Les Bois
William Baume was born into a notable family of watchmakers in the village of Les Bois in the Swiss Jura. His grandfather, Louis Victor Baume, and his great-uncle, Célestin Baume had founded the Frères Baume watch dealership in Les Bois in 1830. It was to become one of Switzerland’s major watch manufacturers in the 19th century, with branches in London, Geneva and Philadelphia. The Baume watch brand won distinctions at the universal expositions between 1860 and 1900, including a number of gold medals and Grand Prix for its watches. In 1892, its tourbillon chronometer set an absolute timekeeping record at the Kew Observatory trials that stood for 10 years.