Tissot was founded in 1853 by Charles-Félicien Tissot and his son, Charles-Émile Tissot in Le Locle. The father and son team initially worked out of their house, finding early success with selling pocket watches in the Russian Empire which led to establishing a branch in Moscow. Alliance with Omega and the Swatch Group Tissot formed …
S.U.F Helsinki was founded in 2004 by Finnish watchmaker Stepan Sarpaneva, who is also the founder of Sarpeneva Watches. While S.U.F (Sarpaneva’s UhrenFabrik) timepieces are made in relatively small batches, part of the company’s purpose is to produce watches in higher quantities and at more affordable prices than the far more exclusive Sarpaneva Watches models. …
Gallet is a historic Swiss watch manufacturer that was founded in 1826 by Julien Gallet. Gallet has the distinction of being the world’s oldest clock making house, boasting a history going all the way back to 1466 when clock maker Humbertus Gallet became a citizen of Geneva, nearly a full century before Galileo was born. …
Viceroy is a Spanish fashion brand that was founded in Switzerland in 1951, and currently specializes in watches and jewellery. The brand was acquired by Grupo Munreco, which also owns other watch brands such as Mark Maddox and Sandoz. Fernando Alonso As a brand that is proudly Spanish, Viceroy has an impressive portfolio including Madrid …
Armin Strom AG was founded in 2006 by master watchmaker Armin Strom and his son and former Omega director Daniel Strom. While factual on paper, the elder Strom’s story actually began much earlier in 1967 when he first opened a workshop in Burgdorf, Switzerland. Strom specialized in skeleton watches, which he first began exhibiting in …
Chronotech is an Italian watch company based in Milan, Italy. It is currently a subsidiary of the Binda Group, an Italian watch, jewellery, and leather accessories corporate group founded in 1906 by Innocente Binda. Other companies owned by the Binda Group include Breil, Hip Hop Watches, Vetta, Freelo, and Wyler Genève. Renault F1: Fernando Alonso …
Zeon is a British subsidiary of the Hong Kong-based Herald Group. Established in 1979 as an importer of LED watches, Zeon initially specialized in bringing the first kids’ character watches to the UK. Featured characters from this era included Star Wars, Indiana Jones, E.T., James Bond, Rambo, and Mr. T. Zeon watches were a …
TW Steel was founded in 2005 by Ton and Jordy Cobelens in the Netherlands. Despite being a relatively young watch brand, the father and son team have built an impressive motorsport collaboration portfolio that belies their relatively short history. This was no beginner’s luck though, as Ton’s involvement in the watch industry stretches back to …
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 …
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 …