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Badollet |
The
earliest reference to the Badollet family is at the turn of the 16th
century. There is a record of Jaques Badollet, who was made a freeman of the city of Geneva in 1555, and of Pierre Badollet, a leather worker in 1578. History also mentions his namesake and nephew Pierre Badollet (1614-1656), also known as Pierre III, as being the family's first master watchmaker. Although he made watches and trained enthusiastic young people in this trade, he was not the direct ascendant of the Badollet line of watchmakers. It falls to Jean Badollet (1635-1718), second cousin of Pierre III and also a pastor, minister and schoolmaster, to be acknowledged as the father of this great unbroken dynasty of master watchmakers. At the age of 20 he entered the watchmaking trade and in 1689 wrote a treatise called “The Excellence of Watchmaking”. It is natural therefore for the date of 1655 to be chosen as the date of origin of the long line of Badollet watchmakers. An enquiring devotee of watchmaking from the time he entered the trade at the age of twenty, Jean Badollet (1635-1718) published in 1689 a work entitled “The Excellence of Watchmaking” or Small Treatise Describing its Antiquity, its Fundamentals, its Necessity and its Curiosities. In it he combined historical research, astronomical theories and technical accounts, together with explanatory drawings depicting various types of pendulums, movements, dials and cylinders, as well as other “curiosity watches”. Jean Badollet passed on his passion for watchmaking to his six sons. The Badollet family subsequently joined en masse – and never thereafter left – the ranks of the “Fabrique”, an association in Geneva which included all watchmaking and jewellery trades. While Jaques-Marc Badollet, born in 1681, worked meticulously at assembling and repairing pocket watches in his Paris workshop located on the Rue de Thionville, his cousin Abraham, one year younger, dedicated himself to the engraver's art in Helvetia. In 1734, he also published a work entitled “Essais de Gravure”. The Badollet family was already a force to be reckoned with in trades allied to the watch industry. As Lépine developed in 1789 his eponymous calibre, allowing the construction of slender watches, France, his country of origin, underwent a period of unrest and agitation which had fundamental and universal repercussions. The French Revolution began with the meeting of the States General and the storming of the Bastille and ended with the coup d'état by Napoleon Bonaparte on 18 Brumaire 1799. Marking the end of royal privilege and absolutism, it heralded the transition from the Ancien Régime to the First Republic after an interim constitutional monarchy. With the invention by Philippe Samuel Meylan of the “reverse” calibre allowing the production of extra-flat and complicated watches and the founding of the Blank Makers' School, forerunner of the present day School of Horology, enabling apprentice blank makers to be trained in Geneva, the watch industry won back its international reputation for high quality. Around 1830, a growing number of workers were engaged in the activity and the city had some 30,000 inhabitants, a sixth of whom earned their living from the Fabrique. Jean-Jaques Badollet (1756-1843), who enjoyed great renown, worked for Abraham-Louis Breguet by supplying him, in Paris, with movement-blanks, gear-trains and “trade watches”. In 1839, the inventor Georges Auguste Leschot developed comprehensive tooling which enabled all parts of a watch to be manufactured mechanically whilst ensuring cost savings and product uniformity. The very foundations of watchmaking were transformed in terms of rapidity, production and productivity. Jean-Moise Badollet (1811-1862), the son of Jean-Jaques, established the firm “J.-M. Badollet & Cie”, whose company name survived for many years despite his premature death in 1862 thanks to the efforts of his widow and his sons. Established initially in London in 1837, after a stay in Sicily and travels abroad, he set about producing watches intended for export to various countries. In 1854, he teamed up with Gustave Huguenin, to whom he transferred the London business, and returned to Geneva, the town of his birth, where he ran the family business and played an important role in the world of politics and the economy. During the first twenty years of its existence on the Rue du Stand 14, the company “J.