Minerva SA, Villeret

Villeret’s watchmaking tradition began in 1858 when brothers Charles and Hyppolite Robert founded the company "H. & C. Robert", later becoming just "C. Robert" when only Charles remained, then changing again to "Robert Frères Villeret" in 1878 when his sons Charles and Georges, and later also Yvan Robert (1840-1912), took over the leadership of the company. The company began registering brands in 1886, starting with "Mercure", adding "Minerva" (the goddess of farming, craftsmanship and science) in 1887, and "Ariana", "Tropic", and others in 1898. Each with its own logo and products, these brands were associated to the "RFV" logo characterized by an arrow, a symbol which became a signature of the brand. Considering the exceptional success of Minerva-branded products, in 1929 the whole company was renamed to "Minerva SA, Villeret".--https://www.timeandwatches.com/p/history-of-minerva-from-its-foundation.html