OUR STORY · SINCE 1976
Independent manufacture born in the tailoring and footwear workshops of Monaco — which over five decades specialized in watchmaking excellence that today completes the house's entire style and lifestyle concept.
FROM TAILORING TO THE CHRONOGRAPH
In 1976, on Avenue de la Costa in Monaco, Henri Lavoisier, a tailor from Nice, and Alessandro de Marchetti, a footwear artisan from Milan, opened the first Empire Luxe workshop. Bespoke shirtmaking, hand-stitched shoes, carefully treated fabrics — made for the discreet Riviera clientele.
From the beginning, the essence has always been the same: true luxury doesn't need to call attention, it needs to be felt. The same obsession for finishing that stitched lapels and molded soles migrated, over time, to the Swiss movements and steel cases of our chronographs.
Today, three generations later, Empire Luxe is its own watch manufacture — and every piece that leaves here carries the same promise made in 1976.
OUR HERITAGE · 1976 — TODAY
Five decades of independent manufacturing — from tailoring in Monaco to the chronographs that now complete the Riviera lifestyle and the legacy of the tracks.
THE FOUNDATION
Henri Lavoisier, a tailor from Nice, and Alessandro de Marchetti, a shoe artisan from Milan, open the first Empire Luxe atelier. Bespoke shirtmaking and hand-stitched shoes for the discreet Riviera clientele — luxury that needs to be felt, not announced.
THE MONTE CARLO CODE
The house presents its first bespoke tuxedo — black cool wool, satin lapel, Egyptian cotton white shirt, and patent loafers. Designed for nights at the Casino de Monte Carlo, it becomes the silent uniform of clients who understand that true luxury doesn't need to attract attention — it just needs to be felt. The hand-embroidered inner label seals the motto for the first time.
THE YEAR OF SENNA
Monaco, qualifying: 1.4 seconds ahead of the entire grid. Henri and Alessandro, present at the Grand Prix, decide that the next generation of the house will have a chronograph dedicated to the Principality. The Monte Carlo collection is born, in sketches.
MOURNING AND THE PROMISE
May 1st, 1994, Imola. The death of Ayrton Senna paralyzes the racing world — and Empire Luxe, which had designed the Monte Carlo collection inspired by him in 1988, suspends all launches for twelve months as a sign of mourning. Upon resuming, the house makes a silent oath: each Monte Carlo case is now engraved on the inside with the French inscription “À celui qui a osé” — in honor of the one who dared to go beyond their own limits. A hidden tribute, visible only to those who disassemble the watch.
IN-HOUSE MANUFACTURE
First meca-quartz movement assembly machinery installed in the Swiss Jura. Empire Luxe stops being just a fashion atelier and becomes an independent watch manufacture — each piece signed and controlled by the internal team.
HERITAGE RACING
Launch of the Heritage Racing line — black, red, and yellow. 39 mm case in 316L steel, dial inspired by the dashboards of 70s endurance prototypes. The first truly Empire Luxe chronograph collection.
MONTE CARLO STEEL
Debut of the Monte Carlo Steel Blue and Steel Gulf references. Integrated steel bracelet, guilloché dial, and tachymeter bezel — a direct tribute to Senna's six victories in the Principality. The collection conceived in 1988 finally takes shape.
DIVER 007
Inspired by the British spy and military diving heritage, the Diver 007 collection arrives in lightweight titanium with 300m resistance. Vintage lume, ceramic unidirectional bezel, and the iconic Milanese mesh — a tool for action-packed days.
EXTREME TOURBILLON
Tourbillon visible at 6 o'clock, skeletonized dial, numbered and limited edition. The house reaches technical maturity and marks 48 years of the maison with the most ambitious piece in its history.
A NEW GENERATION
The third generation of the Lavoisier and de Marchetti families leads the manufacture. Each piece continues to be designed, assembled, and controlled in-house — the Riviera lifestyle, now on the wrist of those who race by their own limits.
CONTINUE THE STORY