-M Badollet & Cie” continued to manufacture and sell watches and jewellery, grew considerably in size and became renowned for the excellent quality of its chronometers. Moreover it won first prize at the first Observatory Timing Contest of 1872, and 2nd and 3rd prize in 1873 and 1875. As watchmaking continued to develop in Geneva, Gustave (1855-1924) and Alexandre-Philippe (1853-1918) joined the family factory run by Madame Nicoud, widow of Jean-Moïse Badollet and mother, and Jean-Jacques, their elder brother then very active in business. Their combined efforts were rewarded with numerous prizes, medals and honorary diplomas won at the World Fairs in Paris and Groningen (1879), Graz (1880) and Melbourne (1881). The official catalogue of the World Fair of Machines and Tooling contains the following passage in 1880: “In addition to regular mechanised production, J.-M. Badollet & Cie has gained a reputation for its manufacture of high-precision complicated watches and success achieved by the company in annual competitions organised by the Industrial Class of the Société des Arts testifies to the superior operation of its chronometers”. On 21 May 1881, the company “J.-M. Badollet & Cie” was dissolved. Jean-Jaques Badollet formed a new ten-year partnership limited by shares named “J.-J Badollet & Cie” which had as its object “the manufacture, purchase and sale of timepieces and their components”, while eight months later Mme Nicoud, his mother, formed another company called “Veuve Badollet & Cie” which operated in parallel on the Rue de la Poste 14. Working together to increase the renown of Badollet timepieces, the two companies each played a distinct role. The latter manufactured Badollet watches, selling them on the retail market after registering the name as a trademark, and supplied the “Non Magnetic Watch Co of America”, while the former sought out investors and capital, used new production methods arising from the second industrial revolution and sought to improve output in order to develop international activities. Following the creation of deposit banks that encouraged growth, firms reorganised their structure and the way they organised their work. The company JJ Badollet & Cie, which had inherited an excellent reputation in the manufacture of complicated and high-precision watches, continued to develop and to produce timepieces whose chronometer movements bore witness to their superior operation. It came first in a competition disputed by sixteen manufacturers from Geneva and in 1887 won the invitation to tender to supply the official watch of the Tir Fédéral. The second industrial revolution completely transformed watchmaking activity in Geneva. Large factories and manufactories superseded family workshops and the meticulous work of master craftsmen was replaced by new mechanised methods of mass production, while the vocabulary of watchmaking, which formerly extolled the virtues of rarity and quality, suddenly became a synonym for productivity, efficiency and cost control. It was under the effect of this restructuring, coinciding with the renewal of the family firm, that Jean-Jaques Badollet decided in 1890 to found his own company, the “SA Fabrique d'Horlogerie à Genève” also called the “Belle Fabrique” (future ATAR building) on the Rue de la Dôle. Under the “Charmilles” brand name, simple low-cost watches were produced to compete against similar American models. The next year, Madame Nicoud, widow of Jean-Moïse, died. Her children decided to wind up the company that bore her name but kept open the shop on the Rue de la Poste to facilitate the clearance of stock (sales were managed by Gustave and Mlle A. Badollet, and also a watch repairer). Jean-Jaques, who had enjoyed a prosperous life as a watchmaker and trader, died in 1908. His brother Gustave, more specialised in management than production, took over the reins of the business. Unfortunately the First World War broke out in 1914 to the ruin of all countries involved, thereby seriously hampering all financial activity. The post-war period was marked by economic recession, followed by the stock market crash of 1924. When Gustave died the same year, his descendants – one daughter married the previous year and busy with family life, and seven nephews and nieces – were unable to place the family business on a secure footing. As a result the company was sold to a third party and the long dynasty of Badollet master watchmakers was interrupted, however the brand itself, timeless, lived on. Encouraged by the League of Nations which chose to establish its headquarters in Geneva in 1919, an impressive list of international institutions and organisations, both governmental and non-governmental, decided to move to the city, the most important of which – the UNO (United Nations Organisation), did so in 1946. Attracting in its wake other international bodies (WHO, GATT, HCR, ITU, WIPO, CERN, etc), the