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 …
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 …
Universal Genève SA was founded in 1894 as Universal Watch by horology students Ulysse Perret and Numa-Emile Descombes. Originally based in Le Locle, Universal was relocated to Geneva in 1919 by Perret, where their headquarters resides to this day. World’s First Chronograph and Recent History Universal Genève is credited with creating the world’s first …
Bell & Ross was founded in 1992 as a university project by Bruno Belamich and Carlos A. Rosillo. Early Bell & Ross watches were produced by Sinn, with the partnership ending in 2002 after Chanel became a minority shareholder. The company is currently based in Paris, and manufacturing done in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Bell & …
Compagnie des Montres Longines, Francillon S.A. was founded in 1832 by Auguste Agassiz, and is based in Saint-Imier, Switzerland. Agassiz initially had two partners, Florian Morel and Henri Raiguel, who both retired from the watch industry by 1846. Longines’ flying hourglass logo is the oldest unchanged active trademark registered with WIPO. The Swatch Group In …
IWC Schaffhausen is a Swiss luxury watch manufacturer that was founded by American watchmaker and entrepreneur Florentine Ariosto Jones in 1868. Originally known as the International Watch Company, the company was transferred to the Rauschenbach family in 1880. Since 2000, IWC has been a subsidiary of the Swiss Richemont Group which also owns other high …
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, Richard Mille is well known for their untraditional marketing. Mille …
Breitling SA was founded in 1884 in Saint-Imier, Switzerland, by watchmaker and businessman Léon Breitling. The business was later run by Bretling’s son Gaston, and grandson Willy, before the Breitling name was purchased by Ernst Schneider of the Sicura Company in 1979. Today, Breitling is one of very few watch companies that enjoys mainstream brand …
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, …