Cadola was originally founded in Neuchâtel during the 1940’s, and at some point ceased operations. Today they are owned by Dartmouth Brands, which is also the parent company of brands such as AVI-8 and Spinnaker. Cadola currently has a focus on historical motorsport timekeeping, with watches powered by Japanese or Swiss movements. Cadola x Cosworth …
Sorna Watch AG was based in Grenchen, and had belonged to the Roskopf Association which eventually became part of the Fédération de l’Industrie Horlogère Suisse (FH) in 1982. Not much information is currently known about the brand. According to a WatchUSeek forum member, the original company went into liquidation on October 17, 1994 and was …
Franck Muller was founded in Geneva, Switzerland in 1991 and named after its founder. Muller enrolled in watchmaking school at the age of 15, and eventually graduated from the Ecole d’Horlogerie de Genève. By 1984, Muller was designing tourbillon watches. This was during a time when the complication was beyond most watchmakers which laid the …
RO-NI is a Swiss watch manufacturer based in St. Moritz that specializes in high performance watches, with a pronounced inspiration by motorsports. High tech materials are a common element across their offerings, such as their Superleggero models featuring carbon fiber and beech wood cases derived from Formula 1 cars. RO-NI has also partnered with MV …
JeanRichard was a Swiss watch manufacturer that was last owned by the Kering Group, which formerly owned Girard-Perregaux. The company roots date back to 1681 with Daniel JeanRichard, who had pioneered the watch industry in the Swiss canton Neuchâtel. Recent History and Shut Down More recent company highlights include the 1994 release of the TV …
Montres Journe SA, more commonly known as F.P. Journe, was founded on June 27th, 1999 by François-Paul Journe. Journe created his first watch in 1982 in Paris, and has previously worked for several high end watchmakers before starting his own brand. Based in Geneva, F.P. Journe not only designs and builds its own movements but …
Technos Relógios S.A. has roots dating back to 1900 as M. Gunzinger-Hug Co. Founded in Welschenrohr by Melchior Gunzinger, the then-Swiss brand registered the trademark “Technos” in 1924. The founder’s son Josef Gunzinger sold the company to General Watch Co. in 1970, which saw Technos temporarily becoming stablemates with other notable watch brands like Certina, …
The Telda brand has its roots in Armand Nicolet, a Swiss luxury watch manufacturer based in Tramelan, Switzerland. The company’s history stems back to 1875 when Armand Nicolet set up his first watchmaking shop. Nicolet had registered additional brands, with the Telda name mainly associated with chronographs. After the founder’s death in 1939, his sons …
De Grisogono is a Swiss luxury jeweller that was founded in Geneva by Fawaz Gruosi in 1993. The name Grisogono stems from the Greek word meaning “begotten of gold”. De Grisogono is known for its use of black diamonds, and has also transitioned to watchmaking in 2000. Today, the company is owned by the Damac …
Rotary Watches Ltd was founded in 1895 by Moise Dreyfuss in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Family members began exporting watches to Britain in the 1920s, which eventually became Rotary’s most successful market. By 1940, Rotary was the official watch supplier for the British Army and eventually became a household name in the UK. Today, Rotary is …