Maurice Lacroix was founded in 1975 as Desco von Schulthess (founded in 1889) started producing watches under the brand's name. Following the acquisition of Tiara in 1961, an assembly facility in Saignelegier, Switzerland, Desco von Schulthess mostly produced watches for third parties. Maurice Lacroix became so popular that in 1980, Desco von Schulthess stopped production for third parties in Saignelegier to focus exclusively on the brand. In 1989, they acquired casemaker Queloz S.A., allowing the brand to begin in-house production of major design elements. Maurice Lacroix grew rapidly in the 1990's with popular designs and an appealing price-to-performance ratio, and became an independent company in 2001 with its own workshops. In 2006, the first in-house movement was introduced, the ML106 hand-wound chronograph, marking the brand as a vertically integrated manufacture. By 2010, the company employed 220 people with 4,000 shops in over 60 countries.