Rotary Watches Ltd was founded in 1895 by Moise Dreyfuss in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Family members began exporting watches to Britain in the 1920s, which eventually became Rotary’s most successful market. By 1940, Rotary was the official watch supplier for the British Army and eventually became a household name in the UK. Today, Rotary is …
Giorgio Piola is an Italian Formula One journalist, commentator, and illustrator. Having attended more Grands Prix than anyone in history at over 800 race weekends, Piola began attending Formula One races in 1969 as a chief editor of La Gazzetta dello Sport, the most widely read daily newspaper in all of Italy that was founded …
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, then-Formula One boss …
Cyrus is based in Le Locle, Switzerland and was founded in 2010 by a Swiss entrepreneurial family with an extensive background of global luxury brands. The family has partnered with Swiss master watchmaker Jean-Francois Mojon, who founded Chronode in 2005 and has worked with companies like Czapek, HYT, MB&F, and Urban Jürgensen. Cyrus remains …
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 …
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 …