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Paul Steudler, founder and pioneer
As the founder of the company, Paul Steudler embodied the spirit of enterprise and perseverance. From his modest beginnings to the establishment of his own workshop, he laid the foundations for craftsmanship that would span generations.
Born in 1892 in St-Imier, he spent his childhood in Fontainemelon. He completed a mechanics apprenticeship and worked in La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle as a die maker. In Biel, he was hired as a workshop manager at OMEGA, where he worked until 1925. A friend then suggested he take up a position in Besançon at Les Spiraux Français. He met Rose Girardet and they married in 1930. Alongside his wife, he began manufacturing springs from home while raising their two daughters. In 1932, he returned to Switzerland. Amid the economic crisis, he secured a position with Bulova and left for America, where the parent company was then located. Upon returning to Switzerland, he decided to set up his own business in 1937. The company was named Ressorts Industriels Paul Steudler.
The venture began in an apartment on Chemin de la Clôture, and the first machine purchased was a lathe for coiling spring wire. He was mobilised in 1939, but production continued at home thanks to his wife. In 1943, he bought the house on Chemin de la Prévôté (known as Schrägweg at the time) where the workshop stands today. Once the war ended, business picked up. His daughter, Paulette, joined the company, and no fewer than 19 female factory hands were employed. With the introduction of automated machinery, the need for manual labour decreased. In 1950, the arrival of his son-in-law Robert Favre—who had married Paulette Steudler—made way for a new generation. Paul Steudler passed away in April 1965.