capital of “French Switzerland” thus became the world centre of international conferences, whether political, humanitarian, economic, scientific or environmental. Despite its small size, Geneva plays a crucial role in world affairs and continues to lead the way in prestige watchmaking. Alongside large and generally automated production units there are small workshops where each component is produced individually. The search for new designs, processes, techniques and materials each year encourages new manufacturers to set up business on a market already full to saturation and suffering a shortage of qualified manpower. The growth of Geneva's sales and exports (60% of which are accounted for by the watchmaking and jewellery sectors), buoyed by a booming economy, encourages new arrivals to stay the course. In this difficult landscape, the architects of the Badollet revival have pooled their strengths to return the great Badollet name to its rightful place. More than a brand, Badollet is a philosophy closely bound up with the notion of luxury, expertise and perpetuation of the watchmaking tradition in its noblest sense. Its aim also is to highlight the notion of service. Badollet timepieces, called “Instruments of time” - since the term instrument denotes technical sophistication and functionality - are designed and developed with the buyer in mind, to meet his or her requirements but also to ensure trouble-free use. Of this, more soon... |
Sito ufficiale Badollet museum Horozima Montre24 Luxist NAWCC |
Balmer |
Just
before the dawn of the twentieth century the Geneva watch firm of
Colomb & Balmer became successor of interest to J.J. Badollet,
another name famously associated with the Swiss city of Geneva for its
fine watches. To say that Colomb & Balmer saw this as an opportunity and made the most of it would be an understatement. How do you not make the most of Badollet, a legendary name in Swiss watch making? This was the name of an eminent family of watchmakers deeply rooted in Geneva. Imagine acquiring a company that carried skills and traditions going back three generations. Such was not merely the case with the Badollet family of watchmakers. Theirs went back three centuries! The family's offspring had established themselves prominently in the three major metropolitan marketplaces by 1800: Paris, London and New York. The Badollet family continued to operate out of Geneva, fulfilling orders for rough movements and wheel trains, having produced ebauches and finished watches for Breguet immediately after the revolution in 1796. J.M. Badollet, who would run the family business until his death in 1854, distinguished himself famously as a maker of fine chronometers and complex watches, further enhancing Badollet name. By now, the Badollet trademark was recognizable at a glance. And many the eyes there were that glanced upon the lion rampant facing right holding a serpent, enclosed in a shield. Exhibitions began bringing in awards with a Diploma of Honor at the Vienna Universal Exhibition in 1873, and an award at the high-profile U.S. Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia three years later. Medals came at Paris Universal Exhibition 1878, 1879 and ten years later in 1889, at Grooningen in 1880, and that same year in Graz and Melbourne. The next decade would see Badollet move into the industrial revolution, employing 250 souls in its Geneva shop and using 120 horsepower motors to power watch making machines. Badollet's project? The Non-Magnetic Watch Co. of America. In 1897 Colomb & Balmer became the successors of interest to Badollet, continuing their legacy, assuming not just one name, but many names. They continued creating watches as "The Non Magnetic Watch Co." and "Charmille," using names already familiar in the marketplace. In the coming decades their wings spread into other fine brands such as Geneve, Genva and Etna to name only a few. Until the mid-twentieth century, many of these brand names have been shelved or sadly seen little use or been taken by companies not endowed with the same vision of quality as the original Badollet family. After seven years of product development in Neuchatel, Switzerland, we are proud to reintroduce this prestigious brand as simply Balmer. This is done with the same spirit of perfection and commitment toward craftsmanship, we believe, as was the case four centuries before our time. Balmer watches are about timeless watches, if there can be such a thing. These are Swiss-made watches upon which you can behold the time, and then behold the heavens and thank them for such a thing as time and these devices we must wear to make ourselves aware of this illusive linear habitation that remains otherwise immeasurable. |
