Leukerbad is the village where the founder of Loretans Jewellers, Rudolf Raphael Loretan, was born.

He moved to Lucerne at 16 where he was apprenticed to an optometrist. Adventures with his cousin took him to South Africa, before arriving in Perth in 1908. He worked on farms moving from West Australia to Melbourne & up and down the NSW & QLD coast. It wasn't until he stopped in Brisbane and starting working for Dodds company that he reconnected with his optometry career.

Hey met his wife Mary Stuart Hansen in Northern NSW & his son Snow was born in Lismore.

They found a place in 1924 and from then on, Taree has been the home of the Loretan family.

Rudolph went into partnership with Mr G B Suffren, whose eyesight was failing. He agreed to do minor watch repair work & gold soldering in return for being taught watchmaking.