Imier de Ramstein granted a tax exemption for anyone willing to make their home on the Haut Plateau of the Jura. From the 1400s, the conferring of this exemption enabled many settlers to come to the region and build farms. Harsh winters forced farmers to find trades. They produced tools and were involved in lace and hosiery production. Having built on this expertise, they started to manufacture watch and clock components from the 17th century.

It is said that the first watchmakers in the Franches-Montagnes region were Captain Girard, François-J. Froidevaux or J-B Mauvais who, having set up at La Planche farm in the village of Les Bois around 1769, produced movement blanks which sold for 50 batz each. People also talk about Joseph Bouverat, a watch case maker at Les Breuleux in 1730, who learned his trade at Le Noirmont with the watch case maker, goldsmith and engineer François Surdez. Froidevaux also owned the Rosées farm in the village of Les Bois, whose many windows showed the extent of the watchmaking activities that took place there.

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