Oris SA was founded by Paul Cattin and Georges Christia in 1904 in the Swiss town of Hölstein, where the company is still based. The company name was named after a nearby brook, and started life as a manufacturer of pocket watches. In response to the growing wristwatch market, Oris began producing leather straps in …
Certina was founded in 1888 by Adolf and Alfred Kurth in Grenchen, Switzerland. Originally a movement and supplies factory, Certina did not start producing complete watches until several years later. Their first brand name was Grana, named after the Latin name of Grenchen. The name Certina first came into use in the 1930s, and was …
Audemars Piguet Holding SA was founded in 1875 by Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet in the Vallée de Joux. The name Audemars Piguet & Cie was acquired in 1881, and today the company is based in Le Brassus, Switzerland and still owned by the family. Before being known as the company that makes …
Breil is an Italian luxury company that specializes in watches, jewels, fragrances, eyewear, and leather accessories. The brand was founded in Milan in 1939, and introduced their first watch in 1942. Historically well known lines of watches have included Beaubourg, Breil Tribe, Breil Milano, Breil Manta, Infinity, and Gent. Breil is currently a wholly owned …
The Richard Mille brand was first developed in 1999 by Richard Mille in a partnership with Montres Valgine and Audemars Piguet, with the RM 001 Tourbillon introduced to the world at Baselworld in 2001. In addition to their distinctive design, lightweight construction, and shock resistance, the Swiss brand is well known for their nontraditional marketing. …
Citizen Watch Co., Ltd is an electronics company based in Nishitokyo, Japan and mainly known for their watches. As of 2008, they also serve as the parent company of Bulova. Citizen was founded in 1930 by Japanese and Swiss investors. The name Citizen was first registered in Switzerland by Swiss watchmaker Rodolphe Schmid in 1918 …
Hublot is a Swiss luxury watchmaker founded in 1980 by Carlo Crocco. The company was named after the French word for “porthole”, which serves as a visual design reference across many of their models. Hublot is notable for being the first to pair a rubber strap with precious metals in their luxury sports watch. Today, …
Seiko was founded in 1881 by Kintaro Hattori as a watch and jewelry shop called K. Hattori in Tokyo. Hattori started producing clocks under the company name Seikosha in 1892, and officially changed its trade mark to Seiko in 1924. In addition to being a household name today even amongst non-watch enthusiasts, Seiko has the …
Omega SA is currently based in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland, and was founded in 1848 by Louis Brandt in La Chaux-de-Fonds. The company originally operated as La Generale Watch Co. until the name Omega was incorporated in 1903, becoming Louis Brandt et Frère-Omega Watch & Co. The company name was officially changed to Omega SA in 1984, …
TAG Heuer was originally founded in 1860 as Uhrenmanufaktur Heuer AG (Heuer Watchmaking Inc.) by Edouard Heuer in St-Imier, Switzerland. Heuer notably patented his first chronograph in 1882, and by 1911 also had a patent for the first dashboard chronograph for use in aircraft and automobiles. His first wrist chronograph was introduced in 1914. Project …