José, Martin and now Franck have succeeded each other in the family business since 1952. However, the roots of this story are much older. Arriving in France from Spain in 1925, José Benito and his brother first opened a perfume bottle stopper workshop in Colombes (Hauts-de-Seine, France). Guerlain became their first major customer and other major brands followed. The company was flourishing until the Second World War.

The business then collapsed, with no hope of recovery. At the end of the war, Martin, José’s son, was 14 years old. He was employed by a Parisian crystal cutter to whom he quickly demonstrated his talent. His father decided to set up a crystal-cutting studio in the place of the old corking workshop, which he named Cristal Frères for his sons. The young Martin is the one who trained his father and two of his brothers before taking over the workshop himself, which he managed until 2004, an exceptional career spanning 52 years.