Founder of Black Pearl Zircon SA
Marc Lederrey – «Monsieur Inrayable» from Biel
The Swiss press called him «Monsieur Inrayable» – Mr Scratch-proof. Marc Lederrey shaped Swiss watchmaking with three material revolutions: the scratch-proof watch, sapphire crystal and the watch in black zirconium and ceramic. In 1987 he founded Black Pearl Zircon SA in Biel – the company behind Zircon Swiss.
The scratch-proof watch: Rado DiaStar
On 5 October 1960, Schlup & Cie – the company behind the Rado brand – filed a patent for a scratch- and tarnish-resistant hard-metal watch case. Marc Lederrey is named as inventor. It led to the Rado DiaStar in 1962, one of the world's first scratch-proof watches. According to the newspaper La Suisse, it sold by the millions.
The idea reportedly came to him at a jeweller's in Zurich, when a customer knocked a newly bought luxury watch against a door and scratched the case. «Plus jamais cela» – never again, Lederrey is said to have declared.
More than 30 patents – including ceramic in 1980
Between 1960 and 1986, Schlup & Cie and Montres Rado SA filed more than 30 patents naming Marc Lederrey as inventor: hard-metal cases, sapphire crystal fitting, water-resistant cases and bracelets.
With priority of 31 May 1980, Rado filed a watch case whose bezel-like surround can explicitly be made of ceramic (EP 0041481, US 4561783, claim 8: «wherein said fitting is ceramic»). Inventor: Marc Lederrey. Later ceramic patents by other manufacturers cite this document.
1987: Black Pearl Zircon SA and «Les perles noires»
In 1987 Marc Lederrey set up on his own in Biel. In January 1988 the Journal du Jura presented his new watch line: «Les perles noires» – watches in black zirconium blended with ceramic, with a black or gold dial.
«The first shock I caused on the watch market was the scratch-proof watch. Second shock: sapphire. Third shock: black zirconium,» he told the newspaper. Other watch factories bought his watches and launched them under their own brands.
In February 1988, La Suisse also reported on the «new invention by a man from Biel: the ceramic watch» – in a gleaming black «never achieved before». Lederrey's comment: «I have always been five years ahead.»
An inventor against the current
Lederrey invested large private sums in his developments. In 1988 he openly criticised that inventiveness was not encouraged enough in Switzerland. At the same time, large groups brought high-tech ceramic watches to the world market in series – leaving little room for a small manufacture from Biel.
The legacy: the Bow-Watch-Tie
Today Markus, David and Kyrollos Istafanous carry Black Pearl Zircon SA forward under the Zircon Swiss brand. Their invention, the Bow-Watch-Tie, combines a bow tie with a Swiss watch – with a bezel in faceted zirconium dioxide ceramic. Patent pending, CH 722154. This time, the idea is protected.
What the press wrote about Marc Lederrey in 1988
Two Swiss newspapers reported in 1988 on the inventor from Biel and his new watch in black zirconium and ceramic – the «perles noires» that gave Black Pearl Zircon its name.
Journal du Jura, Biel – 23 January 1988, page 3
«The black pearls»
«They have the purity and beauty of pearls. They are revolutionary. Their inventor, Marc Lederrey, is proud of the third shock they cause.» Lederrey in the interview: «The first shock was the scratch-proof watch. The second: sapphire. The third: black zirconium.»
View the full article as PDF (PDF) →
La Suisse, Geneva – 18 February 1988, page 5, by Michel Gogniat
«New invention by a man from Biel – ceramic watch»
«I have always been five years ahead!» – the newspaper quotes Marc Lederrey. He is called «Monsieur Inrayable», inventor of the scratch-proof watch that sold by the millions. Now he presents a watch in zirconium ceramic, «a material of the future».
View the full article as PDF (PDF) →Excerpts from the Swiss newspaper archive e-newspaperarchives.ch. e-newspaperarchives.ch →
Frequently asked questions
Who invented the Rado DiaStar?
Marc Lederrey is named as inventor of the 1960 patent for the scratch-proof hard-metal case that led to the DiaStar in 1962.
What were the «perles noires»?
That is what Marc Lederrey called his 1988 watches in black zirconium blended with ceramic – the line that gave Black Pearl Zircon its name.
How is Marc Lederrey connected to Zircon Swiss?
He founded Black Pearl Zircon SA in Biel in 1987. Under the Zircon Swiss brand, the company continues his legacy with the Bow-Watch-Tie.