Chronoforce was founded in 2005 by a team of watch designers and extreme sports specialists. The brand’s tagline is “Speed and Adventure Instruments”, and appears to have a pronounced popularity in Southeast Asia based on their social media presence. Carlos Checa 500cc/MotoGP veteran Carlos Checa was a Chronoforce brand ambassador in 2007, his last full …
Rodania was founded in 1930 by Hans Baumgartner in Berne, Switzerland. Company highlights include creating the official watch for the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1937, designing a chronograph for the Royal Canadian Navy and Air Force in the late 1950s, and developing the shock-absorbing Hydrolastic technology in 1967. As of 2022, the brand is …
Saint Honoré is a French watch and jewellery brand that was founded in 1885 by Victorin Frésard. With company origins in the Doubs region of eastern France, its proximity to Switzerland inspired a mix of Parisian style and Swiss quality. The brand currently resides under the Geneva Watch Group, which also produces Ducati Corse watches. …
Sandoz is a Spanish watch brand that was originally founded as Henri Sandoz & Cie. in the 1870s by Le Locle resident Henri Frédéric Sandoz. The company has since operated under a variety of names including Cyma, Tavannes Watch Co., Henry Sandoz & Fils, Tavannes-Cyma, Bijou Watch Co., Tacy Watch Co., and Lisca. The Sandoz …
Strom was founded in 2008 by watchmaker and industry veteran Daniel Strom, son of Armin Strom. Daniel had helped his father form the brand Armin Strom in 2006, itself built on the foundation of Strom Swiss Prestige Timepieces AG” which the younger Strom had incorporated in 2004. Daniel had previously worked for Omega, and had …
Chronostar was introduced in 1998 by Italian company Artime Group, which had also distributed Sector since 1988. According to Watch Wiki, the launch was aimed to compete against Swatch and Flik Flak in the entry-level market. Sector Group and Morellato Group Artime Group rebranded as the Sector Group in 2000, retaining Chronostar and Sector while …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Jacques Lemans GmbH was founded in 1975 by Alfred Riedl and is currently headquartered in Carinthia, Austria. Since its origins as a watch brand, the family-owned business has since expanded into jewelry as well and has a global presence across over 120 countries. Agreement with Bernie Ecclestone On January 20, 2006, Walter Wolf helped facilitate …