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Swiss Watch Brand Summary

Audemars Piguet Founded in 1875 in LeBrassus, Switzerland and still owned by its founding family, Audemars Piguet is world-renowned for their commitment to quality manufacturing methods and innovative designs. Elegance and luxury are synonymous with this brand, both qualities ingrained in their designs with a focus on tradition. This company is perhaps single-handedly responsible for the resurgence in popularity of the mechanical watch in the late 1980s.
Avier Everything about AVIER is upscale...except the price. Swiss automatic movements. Sapphire crystals. Screwed bracelets, rubber straps.  Richly finished dials. The watch for watch connoisseurs who  appreciate quality, fit, finish and value. The Avier watch is the  result of the passion and experience of a true watch connoisseur --  Jeff Bernard -- who has been working exclusively with Swiss watches  since 1990.  Avier watches are made in very limited runs. Only the  Torino was made in a quantity over 100 pieces.
Baume Mercier The two Baume brothers setup their first watchmaking house in the Swiss Jura mountains in 1830. In 1918, William and Paul Mercier entered into a partnership. Years later, in 1999, Baume et Mercier joined the prestigious Richemont group, along with such notable brands as Cartier, Piaget, and Jaeger-LeCoultre. With such good company, it is no wonder Baume & Mercier is well established as a contemporary brand that is not afraid to take risks. They have been one of the fastest growing high-end brands in the United States in the past decade.
Bedat Bedat & Co recently celebrated their 10th anniversary after a rapid rise to success under the Gucci groups management. Bedat was formed when Christian Bedat along with his mother Simone, left Raymond Weil in July of 1996. Simone Bedat helped found Raymond Weil in 1975, while her son was responsible for the popular Raymond Weil W1 line. Each watch Bedat makes is certified by the A.O.S.C. quality label certifying that each part is of Swiss origin. The 4 Bedat watch lines numbers refer to the shape of the watch. Number 1 refers to a square shaped case, number 3 tonneau, number 7 rectangular and number 8 is the cushion shape.
Bertolucci A union of Swiss watch-making precision and Italian stylistic distinction, Bertolucci watches are produced in limited quantities with superior materials. These watches are crafted with the ultimate goal of displaying the company's complete dedication to the art of classical watch making, evidently achieved through their designs' impeccable construction. Italian engineer Remo Bertolucci founded the company in 1987 in the Neuch?tel region of Switzerland. The company is literally a marriage of Swiss watchmaking and Italian style as Remo Bertolucci married into an established Swiss watchmaking family. The brand ran into trouble in 1999 after their initial success with the Pulchra and Vir models. They were sold in 2005 to the Dickson Group, which manages a small empire of luxury boutiques.
BlancPain  
Breguet  
Breitling The Breitling name is almost synonymous with quality chronograph watches, for good reason. Breitling develops and finishes its own chronograph modules for its automatic watches to obtain the highest accuracy and all quartz watches feature a thermo compensated movement. This is the watch brand that is unofficially recognized as the watch for pilots and racetrack pit-crew members due to their incomparable chronograph timing accuracy. About 5% of Breitling's customers are pilots and several Breitlings have been to space including the Cosmonaute and Aerospace.
Cartier Cartier, as part of the Richemont group, could easily refer to themselves as jewelers first, and watchmakers second. This can be attributed to their large line of rings, necklaces, purses and charms that carry the same characteristics as their watches: elegant and refined without being over-the-top. Don't get the wrong idea, however, because while Cartier watches are stylish, their functionality is akin to the caliber of other leading brands today.
Chaumet Chaumet traces its origins to the appointed jeweler of Napoleonic Empresses Josephine and Marie-Louise, Etienne Nitot. Joseph Chaumet officially established the House in the Vendome in 1907. Primarily a jewelry house of the finest quality, the watch collections of Chaumet reflect an artistic interpretation of timekeeping.
Chopard  
Chronoswiss  
Concord  
Corum  
Daniel JeanRichard The Daniel JeanRichard brand was picked up in the early 90s by the parent company of Girard-Perregaux. The goal for Daniel JeanRichard was to provide an affordable, mechanical Swiss watch. Daniel JeanRichard has come out as an avante-garde brand, providing a contrast to traditions of Girard-Perregaux. DJR watches are consistently well-thought-out designs, with simplicity and durability in mind.
De Laneau Delaneau strides an interesting niche of the Swiss watch industry, too small to be a member of the major Swiss manufacturers, yet too large to be an artisan brand. Their watches blend the art of jewelry with the precision of watchmaking. Tracing their own origin back 125 years, this Geneve watchmaker employs traditions of craftsmanship that go back centuries further. Enamel is hand ground, brushed and fired in as many as 20 layers to achieve the proper look. Ancient gem setting techniques such as serti close, serti millesgrains, serti grife, serti pave and serti miniature are practiced by expert gemsetters to achieve the highest light structure possible. DeLaneau series watches are usually of limited edition and often unique.
Ebel EBEL (Eguene Blum et Levy) was founded in 1911.  The company rose to significance primarily as a manufacturing and assembly plant for other watchmakers under the leadership of the family founders.   A partnership with Cartier helped launch the company into the modern era.  In 1972 Ebel launched a collection which cemented their high luxury status.   The Movado group acquired Ebel in 2003 from LVMH (Louis Vuitton, Moet & Hennessy).   The acquisition was intended to allow the Movado group to move further upmarket.  The 1911 line is a tribute to the founding of Ebel.  Particularly desirable 1911 models utilize the company's in-house Ebel calber 137 chronograph movement which is C.O.S.C. certified.
Franck Muller  
Fred Known as Fred Paris, The Fred Joaillier house joined LVMH (Moet Hennessy Luis Vitton) in 1995. Fred Samuel began the brand in 1936 and it has become a favorite avant-garde brand of international celebrities.
