====== Fabrique d'Horlogerie de Fontainemelon ======
**Fabrique d'Horlogerie de Fontainemelon (FHF)** was a [[Swiss]] [[watch movement]] manufacturer. It became part of [[Ebauches SA]] in [[1926]] and was absorbed by [[ETA]] in [[1985]].

===== History =====
The Fabrique d'Horlogerie de Fontainemelon was founded in [[1793]] by Isaac and David Benguerel together with Julien and Francois Humbert-Droz in [[Fontainemelon]] under the name "Benguerel & Humbert" and is the oldest Ebauche movement manufacturer in the world. In [[1816]], FHF started industrial production of watch movements in its first factory, a move which would be the foundation for [[ETA]], today the largest movement manufacture.

FHF expanded throughout the 19th century, purchasing a factory in [[Corgémont]] in [[1838]] to use hydraulic energy from the [[River Suze]] and adding steam power in [[1862]]. By [[1876]], FHF was producing 240,000 [[ebauche]]s per year with 400 employees. In [[1900]], [[Paul Robert]] modernized an FHF workshop with American machines, bringing the quality of Swiss watches up to the standard of American factories. FHF merged with [[Landeron]] in [[1925]] and became a founding member of [[Ebauches SA]] in [[1926]].

In the 1950's, FHF was relegated to mass-production of watch movements for Ebauches SA. They introduced a low-priced mechanical option which became the "standard" grade in [[1955]], and were precluded from advanced developments. By the mid 1960s, the FHF [[FHF 608|Standard Cal. 608]] was the most popular movement in the world, with over 40 million examples produced.

In [[1979]], FHF introduced the mini-quartz, the world's smallest movement.

By [[1982]], the [[quartz crisis]] forced Ebauches SA to reorganize its movement manufacturers. Focus was moved from FHF, and the company was effectively dissolved into ETA in [[1985]].

===== FHF Calibres =====
  *Standard
    *[[Standard 608]] - 6.75 x 8 ligne tonneau (Also Standard 609 and Standard 69)
    *[[Standard 96]] - 11.5 ligne (Also 961, 962, 963, 964, 965, 969)
  *Automatic
    *[[FHF 65]] - 13.25 ligne
    *[[FHF 905]] - 11.5 ligne (Also FHF 908, FHF 909, and FHF 90)


{{tag>Movement_manufacturers Movement_manufacturers_Switzerland ETA Ebauches_SA}}