A Brief History of Watch Companies

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Blancpain (1735)

Blancpain is known to be the oldest registered watchmaking brand in the world. It was founded in 1735 in Villeret, Switzerland, by Jehan-Jaques Blancpain. The company was family managed until 1932, when two staff members bought the business and the name of the company was changed to Rayville-Blancpain. In 1953, the company launched the Fifty Fathoms diving watch, one of its most famous models. By the end of the 1950s, Blancpain was producing more than 100,000 watches per year. The company went out of business for a while. The company was eventually renamed Blanpain and sold to Swatch. The company says it has never produced a quartz watch, and will never will. Every Blancpain watch is assembled entirely by hand by a single watchmaker.

A Fifth Fathoms Bathyscaphe:



Favre Leuba (1737)

Abraham Favre registered as a watchmaker in Le Locle, Switzerland, in 1737. Auguste Leuba joined theh company in 1815, and it became known as Favre-Leuba. The motto is creating timepieces “for those who conquer frontiers”. In 1962, they launched the classic Bivouac watch. This was the first wristwatch to measure altitude and air pressure. As a result, it was popular amongst mountaineers and pilots. The company started having troubles when inexpensive quartz watches appeared in 1969. The owners had to sell the brand in the 1980s. After changing hands several times, the company is owned by Titan Company Limited since 2011.

A Bivouac watch featuring an altimeter/barometer:



Jaquet Droz (1738)

In 1738, Pierre Jaquet Droz started manufacturing in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. He produced timepieces as well as mechanical art pieces that incorporated music and movement (called Automata). The work of Jaquet Droz was popular amongst a wealthy audience in Europa and even China. The Napoleonic Wars at the beginning of the 19th century brought an end to the creative and prosperous time for the brand. In 2000, it was acquired by the Swatch Group. Since then, new magnificent timepieces are launched, marking the start of a new Jaquet Droz

A Jaquet Droz Grande Seconde Quantieme Ivory Enamel:



Ferdinand Berthoud (1753)

Ferdinand Berthoud was a watchmaker and a scientist. He started his workshop in Paris, France, in 1753. The brand went into silence in 1876 after the death of Ferdinand’s heir, Charles-Auguste Berthoud. It was relaunched in 2015 with the Chronomètre Ferdinand Berthoud FB1 watch.

A Chronomètre Ferdinand Berthoud FB1:



Vacheron Constantin (1755)

This company was founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1755, by Jean-Marc Vacheron. The company was founded 20 years after the world’s oldest registered brand (Blancpain), but it is the continuously operating watchmaker in the world. The company’s motto is great: "Do better if possible and that is always possible.” Since 1996, the company has been owned by the Swiss Richemont Group. In 2015, the company produced the Reference 57260, the world's most complicated mechanical watch. It took three watchmakers eight years to build the 57 complication watch for a client.

A Vacheron Constantin Overseas Dual-Time:



Breguet (1775)

Breguet was founded by Abraham-Louis Breguet in 1775 in Paris. Since 1976, it has produced watches in Vallée de Joux, Switzerland. In 1910, the company produced the first wrist watch. The tourbillon movement was invented by Abraham-Louis Breguet. The company has created pieces owned by Marie Antoinette and Bonaparte. In 1999, Brugeut was acquired by the Swatch Group.

A Classique Tourbillon Extra-Plat Automatique 5367:



Gallet & Co. (1826)

This company is actually the oldest watch and clock making house. It’s history dates back to Humbertus Gallet, a clock maker who became a Swiss citizen in 1466. Julien Gallet registered the company’s name in 1826. Today, the company produces timepieces that use modern technology and style to keep it ticking along.

Here is a pic of the Flying Officer, a watch worn by U.S. President Harry Truman:

Longines (1832)

Longines was founded in 1832 in Saint-Imier, Switzerland, by Auguste Agassiz. Its winged hourglass logo was registered in 1889 and is the oldest registered trademark for a watchmaker. The company is now owed by the Swatch Group.