Sito ufficiale |
Barthelay |
The
House of Barthelay was founded in the “Crazy 1930’s” in Paris by Alexis
Barthelay, a name that has always been associated with fine jewellery
and watches. A great connoisseur of gemstones, Alexis created exceptional pieces for the most renowned jewellers of the Place Vendôme. In the 1960’s his son Roland, in tune with the boldness that characterised fashion in those years, broke new ground in the world of watch-making by adapting this new style to his timepieces. He thus created refined customised watches that were easy to wear, with modern and harmonious shapes. Rather than merely adapting male watches to the wrist of a woman, the House of Barthelay was among the first to create timepieces specifically for its feminine clientele. Discreet, sophisticated, at times astonishing, and very often seductive : Barthelay watches hold a special place with women. Since 1994, Alexis Barthelay, the son of Roland, has carried on the Parisian tradition, a subtle combination of innovation and harmony. In 2005 the House of Barthelay joined the Franck Muller Group, one of the leading Swiss luxury watch-making groups, from which it derives a solid technical know-how and manufacturing strength. The House of Barthelay represents the epitome of Parisian elegance. “My watches are jewels that give the time”, explains Roland Barthelay. A completely poetic way of embellishing the passing of time, of reconciling the perishable and the fleeting with all that lasts. |
Sito ufficiale International watch club Montre24 |
Basile Francesco |
La
storia di Francesco Basile Venezia, affonda le sue radici nel lontano
1870, quando Francesco si “inventò” per pura passione la
professione di orologiaio. Da allora, passione è il concetto guida di un’attività trasmessa di padre in figlio, senza soluzione di continuità. E, infatti, oggi, il timone è nelle mani del nipote Francesco e dei figli Tommaso e Michele, la quarta generazione Basile, a cui è destinato il futuro dell’azienda. All’alba del terzo millennio la Francesco Basile Venezia può contare su di una fabbrica orafo-orologiera di primissimo piano, che fa dell’avanguardia tecnologica e del savoir faire artigianale degli addetti, i propri cavalli di battaglia. Filosofia realizzativa che ha trovato una pienezza particolare proprio nei segnatempo che, da sempre, Francesco Basile intitola al fascino straordinario di una città unica al mondo, Venezia. Un legame indissolubile testimoniato con orgoglio, dal logo dell’azienda, ispirato all’armonia e alla bellezza delle arcate di Piazza S. Marco. Un’armonia che troviamo, attualmente, distribuita con piglio creativo e notevole attenzione al dettato della tradizione, su due collezioni: Casanova e Araba Fenice. Gli orologi di Francesco Basile Venezia possono essere interpretati come sintesi egregia tra passato, presente e futuro: un condensato di emozioni esaltate dal tocco sofisticato del vero artigiano. |
Sito ufficiale |
Baume & Mercier |
Originaria
della Franca Contea, la famiglia Baume si stabilisce nel paesino di Les
Bois, nel Giura svizzero, sin dal 1542. La famiglia Baume, esperta in «établissage» (nome attribuito all’epoca al subappalto in orologeria), trasmette di padre in figlio le conoscenze dei meccanismi degli orologi. 1830: A metà di un secolo segnato da straordinari progressi scientifici e industriali, i fratelli Louis Victor e Pierre-Joseph-Célestin Baume fondano l’omonima Maison e la registrano come ditta nel paesino di Les Bois, nel Giura svizzero. La parola d’ordine è la stessa: «Non lasciar nulla al caso, fabbricare soltanto orologi di alta qualità». Fino al 1840 la Maison produce orologi con scappamento a ruota e introduce nel Giura il calibro Lépine con scappamento a cilindro. I Baume, che possiedono un senso acuto del commercio, cercano di stabilirsi in una grande capitale europea. Scelgono Londra. Pierre-Joseph-Célestin Baume vi si stabilisce nel 1847 fondando «Baume Brothers» nel 1851. 1880: È la volta della seconda generazione. Figlio di Louis Victor, Alcide Eugène dirige l’azienda svizzera, Arthur Joseph quella di Londra. Imprenditori accorti, sensibili alla politica dei loro avi, partecipano alla costruzione della ferrovia che collega la Chaux-de-fonds a Saignelégier e non esitano a far deviare il tracciato per ottimizzare le spedizioni della loro produzione. Un esempio della loro chiaroveggenza che consentirà loro di uscire dall’ombra e di acquisire rapidamente una fama internazionale. Nel 1885 Baume & Co partecipò per la prima volta al concorso di cronometria tenutosi a Kew Teddington vicino a Londra, vincendo numerosi premi. Nel 1892, Baume & Co ottenne il più alto riconoscimento mai ottenuto al concorso di Kew in quell'epoca: 91.9 su 100 con un "orologio cronometro senza chiave di carica, con movimento tourbillon". Questo record fu battuto solo 10 anni più tardi. 