In 1888, the brand name 'Le Phare' (= the lighthouse) was registered. The founder Barbezat-Baillot is considered a brilliant watchmaker and inventor and registered a variety of patents. Swiss Patent 334 was one of Barbezat-Baillot's most important inventions and involves the use of centrifugal force in the repetition mechanism.

Le Phare supplied complicated movements to other manufacturers such as 'Bulova', 'Audemars&Freres' and 'Invicta'. Therefore, Zenith bought the company for a few years, Le Phare became independent again from 1922. Afterwards, the company developed into the second largest manufacturer of wrist chronographs and sports stopwatches. The brand remains quite unknown as it was mainly sold under 'Private Label'. The product range was expanded to include calendar wristwatches.

The company received the new name 'Le Ohare – Sultana SA' in 1974. After many model innovations, the model 'Samara' developed an extraordinary drive: instead of a battery, a small microgenerator was developed. Today, the company belongs to 'Renley Watch Mfg. Co. Ltd. Hong Kong'.