A Longines Heritage 1945:



Jaeger-LeCoulter (1833)

Antoine Lecoultre founded a watchmaking workshop in 1833. In 1866, he and his son established LeCoulter & Cie. In 1870, the company developed the first partially mechanized production processes for complicated movements. In 1903, Paris-based watchmaker to Edmond Jaeger challenged Swiss manufacturers to develop and produce the ultra-thin movements that he had invented. Antoine’s grandson, Jacques-David LeCoultre, accepted the challenge. This resulted in a a collection of ultra-thin pocket watches, including the thinnest in the world in 1907. The same year, The collaboration between Jaeger and LeCoultre led to the company being officially renamed Jaeger-LeCoultre in 1937. Since 2000, the company has been a fully owned subsidiary of Richemont.

A Jaeger-LeCoultre Master Ultra-Thin Jubilee. At 4.06mm, it is the thinnest mechanical watch in the world:

 

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Patek Philippe (1839)

Patek Phillipe was founded in 1851. Previously, in 1839, Polish watchmaker Antoni Patek started manufacturing pocket watches in Geneva. In 1845, Patek joined with French watchmaker Adrien Philippe, the inventor of the keyless winding mechanism. They founded Patek Philippe & Co in 1851. In 1853, the company relocated to Grand Quai (left bank of the Rhone) into the building still used today.

Patek has successfully filed over 100 patents, including patents for Precision Regulator, Perpetual Calendar, Split Seconds Chronograph, Gyromax Balance Wheel, Self Winding Mechanisms, Annual Calendar, and Time Zone Watches. The company launched the first split seconds chronograph wrist watch in 1923, and the first world time wrist watch in 1937. In 1932, Patek launched the Ref. 96, the first in a line of Calatrava models that continue today. In 1989, in celebration of its 150th anniversary, Patek Philippe created the Caliber 89 that included 33 complications. It was the world’s most complicated watch for more than 25 years (see Vacheron Constantin).

Patek Philippe says it is the last independent, family-owned Genevan watch manufacturer. The company continues to service and repair all of its watches ever made since 1839. Patek Philippe has a museum in Geneva that includes watches from as early as the 16th century, as well as a library of over 7000 books and documents.

One of the most expensive watches ever sold was the Patek Philippe Ref. 1518. It sold at auction in 2016 for $11.1 million. Here is a pic of that watch:



A. Lange & Sohne (1845)

In 1845, Lange was founded by Ferdinald Adolph Lange in Germany. The company started by producing pocket watches, and then oversized wrist watches for the army in World War II. In 1948, the post-war Soviet administration nationalized the company and the Lange brand ceased to exist. In 1990, after Germany was reunified, the great-grandson of the founder, Walter Lange, restored the company. The company was subsequently acquired by the Richemont group.

A. Lange & Sohne Annual Calendar:




Ulysse Nardin (1846)

Ulysee Nardin was founded in 1846 in Le Lecle, Switzerland by, wait for it…. Ulysee Nardin. The company has operated out of the same building since 1865. At one point, the company supplied marine chronometers to over 50 navies across the world. The company was acquired by the Kering Group in 2014.

A Ulysee Nardin Freak from 2001:




Waltham (1850)

In 1850, the company that would later become Waltham Watches was formed in Roxbury, Massachusetts. The original name of the company was unclear, but was either American Horologe Company or Warren Manufacturing Company. The company focused on using machines to manufacture identical movement parts that would be fully interchangeable. This process became known as the American System of Watch Manufacturing. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln was given a Waltham Watch after his Gettysburgh Address. The company changed names and ownership many times, and eventually declared bankruptcy. Several tries to restart operations failed. In 1957, before going out of business, the company formed Waltham International SA, a Swiss subsidiary. The Swiss subsidiary retains the rights to the Waltham trade name outside of North American and continues to produce watches under the Waltham brand. The USA successor to the Waltham name and inventory is Waltham Aircraft Clock Corporation, a company that specializes in the manufacture and maintenance of mechanical aircraft clocks.

An American-made Waltham Model 1872:



Tissot (1853)

Tissot was founded by Charles-Félicien Tissot and his son Charles-Émile Tissot in 1853 in Le Lecole, Switzerland. The company introduced the first mass-produced pocket watch, the first pocket watch with two time zones in 1853, and the first anti-magnetic watch in 1929-30. It was also the first company to make watches out of plastic in 1971, stone in 1985, mother of pearl in 1987, and wood in 1988. In 1930, Tissot merged with Omega. Since 1983, it has been a subsidiary of The Swatch Group. It is still based on Le Lecole. Tissot is an official timekeeper for the world championships in cycling, motorcycling, fencing and ice hockey. Tissot was also a key sponsor for the Formula One teams Lotus, Renault and Sauber. Tissot's first engagement as an official timekeeper was in 1938 where they timed a series of Ski races in Villar, near the company's home town in the Jura mountains. Tissot is not associated with Swiss watchmaking company Mathey-Tissot.