Girard-Perregaux One of the few genuine Swiss 'manufactures', Girard Perregaux has supplied leading Swiss brands such as Cartier, Vacheron Constantin, Piaget and Ebel with its thin calibers 3000 and 3100. When making their own watches the company often uses their own calibers though they will also use a painstakingly reworked A. Schild or ETA movement. Girard-Perregaux has proven themselves to be a master of technically demanding pieces. The company holds multiple Tourbillion calibers, including the famed Three Gold Bridges originally created by Constant Girard-Perregaux in 1889. The longstanding relationship between Ferrari and Girard-Perregaux recently came to an end, but the company has channeled its love of racing chronographs to the new Laureato EVO3 and its passion for the race to the America's Cup and the BMW Oracle Team. Sea Hawks featuring the BMW Oracle logo as well as extremely rare Tourbillion models of the Sea Hawk have been produced in celebration of the union.
Glashutte Original The tiny town of Glashutte in Germany saw a revival of their historic watchmaking industry after the reunification of Germany. Glashutte Original is the successor to a number of smaller manufacturers that were forced to conglomerate after World War II. Glashutte Original has an extensive facility, where they produce and finish parts in-house for their manufacture movements. Traditional elements of Glashutte watchmaking include a three-quarter plate, swan-neck fine adjustment, Glashutte ribbing, and double sunburst decoration. These features along with a low production of only a few thousand pieces per year make the watches desirable to collectors of fine timepieces.
Graham Graham is part of the British Masters, a combination of English and Swiss watchmaking heritage, which also includes Arnold & Son. George Graham is considered to be the father of the chronograph, so it is no surprise that the only watches produced by this brand are chronographs. In the tradition of British sports racing, they are predominantly left-hand chronographs, which allow for better use while driving. These oversized wrist-machines combine well-designed column-wheel chronograph movements with lever activated controls to achieve a completely unique timepiece.
Hublot Hublot is an infant brand among the centuries-old Swiss giants with which it competes, yet within years of its founding in 1980 became known as the watch of European royalty. Within months of its introduction the Hublot had caught the eye of the King of Greece, quickly followed by the King of Spain, the King of Sweden and the Prince of Monaco. Few brands can claim such a speedy successful rise as Hublot. Hardly a watch enthusiast can be found today without at least one rubber-strapped watch in their personal collection - they are standard equipment on sport watches, but at the time the Hublot (French for porthole) was introduced, rubber was not to be found on a fine timepiece. The rubber strap is specially made to not crack or stain, it is chemically fused with steel for strength and mixed with a rare and potent vanilla to eliminate the odor associated with rubber.  New elements and materials are being brought together to form pieces such as the Big Bang. We are proud to offer many pieces from the classic Hublot line, luxurious, but not flashy, comfortable, but not dressed-down.  LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton) recently added the Hublot brand to its growing portfolio of watch companies which include Zenith, TAG Heuer, Chaumet, Fred, Dior and DeBeers.
-- Read more about The Story of Hublot
IWC Schaffhausen  
Jaeger-LeCoultre Part of the Richmont group's Haute Horlogerie division, Jaeger Le Coultre is a fully fledged Manufacture, whose in-house movements grace not only their own prestigious timepieces, but often lend their prestige to other high-end brands. Antoine LeCoultre founded the brand in 1833 but it was not until 1866 that his son would transform the workshop into a manufacture. Paris watchmaker Edmond Jaeger did not join his name to the company until 1903. He brought with him ultra-thin movement calibers as well as a prestigious customer for the movements, Cartier. Today, the company is well known for a number of achievements, including the Reverso, the Memovox automatic alarm watch and the Atmos clock.
Mauboussin Mauboussin is similar in stature in Europe to what Cartier or Tiffany is here in the states. They are known primarily for their exquisite and expensive jewelry. Mauboussin watches are very well made and use high- grade Swiss movements. Since 1827, the House of Mauboussin has been a family-run business. In 1994, Mauboussin launched its first watch lines. Mauboussin is the only remaining independent major French jeweler (Chaumet and Boucheron having been acquired by the Richemont Group and Gucci Group respectively). The company is opening showrooms in Taiwan, Singapore, Monaco, Japan, and Geneva.
Omega Established in 1848, Omega has become one of the most recognized watch brands in the world... And with good reason. The brand has long been known for quality and innovation and continues its tradition today.
Oris Founded in 1904, Oris has become a favorite of watch collectors through the years for their strict standards of quality and moderate prices. Among watch enthusiasts Oris has long been considered to be a high-value brand. For decades Oris made their watches only in steel, only recently introducing titanium and PVD into their lines. You won't find a single quartz movement in the Oris line, only high-mech automatic watches. You also won't find many price tags over $2,000, unlike other precision brands. Many variations are available for retails under $1,000.
Panerai Officine Panerai Firenze started suppling the Italian Navy with precision instruments such as calculators, fuses for torpedos, depth meters, and compasses in the 19th century. The demand for an extremely water proof time piece with luminous hands for legibility, led them into the world of horology. Over the past 145 years, the company has evolved from basic blunt instruments into one of the most sought after brands.
Patek Philippe  
Perrelet The Perrelet name is reknowned for the invention the automatic winding mechanism by Abraham Louis Perrelet and the split-second chronograph by his son Louis-Frederic. Abraham Louis Perrelet was a talented inventor and watchmaker who completed his final masterpiece at the ripe age of 96. Louis-Frederic Perrelet was a watchmaker to three Kings of France and studied under Breguet. Their influence appears present in the company's current line, relaunched in 2005 with heavily decorated rotors, complex mechanisms and an impressive eye for detail.
Piaget  
Roger Dubuis

