My Short Career at Odo

Freshly graduated from the watchmaking school in Cluses in 1966, my first job in the trade took me to the Research and Develpment at Odo, in Morez, in the Jura region of France. 

At the time, this company manufactured electric clocks. Owned by the Odobez family that had lived in the area since the 17th century, it gradually came to watchmaking from farming and nail-making. 

Between 1660 and 1800, the Odobez family crafted mechanical parts during the winter months and in 1806, Jean-Baptiste Odobez, aka "Jean le Comtois"—emerged as a master local watchmaker. 

In 1843, François-Désiré Odobez, succeded him, perfecting the iron-cage movement used in the so-called “Comtoise” clocks; then, in 1885, the firm "Odobez Père et Fils" was established in Morez to manufacture timekeeping instruments. What became the Odo company was founded in 1920 by Léon Odobez’s sons, André and Roger, in partnership with the Moret-ès-Jean Barbaud family. Together, they industrialized production and modernized the enterprise. 

Odo’s golden age spanned the period from 1930 to 1970. In 1931, the famous Odo chime clock was launched—a timepiece that would find a place in countless French households. It was a tremendous commercial success. It was followed in 1937 by the "Gai Carillon" (Joyful Chime); Odo had commissioned Vincent Scotto—a highly popular composer of the era—to create a unique melody to distinguish their clock from the Westminster chime. It turned out to be a stroke of marketing genius. 

Incidentally, I inherited just such a clock from my parents—a timepiece I still have in Park City today. The 1950s saw the diversification of Odo’s product line, introducing electric clocks, battery-operated alarm clocks, wall-mounted chimes, and modernized “Comtoise” clocks. The company expanded, setting up its main factory on Rue Voltaire in Morez, and adding two sites in Montmorot and Domblans; by 1980, its workforce reached 300. 

This was about the time (1966) when I arrived as a young graduate from Cluses to join the R&D as a technician. Odo was then at the very peak of its industrial power. I enjoyed my work in the design office, which was headed by Mr. Péricouche, and I was taken under the wing of Jeantet, a fellow draftsman. Unfortunately, I did not take to liking this isolated corner of the Jura region and remained there for only a few months before setting out to pursue skiing a passion that was already consuming me. 

After my departure, things began to take a turn for the worse for Odo (I know, I should have stayed!). The causes of this decline were easy to track. First and foremost was the collapse of the domestic clock market. Indeed, starting in the 1970s and 80s, wall clocks, chimes, and “Comtoise” clocks began to vanish from households as demand plummeted. 

Cheap electronic products imported from Asia made France production costs too expensive. It was then that Odo attempted to diversify by venturing into the sunglasses business securing a licensing agreement with the Bugatti brand but it was too late to offset the clock market collapse. 

In 2001, the Odobez family sold the company; in 2005, Odo’s new owners ceased operations and most recently, in 2025, the historic buildings on Rue Voltaire were demolished. 

And so, a page was turned and a book closed on one of the greatest French watchmaking houses of the 20th century.