A Tissot Heritage 1948 Chronograph:



Girard-Perregaux (1856)

The Girard-Perregaux Manufacture company started in 1856, but it’s history starts earlier. Jean-François Bautte signed his first watches in 1791. He created a manufacturing company in Geneva, Switzerland that for the first time ever grouped together all aspects of watchmaking. This included engineering the watch all the way to final hand assembly and hand polishing. Separately, watchmaker Constant Girard founded Girard & Cie Firm in 1852. After marrying Marie Perregaux, he founded Girard-Perrebaux in 1856. In 1906, they took over and merged Bautte’s business into theirs. The company is now owned by Sowind Group, a subsidiary of Kering (not to be confused with Keurig coffee makers).

A Girard-Perregaux 1966 WW.TC (not to be confused with TC from the rep world):





Officine Panerai (1860)

In 1860, Giovanni Panerai opened a watchmaker’s shop in Florence, Italy. His grandson expanded the business under a new company name: G. Panerei e Figlio. The company supplied technical equipment and precision instruments to the Royal Italian Navy. All of the Panerai watches, except for the GPF 2/56, were designed and manufactured by Rolex using pocket watch movements made by Swiss manufacturer Cortébert. The company created Radiomir, a radium-based power that gives luminosity to the dials of sighting instruments and devices. The first prototype of the model known as “Radiomir” were created in 1936 for the Royal Italian Navy. The 47 mm case was designed to be worn over a diving suit. In 1949, Luminor, a self-luminous substance, replaced the radium-based paste, and the Luminor was was introduced in 1950. In 1993, the company launched products for the civilian market. In 1997, the company was acquired by the Richemont Group. The company launched its first in-house movement in 2005.

The Panerai Radiomir 1940 3 Days Automatic Acciaio 42mm (PAM 655):




Zenith (1865)

In 1865, Georges Favre-Jacot started Zenith in Le Lecole, Switzerland. In 1999, the company was purchased by LVMH. Zenith is one of the Swiss watch makers that still produce their own movements in-house. The El Primero calibre, first released in 1969 and still produced today, was one of the first automatic chronograph movements and has a frequency of 36,000 alternations per hour (5 Hz). This high rate allows a resolution of 1⁄10 of a second and a potential for greater positional accuracy over the more common standard frequency of 28,800 alternations per hour (4 Hz).

The Zenith El Primero Chronomaster:





International Watch Company (IWC) (1868)

The International Watch Company was founded in 1868 by American engineer and watchmaker Florentino Ariosto Jones. The goal was to combine Swiss craftsmanship with American engineering technology. Jones’s plans were not readily accepted in western Switzerland, so the company was located in Schaffhausen, Switzerland. It is the only major Swiss watch factory in eastern Switzerland (most are in the western part of the country). The company claims that its service department has parts and is capable of repairing and maintaining any IWC watch since the company’s formation. In 2000, the company was acquired by Richemont.

The IWC Top Gun Miramar:

 

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Audemars Piguet (1875)

In 1875, this watchmaker was founded by Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet in Vallée de Joux, Switzerland. Both were watchmakers by background. After they started working together, Audemars was in charge of production and technical aspects, while Piguet was in charge of sales and management. The company has been family owned since its beginning. In 1891, the company created the first repeated wristwatch. The company is best known for the Royal Oak, which was introduced in 1972. The watch was a big step forward because, at that time, neither sports watches nor steel casings were popular.

Here is the original 1972 Royal Oak Ref. 5402:




Bulova (1875)

In 1875, Bulova was founded in New York as J. Bulova Compnay by Joseph Bulova. It was reincorporated as Bulova Watch in 1923. In 1926, the company produced the first advertisement broadcast on radio, announcing the first beep of history: ‘At the tone, it’s eight o’clock, Bulova Watch Time’. That announcement was heard by millions of Americans. In 1927, Charles A. Lindbergh became the first solo pilot to cross the Atlantic nonstop. His crossing earned him a Bulova Watch and a check for $1000, In 1979, Bulova became part of Loews Corporation (not to be confused with Lowe’s Home Improvement). In 2007, it was sold to Citizen.