Roger Dubuis is a growing young Manufacture, begun in 1995 with the partnership of Roger Dubuis and Carlos Dias. Dubuis, a talented watchmaker, founded his own atelier in 1980 after 14 years of developing complications for Patek Philippe. He took commissions to design new complications for major brands for several years before finally drawing designer Carlos Dias away from Franck Muller to launch his own brand. Roger Dubuis was born in Geneva and all of his watches, strongly associated with that culture, are submitted to the quality hallmark of the Poinçon de Genève as well as receiving chronometer certification. Looking at the off-beat models designed by Carlos Dias one can easily lose sight of the watchmaking prowess involved. The limited edition pieces and flamboyant designs are all based on a foundation of solid watchmaking skill and in-house complications.

Roger Dubuis was recently brought into the Richemont group.  In addition to improving the availability and distribution of Roger Dubuis timepieces for sale, Richemont has opened a Roger Dubuis repair facility in the U.S. reducing the turnaround time for regular service and repair.

Rolex  
TAG Heuer A legend in sports timing and official timekeeper of the Indy Racing League. While the company was founded in 1860, the legend of Heuer was born during the Olympic Games of the 1920s. The games were measured by the Mikrograph, designed by the son of the company's founder, it was capable of measuring 100ths of a second with its balance beating at 360,000 oscillations per hour. In 1985, Heuer joined Group TAG (Techniques of Avant-garde). Several models honor the company's long history of sponsoring teams and timing the worlds most famous races - The Monaco Grand Prix, the Carrera Pan-Americana and the Formula One Italian Grand Prix.

TAG Heuer continues to move this brand upmarket, introducing Chronometer certified movements in many models including the Link Calibre 6 and the recently announced Calibre 8 movement for the Grand Carrera GMT as well as an upgraded Calibre 17 RS movement for the Grand Carrera Chronograph. A Zenith designed Calibre 36 Chronograph movement, also Chronometer certified, is available in both the Link and Monza model line.

Ulysse Nardin  
Zodiac Founded in 1882, Zodiac came to fame in 1953 with the introduction of the Seawolf, an immensely popular military diver's watch. Other Zodiac revolutions include the Astrographic with its mystery dial and the asymmetrical Olympos. Originally family-owned, the company has since passed through many hands, including a former principal of Tag Heuer. Zodiac's extensive line of Swiss-made fashion watches is now managed by Fossil, a company responsible for licensing brands for some of the most prestigious companies in the world, including Emporio Armani, DKNY, Diesel and Burberry.