel 40-day movement, a Double Retrograde Second display and an animated logo which is the new theme to be used as the brand signature.
Nor has the firm's excellent design team stopped there, since it has also designed and developed one of the complications most sought-after by connoisseurs: a “Carrousel” type tourbillon.
In 2012, L’Epée goes even further with an ultimate master clock having the following complications: 40-day movement, Double Retrograde Second, Power Reserve Indicator, Tourbillon and Perpetual Calendar.
The Manufacture L'Epée combines in its present clocks exclusive mechanical movements conceived by master watchmakers with a pure and modern design.