Grand Comptoir

Voltaire led a pro-active economic policy to ensure that his city of Ferney, which had recently been founded, had a lucrative activity capable of competing with Geneva. Here, man developed the first clockmaking factory in Ferney in 1770, known as Grand Comptoir. Three other factories followed shortly thereafter. The first was managed by a family of native clockmakers, who kept close commercial ties with Geneva, until 1802. (PNRHJ - Un tour en ville, “A tour of the town”)