A pic of Charles Lindbergh’s Bulova:




Seiko (1881)

Seiko was founded in 1881 in the Ginza area of Tokyo, Japan. ‘Seiko” is a Japanese word meaning “exquisite” or “success.” In 1892, the company started making clocks under the name Seikosha, which roughly translates to “House of Exquisite Workmanship.” In 1924, the company started making watches. In 1969, Seiko made history when it produced the Astron, the world’s first production first quartz watch. The company later introduced the first quartz chronograph. In 1973, Seiko announced the world’s first LCD quartz watch with six-digit digital display. In 1975, the company launched the world’s first multi-function digital watch.In the late 1980s, the company introduced the first kinetic watch that combined both quartz accuracy and the attributes of an automatic watch, as it was powered entirely by movement during everyday war. After a few corporate and name changes, the company became a holding company in 2001 and was renamed Seiko Holdings Corporation in 2007. The company’s subsidiaries manufacture watches, clocks, electronic devices, and other products. The company produces watches with quartz, kinetic, solar and mechanical movements.

A Seiko Presage Blue Enamel Limited Edition:




Omega (1903)

The Omega Watch Co was officially founded in 1903, but it’s history goes back much further. In 1848, Louis Brandt founded La Generale Watch Co. in La Chaux-de-fonds, Switzerland. In 1894, his sons, Louis-Paul and César, developed a revolutionary in-house manufacturing and production control system that enabled component parts to be interchangeable. These techniques were used to develop watches under the brand name of Omega. In 1903, Omega was spun off as its own company. In 1930, Omega merged with Tissot. Since 1983, it has been a subsidiary of The Swatch Group. The Omega Speedmaster Professional Chronograph was the first watch on the Moon. Omega watches have been associated with James Bond since GoldenEye in 1995.

The Omega Speedmaster Grey Side of the Moon Porsche Club of America Limited Edition:




Rolex (1905)

Rolex was founded by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis in London, England, in 1905 as Wilsdorf and Davis. In 1908, Wilsdorf registered the trademark “Rolex,” and the company name “Rolex” was registered in 1915. In 1919, the company moved to Geneva, Switzerland and became known as the Rolex Watch company. The company name was eventually changed to Rolex, SA. The company is credited with the first waterproof wrist watch (the “Oyster,” 1926), the first wrist watch with an automatically changing date on the dial (Datejust, 1945), the first wrist watch case that was waterproof to 100m (Submariner, 1953), the first wrist watch to show two time zones at once (GMT Master, 1954), the first wrist watch with an automatically changing day and date on the dial (Day-Date, 1956), and the first wrist watch to earn chronometer certification for a wristwatch (1910). Rolex sells products under the Rolex and Tudor brands. The company is owned by the private Hans Wildsort Foundation.

A Rolex GMT Master 1675 with a blueberry bezel:



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And now for some watch groups......


The Swatch Group

The history of the Swatch Group is interesting. In 1930, Tissot and Omega merged and formed Société Suisse pour l’Industrie Horlogère (SSIH). The Omega brand concentrated on luxury watches, and Tissot focused on the medium price market. In 1932, the company added Lemania Watch Co & A. Lugrin Co. SSIH and Allgemeine Gesellschaft der schweizerischen Uhrenindustrie AG (ASUAG) were the two most important watch group in Switzerland. In 1983, Swiss banks forced the groups to merge into a new holding company named Société de Microélectronique et d'Horlogerie (SMH). SMH was subsequently renamed as the Swatch Group. The Swatch Group owns the following brands: Blancpain, Breguet, Harry Winston, Glashutte Original, Omega, Jaquet Droz, Leon Hatot, Rado, Longines, Union Glashutte, Hamilton, Certina, Mido, Tissot, Balmain, Ck Calvin Klein, Flik Flak and, of course, Swatch. Swatch stands for “Second Watch,” because of its affordable price and casual look.

A rather cool-looking Swatch System51:




Richemont

Compagnie Rinanciere Richemont SA is a Swiss luxury goods holding company founded in 1988. The company owns the following brands: A. Lange & Söhne, Azzedine Alaïa, Baume & Mercier, Cartier, Chloé, Dunhill, IWC Schaffhausen, Giampiero Bodino, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Lancel, Montblanc, Officine Panerai, Piaget, Peter Millar, Purdey, Roger Dubuis, Vacheron Constantin, and Van Cleef & Arpels.

