Caran d'Ache History: Geneva's Pencil Maker Since 1915

A red hexagonal Caran d'Ache 849 ballpoint pen beside a company timeline from 1915 to 2028 — Seven dates in Caran d'Ache's history, from a Geneva pencil factory in 1915 to the new factory in Bernex, as the company's French pages and Switzerland's foreign ministry give them.

Key takeaways

The Fabrique Genevoise de Crayons made its first cedar pencils in Geneva in 1915; it became Caran d'Ache in 1924, from the Russian for pencil, itself from Turkish kara-tash, black stone.
Caran d'Ache dates the Prismalo, which it calls the world's first watercolor pencil, to 1931 in 80 colors, the Neocolor wax pastel to 1952 and the 849 ballpoint to 1969.
The Hubscher family has been at the top of the company since the 1930s; Carole Hubscher, of the fourth generation, chairs the board, and Caroline Charpier became chief executive in November 2022.
About 300 people and some 90 trades work under one roof in Thônex; one pencil takes 35 steps and about 50 hours, the company says.
Caran d'Ache laid the first stone of a 35,000 m² factory in Bernex, near Geneva, on September 25, 2025, due for completion in early 2028.

Caran d’Ache makes the hexagonal 849 pen, the Luminance colored pencil and the Fixpencil, all in Geneva. Every date below comes from the company’s Swiss French pages, the Swiss foreign ministry’s profile of the firm and, for the newest events, Geneva press, translated by us.

What is the history of Caran d’Ache?

Caran d’Ache began in Geneva in 1915 as the Fabrique Genevoise de Crayons, took its present name in 1924 and has stayed a Geneva family company ever since. Its own history page says the firm was renamed under Arnold Schweitzer, its head at the time, and is now chaired by Carole Hubscher, of the fourth generation of a family involved in running it since the 1930s.

The company says everything it sells is designed and made in its Geneva workshops. It is independent; our who owns which stationery brands story lists the makers that belong to larger groups.

Caran d’Ache timeline: 1915 to 2028

From a pencil factory in 1915 to a new factory in Bernex in 2028, the dates come mostly from Caran d’Ache’s own French pages. The source column names each one.

Date	Event	Source
1915	Fabrique Genevoise de Crayons makes its first cedar pencils in Geneva	Caran d’Ache; Swiss foreign ministry
1924	Renamed Caran d’Ache under Arnold Schweitzer	Caran d’Ache history
1929	Carl Schmid designs the Fixpencil clutch pencil	Swiss foreign ministry
1930s	The Hubscher family joins the top management	Caran d’Ache history
1931	Prismalo, which Caran d’Ache calls the first watercolor pencil, in 80 colors	Caran d’Ache Swiss Made page
1947	Ecridor mechanical pencil	Caran d’Ache Ecridor page
1952	Neocolor, which it calls the first wax pastel	Caran d’Ache Swiss Made page
1953	Ecridor ballpoint	Caran d’Ache Ecridor page
1969	849 ballpoint pen	Caran d’Ache 849 page
2001	Modernista Diamond pen set with 5,072 diamonds and 100 rubies	Caran d’Ache Swiss Made page
2005	Swiss Post issues a Fixpencil stamp	Swiss foreign ministry
2008	Luminance 6901 colored pencil	Caran d’Ache Swiss Made page
2015	Centenary; starts using more Swiss wood	Caran d’Ache Swiss Made page
November 10, 2022	Caroline Charpier named chief executive; Carole Hubscher stays chair	Le Temps
September 25, 2025	First stone of the new factory at Bernex	immobilier.ch
Early 2028	Bernex factory due for completion	immobilier.ch

Why is the company called Caran d’Ache?

Caran d’Ache means pencil: the company says the word is Russian for pencil and comes from the Turkish kara-tash, black stone, after the graphite in a pencil’s core. Arnold Schweitzer, who ran the firm, chose it in 1924 to replace the plain Fabrique Genevoise de Crayons, the Geneva pencil factory.

Switzerland’s foreign ministry adds two details. It describes Schweitzer as a St. Gallen stockbroker and investor, and says the name was his wife’s suggestion; she had grown up in Russia.

It was also the pen name of Emmanuel Poiré, a cartoonist of Russian origin whose caricatures ran in Le Figaro, as the ministry’s page shows. The company’s own history doesn’t mention him.

What did Caran d’Ache invent?

Caran d’Ache claims three firsts: the first mechanical pencil, the first watercolor pencil and the first wax pastel. Its values page lists them, and its Swiss Made page dates the Prismalo watercolor pencil to 1931, in 80 colors, and the Neocolor wax pastel to 1952, later joined by the water-soluble Neocolor II.

The Fixpencil came first. Switzerland’s foreign ministry says the Geneva engineer Carl Schmid designed it in 1929 as the first mechanical writing tool with a clutch mechanism, and Swiss Post honored it with a stamp in 2005.

