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 …
Montres Edox et Vista SA was founded in 1884 by Swiss watchmaker Christian Ruefli-Flury in Biel/Bienne. Edox is known for several industry firsts, including the first crown with tension ring for increased water resistance and first watch with full coverage of all time zones. The company temporarily became an affiliate of the General Watch …
Cyrus is based in Le Locle, Switzerland and was founded in 2010 by the Richard family, who have an extensive background of global luxury brands. The brand maintains a focus on mechanical innovation and unconventional style, and has partnered with Swiss master watchmaker Jean-Francois Mojon. Mojon founded Chronode in 2005, and has also worked with …
Wyler was founded in 1896 by brothers Paul and Alfred Wyler in Bienne, Switzerland. Meanwhile in Varese, Italy, Innocent Binda opened a watch repair shop in 1906 and relocated to Milan in 1926. Binda began importing and marketing Wyler watches in Italy under the Wyler Vetta brand in 1930, with some early timepieces using …
Movado was founded in 1881 by Achille Ditesheim in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. The Ditesheims were a family of watchmakers who owned several companies in the area, and in 1892 Achille and his brothers combined their businesses to form L.A. & I. Ditesheim, Fabricants. Shortly after the turn of the 20th century, the company was …
Cabestan was founded in 2003 by Swiss designer and watchmaker Jean-François Ruchonnet, who has previously worked for Chopard and also designed for brands like Breguet, De Grisogono, and TAG Heuer. The brand Cabestan was named after the capstan from yachts. While details are lacking, Cabestan appears to have shut down around 2021. The final …
Zenith SA was originally started in 1865 by Georges Favre-Jacot in Le Locle, Switzerland as George Farve-Jacot & Co. Inspired by the success of other companies selling reliable and affordable watches through mass production, Favre-Jacot became the first manufacturer to build in-house movements. His “Zenith” movement won the Grand Prix at the 1900 Paris …
Cartier International SNC was founded in 1847 by French businessman, jeweler, and watchmaker Louis-François Cartier in Paris. The founder’s grandson, Louis Cartier, designed the now-famous Cartier Tank in 1919 that was inspired by thanks used in World War I. Movements and Change of Ownership Shortly after, Cartier formed a joint-stock company with Edward Jaeger of …
Panerai was founded in 1860 by Giovanni Panerai in Florence, Italy. In addition to establishing a watch shop and workshop, the Italian watch manufacturer also served as the city’s first watchmaking school. Panerai would go on to supply watches and other precision instruments to the Royal Italian Navy, most of which contained Rolex movements during …
Roger Dubuis was founded in 1995 by Roger Dubuis and Carlos Dias, and is currently based in Geneva, Switzerland. Roger Dubuis has previously worked for Longines and Patek Philippe, while Carlos Dias was formerly a designer for Franck Muller. By 2016 the company was fully owned by the Richemont Group which also owns A. Lange …