 

[Timnic54]

Great post. Some more groups

LVMH GROUP (France)
TAG Heuer, Bulgari, Hublot, Zenith, Dior, Fred, Chaumet, Louis Vuitton

LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA is the largest luxury-goods group in the world. The conglomerate owns dozens of brands in the liquor, cosmetics, fashion, and watches and jewelry businesses. It also has an extensive retail division, with more than 3,000 stores worldwide. Based in Paris, the publicly traded company had total sales of €29.15 billion ($37.69 billion) in 2013. Its watches and jewelry division made up €2.78 billion ($3.59 billion) of that. LVMH has been building its watch division for the past 15 years; its most recent watch-brand acquisition was Bulgari, in 2012. Its biggest watch brand is TAG Heuer, one of the top-selling Swiss brands.

KERING GROUP (France)
Ulysse Nardin, Girard-Perregaux, JeanRichard, Gucci, Boucheron, Qeelin, Bottega Veneta

KERING is a large Paris-based group with a focus on fashion and retail. Formerly known as PPR, the publicly traded company changed its name in 2013. Last year, total revenues were €9.75 billion ($12.6 billion). Of that total, €6.47 billion ($8.37 billion) came from the luxury division, more than half of which was from Gucci. Kering has been building its watch business steadily over the last few years. In 2012 it purchased the Sowind Group, consisting of Girard-Perregaux and JeanRichard. Sowind makes Swiss mechanical movements, which appeared in Gucci watches for the first time in 2013. Another significant acquisition came when Kering bought the Swiss watch brand Ulysse Nardin. At the end of 2013, Kering had 35,000 employees.

SEIKO GROUP (Japan)
Seiko, Grand Seiko, Credor, Pulsar, Lorus, Alba, Orient

The Seiko Group is a massive, publicly held conglomerate that makes many types of products. It consists of Seiko Epson and Seiko Holdings. The watch business, Seiko Watch Corp., is part of Seiko Holdings. Seiko Epson produces some components and is the parent company of Orient Watch Co., Ltd. Seiko produces all the components used in both its mechanical and its quartz watches. While it is known primarily for the Seiko brand of watches, the group also makes high-end mechanicals under Grand Seiko (which it launched on the U.S. market in 2010) and a variety of offerings through its other brands. For the year ended March 31, 2014, the Seiko Group’s total revenues were $12.75 billion (Seiko Holdings’ were 308.2 billion yen, or $3 billion; Epson’s were ¥1 trillion, or $9.75 billion). Of that, ¥150.7 billion ($1.46 billion) were in watch sales. As of March 31, Seiko Holdings had 13,439 employees. Seiko and Grand Seiko have become separate, independent brands as of Baselworld 2017.




FOSSIL GROUP (USA)
Fossil, Relic, Michele, Zodiac, Skagen, Adidas*, Burberry*, Diesel*, DKNY*, Michael Kors*, Tory Burch*, Marc Jacobs*, Emporio Armani*, Emporio Armani Swiss Made*, Armani Exchange*, Karl Lagerfeld*

Fossil, Inc. is a publicly held company based in Richardson, Texas. It is a power on the fashion-watch scene, posting sales of $3.26 billion in 2013, 77 percent of them from watches, mostly fashion watches. Fossil makes watches under its own brand names and those of licensors. Its most recent acquisition was Skagen, purchased in 2012. While most of the Fossil Group’s movements are Japanese quartz, Fossil has recently made forays into the Swiss-made market, including the introduction of Fossil Swiss, a line of Fossil watches with quartz and mechanical movements produced by the group’s subsidiaries in Switzerland’s Canton Ticino. In 2014 the group added a Swiss-made line to the Emporio Armani brand. It also introduced a licensed watch brand under the name of fashion designer Tory Burch.

MOVADO GROUP (USA)
Ebel, Concord, Movado, ESQ by Movado, Coach*, Hugo Boss*, Juicy Couture*, Tommy Hilfiger*, Lacoste*, Scuderia Ferrari*
Based in Paramus, N.J., Movado Group International is a leader in the affordable luxury and fashion-watch segments of the market. In addition to its hero brand, Movado, MGI has two higher- priced Swiss luxury brands: Concord and Ebel. Nearly half of this publicly traded group’s revenue comes from its six licensed brands, a business that MGI has been developing since the late ’90s. In the year ended Jan. 31, 2014, the group had total sales of $570.3 million. As of early 2014, the company had approximately 1,100 employees.