1912: Paul Tchereditchenko, che prenderà la cittadinanza svizzera e il nome di Mercier. È figlio di un ufficiale zarista e di una ricamatrice di Worth. Impiegato come ascensorista a dieci anni, passa ogni minuto libero a imparare, scalando così tutti i gradi della gerarchia. A trentacinque anni parla correntemente sette lingue. La sua abilità commerciale fa sì che venga assunto dagli orologiai di Haas. Diventa rapidamente il responsabile commerciale della ditta. Paul Tchereditchenko è un uomo di passione: per gli affari, per la vita. La sua competenza e il suo entusiasmo faranno meraviglie… Nascita di Baume & Mercier Genève 27 agosto 1920: Baume & Mercier Genève nasce dal sodalizio di due uomini, William Baume, orologiaio di talento, nipote del fondatore, e Paul Mercier. 10 marzo 1921: meno di un anno dopo il deposito del marchio, Baume & Mercier riceve la più bella ricompensa attribuita dall’Alto Comitato dell’orologeria ginevrina: il poinçon de Genève. «Diploma che attesta che la Maison Baume & Mercier è al primo posto per il numero di pezzi recanti il punzone presso il Bureau officiel de l’Etat». La reputazione di Baume & Mercier si è ormai affermata, al di là dei confini. 1930: Gli années folles saranno particolarmente ricchi di creazioni per Baume & Mercier, che si afferma su tutti i continenti con orologi ornati di pietre preziose, portati alla catena o al polso. Gli orologi da polso di forma rotonda, quadrata o rettangolare fanno dimenticare la classica cipolla. 1940: In un momento in cui si sviluppa una diversità di forme, sia nel campo dell’architettura, sia nell’arte dell’arredamento, Baume & Mercier si afferma come vero e proprio creatore di orologi eleganti in armonia con le linee dell’alta moda e sviluppa uno spirito all’avanguardia. 1948: Baume & Mercier crea l’orologio detto «Marquise»: un quadrante perfettamente integrato in un bracciale rigido, senza chiusura, come i bracciali ”alla schiava”. Un orologio che avrà successo fino agli anni ‘70. 1950: Ricercando sempre l’equilibrio perfetto tra bellezza ed espressione tecnica, il marchio si distingue anche negli anni ‘50 con splendidi cronografi e continua a produrre modelli a piccole complicazioni molto utili. 1964: Il 20 ottobre, il marchio deposita la lettera greca PHI, simbolo del numero d’oro e della teoria della proporzione di Leonardo da Vinci. La lettera PHI è presente su tutti i modelli Baume & Mercier. 1973: Baume & Mercier è premiato per la sua creatività negli orologi di gioielleria con la Rosa d’oro di Baden Baden a Düsseldorf con i modelli Galaxie, Mimosa e Stardust. Nascita dell’orologio Riviera, diventato un grande classico del marchio, indissociabile dal know-how e dallo stile del marchio. 1987: Creazione dell’orologio «Linea» che diventa presto un riferimento nel mondo dell’Alta Orologeria. 1993: Il marchio Baume & Mercier entra nel gruppo Richemont. 1994: A metà strada fra tradizione e modernità, l'orologio «Hampton» esprime una profonda rottura nell'estetica del marchio e annuncia un nuovo stile. 1996: Classima executives, una linea che unisce tradizione e dinamismo abbinati a un design sobrio ed elegante. Modelli destinati a soddisfare gli uomini attivi come gli intenditori di orologeria. 1997: Il modello «Catwalk» è il pioniere di un rinnovamento degli orologi a bracciale. Spesso imitato, ma mai eguagliato, Catwalk ha imposto un nuovo stile sul panorama orologiero. 1998: Fedele alla sua tradizione, Baume & Mercier lancia l’orologio «CapeLand» che si affermerà in tutto il suo splendore nella famiglia dei cronografi automatici e che si ispira a un immaginario di avventure e di viaggi. 2002: «Non lasciar nulla al caso, fabbricare soltanto orologi di alta qualità». Da ottobre 2002, la Maison di orologeria Baume & Mercier è proprietaria del proprio atelier di assemblaggio a Les Brenets, a pochi chilometri dalla cittadina di Les Bois, nelle Franches Montagnes, culla delle radici orologiere della famiglia Baume. Questo atelier conta circa 40 dipedenti. L’obiettivo di Baume & Mercier è di garantire il perfetto know-how nei suoi prodotti dalla A alla Z e di rafforzare la propria partnership con i fornitori. L’architettura dell’edificio è stata concepita per potervi accogliere tutti i mestieri dell’arte orologiera. Oltre 1 000 metri quadrati, divisi in 9 settori, sono il riflesso della padronanza della tecnica orologiera. 2004: Vice-Versa, L’orologio che ribalta il tempo ! Primo orologio da donna di lusso nel quale il quadrante non è più sopra il polso, ma sotto ! 