In 2008 Caran d’Ache added the Luminance 6901, which it calls the most lightfast colored pencil yet made. Our Luminance guide covers the range, and our best colored pencils roundup compares it with other artist pencils.

When did Caran d’Ache start making pens?

Writing instruments grew out of the pencils: the Ecridor began as a mechanical pencil in 1947 and became a ballpoint in 1953, and the 849 ballpoint followed in 1969. Both use the hexagonal body of a pencil, which the company treats as its signature.

The 849 is the pen most people know. Caran d’Ache’s page for the 849 Original reissue says it “entered the legend” when it came out in 1969, and the company now releases it in a steady stream of colors and collaborations. Our Caran d’Ache 849 guide covers today’s pen and its refills.

At the top end, the company’s Haute Écriture line includes the Léman and, in 2001, the Modernista Diamond, made with the jeweler Robert Perron and set with 5,072 diamonds and 100 rubies. It appears in our most expensive fountain pens story.

Where are Caran d’Ache products made?

Caran d’Ache makes its pencils, paints and pens in Geneva, today at its factory in Thônex, with about 90 trades under one roof. The company says one pencil takes 35 production steps and about 50 hours of work, and that it now makes 400 colors.

Switzerland’s foreign ministry puts the staff at around 300 and says Caran d’Ache has never moved production out of Geneva. It quotes Carole Hubscher saying more than 52% of materials come from Swiss suppliers and another 23% from elsewhere in Europe. The company says it has used more Swiss wood since 2015 and has made pencils certified “Label Bois Suisse” since 2018.

The Toile de Jouy colour pencil set and the Crayons de la Maison Toile de Jouy come from the same Geneva workshops.

Who owns Caran d’Ache today?

Caran d’Ache SA is a family company owned and chaired by the Hubscher family, with no outside parent. Switzerland’s business register lists Caran d’Ache SA with its seat in Thônex.

Carole Hubscher, who worked at Swatch before joining, chairs the board. Le Temps reported on November 10, 2022 that, after two years as interim chief executive as well, she had handed that role to Caroline Charpier, an internal hire, to focus on strategy and the factory move.

At the first-stone ceremony in Bernex on September 25, 2025, Hubscher said that her father had built the Thônex factory decades earlier and that it was now the turn of her and her sister Patricia. The 35,000 m² building in the Ecoparc des Rouettes is due in early 2028, and the Thônex site will then become housing.

What couldn’t we confirm?

We couldn’t load Caran d’Ache’s centenary history site, so two widely cited dates rest on search summaries of it: the Fixpencil going on sale in 1930 and the move to Thônex in 1974. We left both out of the timeline.

The company doesn’t name the Hubscher family member who joined in the 1930s or say when the family became owners. Switzerland’s foreign ministry describes the Bernex building as 30,000 m², while the 2025 ceremony report gives 35,000 m²; we use the newer figure.

Frequently asked questions

What does Caran d'Ache mean?

Pencil. Caran d'Ache says the name means pencil in Russian and comes from the Turkish kara-tash, black stone, a reference to graphite. It was also the pen name of Emmanuel Poiré, a cartoonist of Russian origin, and Switzerland's foreign ministry says Arnold Schweitzer's wife, who grew up in Russia, suggested it.

Who started Caran d'Ache?

The company's pages don't name a founder. They say the firm began in Geneva in 1915 as the Fabrique Genevoise de Crayons and was renamed Caran d'Ache in 1924 by Arnold Schweitzer, who ran it then; the Hubscher family joined the management in the 1930s.

Is Caran d'Ache made in Switzerland?

Yes. Caran d'Ache says its drawing and writing instruments have been made in its Geneva workshops since 1915, and it has never moved production out of Geneva. Today they come from its factory in Thônex, a Geneva suburb.

Who owns Caran d'Ache?

The Hubscher family. Caran d'Ache SA, registered in Thônex, is a family company chaired by Carole Hubscher, who represents the fourth generation of a family involved at the top of the business since the 1930s. No larger group owns it.

Who invented the Fixpencil?

Carl Schmid, a Geneva engineer, in 1929, according to Switzerland's foreign ministry, which calls it the first mechanical writing tool with a clutch mechanism. Swiss Post put the Fixpencil on a stamp in 2005.

When did the Caran d'Ache 849 come out?

In 1969, according to Caran d'Ache's page for the 849 Original reissue. The hexagonal aluminum ballpoint followed the Ecridor, which began as a mechanical pencil in 1947 and became a ballpoint in 1953.

Is Caran d'Ache moving out of Geneva?

No. It is moving within the canton, from Thônex to the Ecoparc des Rouettes in Bernex, where it laid the first stone of its new factory on September 25, 2025. The building is due for completion in early 2028.

Sources (9)

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