Limit
Created Thursday 21 May 2026
In 1884, Hirst Brothers, founded by Alfred Hirst, was established in Union Street in Oldham, UK. With the objective of producing timepieces, jewellery and optical goods of all kinds, the business soon began to flourish. By 1894, the expansion led to the company moving to larger premises in Curzon Street, Oldham. Just four years later, it registered as a limited company.
In 1904, Hirst Brothers saw the acquisition of a second business in Manchester, followed by the purchase of a third in 1907 in Birmingham.
An introduction to the Limit trademark
Alfred Hirst witnessed one of his greatest ambitions come to life in 1912, as his range of watches saw the introduction of the Limit trademark, a move that forecasted the start of a new era in the watchmaking industry.
Originally the early Limit watches carried a movement from the Waldenburg factory in Switzerland, which were shipped to the Oldham headquarters for assembly into British made ‘Dennison’ cases.
In 1963 Limit was acquired by GLOBAL WATCHES LIMITED, which later changed it's name to Time Products (UK) Ltd, but only later moved to its headquarters in Leicestershire in 2003. The brand also consists of the following companies: Sekonda and Accurist
Limit International Watch
The movement is marked 03-7 and under the balance wheel Cal 140-A.
FE 140A Movement
Name FE 140
Manufacturer France Ebauches
Launch Year 1975
Caliber Family Description
suffix A: winding wheels with finer tooth pitch
France Ebauches
France Ébauches (FE) was established on 3 April 1967 through the merger of four historic French ébauche manufacturers: Joseph Jeambrun et Cie, Technic Ébauche, Ébauches Cupillard, and Fabrique d'Ébauches de Montres du Genevois (Annemasse). At its 1970s peak the company produced up to 8 million ébauches per year, exporting 58% of output, making it the leading movement manufacturer in the EEC and the French counterpart to Switzerland's Ébauches SA.
The FE 140-series calibres in the archive are mechanical lever movements of the 1970s–1980s typical of mid-range French branded watches. The quartz revolution and Asian competition caused severe decline, and France Ébauches filed for bankruptcy in early 1994. The brand was revived in 2017 by the Festina Group, drawing on FE and Soprod expertise to resume French-made calibre production in a premium segment.
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