2005: Diamant è una dedica alla donna di oggi, alle sue molteplici sfaccettature. La cassa quadrata dai lati incurvati controbilancia la curvatura del vetro e sottolinea la sensualità delle sue forme. Lusso supremo, la corona ovale con un diamante delicatamente incastonato decentrato rappresenta la firma originale dell’orologio. 2006: Il marchio lancia la sua nuova campagna pubblicitaria internazionale «Baume & Mercier & Me» che pone l’accento sulla solidarietà e sull’impegno umanitariosostenendo iniziative di carattere benefico e di forte impatto. Con Meg Ryan e Kiefer Sutherland, Baume & Mercier ha desiderato associare il proprio nome a quello di personalità famose che condividono i valori fondamentali del marchio, che godono della stima del pubblico anche per le loro “qualità” umane e che sono percepiti come “vicini alla gente”. |
Sito ufficiale Wikipedia Interwatches Bernard watch The watch quote |
Berthet |
The BERTHET Company
started business in 1888. |
Sito ufficiale International watch club Montre24 |
Bertolucci |
Un
ragazzo, Remo Bertolucci, originario della regione di Pisa e ingegnere
diplomato in micromeccanica, cresce nel cuore della Toscana marittima,
dove le influenze mediterranee animano la sua creatività. Una ragazza
svizzera trascorre le vacanze sulla Riviera italiana insieme ai
genitori. Si incontrano ed è colpo di fulmine. Nel 1963, lei convince il giovane Remo a seguirla in Svizzera. La coppia deciderà quindi di aggregarsi all'impresa orologiera di famiglia, fondata nel 1911 e situata nella regione di Bienne. Si tratta di un laboratorio già molto rinomato per l'assemblaggio di orologi meccanici. Da allora Remo si appassiona al mondo dell'orologeria. La sua inventiva non tarderà a farsi sentire. Dal 1973, sviluppa un'attività di Private Label. Tanti anni di esperienze, progetti di sviluppo orologieri complessi, faranno nascere un marchio dall'incontro fra il gusto per la vita tutto italiano e il know-how orologiero elvetico. Nel 1987, Remo decide di creare una sua impresa propria: fonda la Maison BERTOLUCCI S.A. a Neuchâtel. Remo si ispira ai ciottoli delle spiagge della sua infanzia per concepire le prime creazioni, la collezione Pulchra, seguita da Vir nel 1994, con un bracciale innovativo che rievoca queste forme organiche. BERTOLUCCI entra nel mondo dell'orologeria di lusso e solca l'onda del successo. Sfortunatamente, nel 1999, un terribile incidente obbliga il fondatore del marchio a lasciare l'attività e costringe la famiglia a vendere la società. Dal 2005, il gruppo Dickson riprende in seguito l'azienda e decide di ridare vita al prestigio di BERTOLUCCI. Con una grande esperienza nel settore, il gruppo offre al marchio i mezzi per creare, sviluppare e determinare il proprio ritorno nel mondo dell'orologeria di lusso. |
Sito ufficiale Luxury watch swap Wikipedia |
Blanche Fontaine |
Blanchefontaine
history is closely linked to that of its founder, Jean-François Muller.
Immersed from his earliest years into the watchmaking universe of his granfather workshop, he quickly choose to link his professional activity to his passion. He began his apprenticeship in Undervelier at the foot of the Jurassian mountains, then he continued his training in various local watchmaking firms where he developed his know-how and his skills. In 1989, he became director of Gigandet SA, a 50 years experienced company in creation and production of Swiss watches, which exported more than 300'000 watches worldwide yearly. In 1998, he decided to create his own private label organization. This enabled him to work in a free and independent way, surrounded by dynamic and reactive partners knowing how to meet the expectations of demanding clients. He choose to call this new challenge "Blanchefontaine" which reminded him of the moments spent during his childhood looking at the seven white fountains springs near he used to live. He set up his business in Bonfol, in the Ajoie, the village where Louis Chevrolet lived before crossing the Atlantic to succeed in a brilliant career as an entrepreneur and racing car driver. 12 years later, Blanchefontaine continue to stand by its values and has developed a solid network of skills in development and production of custom made Swiss watches respecting confidentiality. |
Sito ufficiale Montre24 |
Blancpain |
1735
Establishment of the first Blancpain manufacture as a cottage industry
