The first representative of the LeCoultre family in Switzerland, Pierre LeCoultre (ca. 1530 – ca. 1600) fled his village of Lisy-sur-Ourcq near Paris to escape the religious persecutions in France. In the Joux Valley, he put the virgin lands to good use, exploited woodland resources and devoted the later years of his life to the teaching of religion and general culture. In 1612 his son was one of the founders of the village of Le Sentier, where Jaeger-LeCoultre has thrived since 1833.