Like many economic success stories, Dumont's began with one man's passion that has been passed down for five generations.

1881 – 1906 First generation

Arnold Dumont was obsessed with watches. Unable to find tools that enabled him to satisfy his passion, in 1881 he set up a workshop for manufacturing precision instruments in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Thanks to his skill, he was able to make his fortune and, thirty years later, retired to the Vaud Riviera, one of Switzerland's most beautiful regions…(Pdf, 2.40Mo)

1906 – 1930 Second generation

Arnold subsequently handed over the reins to his two sons, Théodore and Paul. Eleven years later, Théodore fled the 1917 Spanish influenza pandemic and moved to his wife's home village in the canton of Jura. They spent several happy years there before Théodore's untimely death at the age of just 36. Suzanne rolled up her sleeves and worked day and night to make the workshop a success, helped by her brother-in-law, Paul. The young widow had only one daughter, Andrée, who showed little interest in the family business…(Pdf, 320Ko)

1930 – 1975 Third generation

During a visit to Paris, Suzanne met an Italian engineer, Edgar Sgobero, who she went on to marry. This proved a good choice as, although Edgar knew nothing about precision tools, he was a quick learner who threw himself into his new role. He set up Manufactures d’Outils Dumont SA, bringing an international dimension to this small workshop in the Ajoie region, which already had a thousand products in its catalogue. Edgar's sudden death in 1975 was a further hard blow to the family…(Pdf, 5.80Mo)

1975 –2002 Fourth generation

Christian, the couple's only son, took over the management of the company. He diversified its product range by adapting it to the specific needs of medicine, biology, electronics and cosmetics. He benefited from the support of his wife, Nicole, who, like other women in the family, was closely involved in running the business. After working for forty years and following health problems, Christian had to hand over the reins to his wife and his three sons, Richard, Raphaël and David…(Pdf, 320Ko)

2002 – Fifth generation

Since then, the trio has been busy developing new products and consolidating the company's reputation. They were quickly joined by Dr Anton Walliser, David's godfather, who became company chairman and head of its research and development (R&D) department.

The company prides itself on working with the best raw materials and is a staunch supporter of 100% Swiss Made products. More than sixty employees with a wide range of qualifications are responsible for creating its products. The Dumont catalogue now contains over 3,000 products, not to mention the bespoke orders that are tailored to meet specific needs of clients from around the world. Our after-sales department is the icing on the cake, where clients can arrange to have their products sharpened. Thanks to its broad expertise, Dumont has been able to diversify into many different sectors.

The Dumont story has lasted for five generations and over a century because it was, and still is, driven by one single passion: a love of well-made – if not perfect – products upon which professionals from all over the world can rely in their daily work and in the long term…(Pdf, 360Ko)