CITIZEN GROUP (Japan)
Citizen, Campanola, Q&Q, Arnold & Son, Bulova, Bulova Accutron II, Bulova AccuSwiss, Wittnauer, Caravelle New York, Bulova Clocks, Frank Lloyd Wright*, Harley-Davidson*, Frédérique Constant, Alpina, Ateliers de Monaco

Citizen Group is a major vertically integrated company, with its business principally in watches, machine tools, components and electronics. It is publicly traded under the name Citizen Holdings Co., Ltd. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2014, Citizen had net sales of ¥309.9 billion ($3.01 billion), up 13.9 percent over 2013. Of that total, more than half (¥162 billion, or $1.57 billion) came from the Watches and Clocks division. At the end of 2013, Citizen had 22,233 employees globally. In addition to finished watches, Citizen is a major supplier of quartz movements made by its movement-manufacturing division, Miyota. In 2008, Citizen acquired the American company Bulova Corp., adding its watch brands to the Citizen stable. In 2012, Citizen moved into Swiss manufacturing, buying the movement-maker Manufacture La Joux-Perret and its Arnold & Son brand. In May 2016, In May, Citizen agreed to buy Switzerland’s Frédérique Constant Holding SA and its three watch brands — Frédérique Constant, Alpina and the tiny Ateliers DeMonaco.

TIMEX GROUP (USA)
Timex, Nautica*, Opex*, GC*, Guess*, Salvatore Ferragamo Timepieces*, Versace*, Versus*

The Timex Group of Middlebury, Conn., is best known for its famous mass-market brand Timex. It also makes seven brands under license agreements, including two, Ferragamo and Versace, in the luxury segment. The company is privately held and releases no data on its sales or production.

FRANCK MULLER GROUP (Switzerland)
Franck Muller, Pierre Kunz, European Company Watch, Rodolphe, Martin Braun, Barthelay, Backes & Strauss**, Pierre Michael Golay, Smalto Timepieces*, Roberto Cavalli*

Headquartered in the town of Genthod outside Geneva, Franck Muller Genève is a Swiss luxury group. Most of the group’s holdings other than the original Franck Muller brand have been acquired in the last decade or so. The Franck Muller brand is the star of the group and its biggest seller. Franck Muller Group is privately owned and does not release sales data.

BINDA GROUP (Italy)
Breil, Freestyle, Hip Hop, Moschino*, Kenneth Cole*, Kenneth Cole Reaction*, Tommy Bahama*, Ted Baker London*, Chronotech*, Gametime*, Sperry Top-Sider*, Zoo York*

Binda is a watch and jewelry company focused on fashion brands. Based in Milan, the company owns Breil, Freestyle and Hip Hop. Its acquisition of the American company Geneva Watch Group in 2008 gave Binda a large array of licensed brands. Binda Group is privately held and does not disclose its sales numbers.

CITYCHAMP GROUP (Hong Kong)
Corum, Eterna, Ebohr, Rossini, Codex, Rotary, Dreyfuss & Co., J&T Windmills

Citychamp Watch & Jewellery Group Limited, formerly known as China Haidian, has recently become a force on the international watch scene. The Hong Kong-based company has a strong position in the Chinese market with its brands Rossini and Ebohr. But in the last few years it has begun to acquire international brands as well. They include the Swiss brands Corum, which Citychamp purchased in 2013, and Eterna, acquired in 2011. Last year, Citychamp acquired the Swiss Dreyfuss Group and its brands, including Rotary.

FESTINA GROUP (Spain)
Perrelet, L.Leroy, Candino, Festina, Lotus, Jaguar*, Calypso*


The Festina Group is a private company based in Barcelona and owned by Miguel Rodriguez. Its key brands are Festina and Perrelet. Most of its brands are in the middle price range; two of them, Perrelet and L.Leroy, are in the luxury segment. Festina Group also owns Soprod, which makes movements for a number of Swiss brands, and the high-horology complications maker MHVJ. The Festina Group does not make its sales figures public.