by Jehan-Jacques Blancpain. EARLY 30S Launch by Blancpain of Leon Hatotes rectangular "Rolls", an automatic wristwatch using "roller winding", whereby the movement could move back and forth in the case - a revolutionary idea at that time. 1953 Worn by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and his team during the shoot of "The World of Silence" (Palme d'Or at Cannes in 1956), Blancpaines Fifty Fathoms was also selected for its technical superiority by several armies (among others: US, French, German and Italian). 1956 Launch of the Ladybird model, the smallest automatic movement in the world. 1983 A world first: the smallest movement indicating moon phase, day, month and date. 1987 Launch of The World’s Thinnest Automatic Chronograph. Launch of The world’s Smallest Minute repeater Wristwatch. 1988 Launch of The World’s Thinnest Split-Second Chronograph. 1989 Another world premiere: the first and only thinnest self-winding Tourbillon watch with date and one-week power reserve. 1991 Blancpain presents simultaneously all six masterpieces of the watchmaker's art housed in identical cases. And finally, marking watchmaking history, the 1735 including all six masterpieces in a single watchcase the most complicated wristwatch ever made. 1993 To celebrate the 300th birthday of its founder, Jehan-Jacques Blancpain, the company in Le Brassus created the 7001 watch.Launch of The World’s First Wristwratch Repeater with Automata 1994 Launch of the 2100 watch (Leman collection today) whose screw-locked case back and pushpieces ensure water-resistance to 100 meters, a perfect companion for the ceaseless drive and mobility of the women and men of today. 1995 An all-time record year: the watches of the 2100 sports line (Leman collection today) were named "Watches of the Year" for 1995-96. 1996 Blancpain develops the new 100-hours movement for adaptation on all models of the 2100 collection (Leman collection today) (moon phase, extra-slim, perpetual calendar). Launch of the flyback chronograph. 1997 Blancpain is the first brand to bring out a ladies chronograph with flyback hand. Creation of the new self-winding Ladybird watch, housing a tiny automatic movement, the smallest and the slimmest in the world. 1998 Launch of the Sea Earth Sky trilogy including the Fifty Fathoms, the GMT and the Air Command. Launch of The World’s First Automatic Tourbillon with 8 Days Power Reserve. 1999 A World’s First Combination of Tourbillon and Chronograph Complications. 2000 Launch of The World’s First Perpetual Calendar Tourbillon with 8 Days Power Reserve. 2001 The ladies watch prize of Geneva's first Watchmaking Grand Prix was awarded to Blancpain's flyback pastel chronograph (ref. 2385F-192GC-52). 2002 The ladies watch prize of La Revue des Montres was awarded to Blancpain's self-winding flyback chronograph (ref. 2385-1127). The ultra-slim, Villeret, self-winding (ref. 4053-1540-55) was recognised "Watch of the Year" by the Swiss public. In Austria, the Luxus prize of the Chrono Awards and the men's watch prize of the press were awarded to Blancpain's ultra-slim, Villeret, self-winding (ref. 4063-3642-55). 2003 Revival of the Moon Phase and the World’s Smallest Calendar Moon Phase Plate. 2004 Launch of The World’s First Equation Marchante Wristwatch. 2005 The World’s First Hidden Calendar Correctors. Launch of the First Perpetual Calendar with correctors under the lugs. Launch of The World’s Thinnest Perpetual Calendar. 2007 Creation of Blancpain Calibre 13R0. The Dawn of a New Era. 2008 Launch of The World’s First Carrousel Volant Une Minute. |
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Bovet |
21-year-old
Edouard Bovet arrived in Canton in 1818 and almost immediately sold
four watches for 10,000 francs — about a million US dollars today.
Edouard Bovet decided to stay in Canton, establishing a watchmaking dynasty that lasted 80 years. Very soon in China, “Bo Wei” became synonymous for a watch. In the currency turmoil of late Manchu China, BOVET watches spread throughout the country as a medium of exchange. BOVET perpetuates the tradition in decorative arts for its dials and movements that made its watches among the most treasured luxury objects of the 19th century. In a market where virtually every watch brand can be compared with another, BOVET watches stand in a category of their own – champions of a style of watchmaking that gives individual craftsmen and women the opportunity to express rare skills. Movements are selected for the elegance and robustness of their construction. Each is entirely transformed – magnificently decorated in engraving and enamels or in the traditional instrument-finish of an Haute Horlogerie movement. It is an approach that dates back 185 years, when Edouard Bovet made his first watches to display exotic European arts to the Chinese aristocracy. Then as now, BOVET timepieces gave free of reign to watchmakers, enamellers, goldsmiths and jewellers to capture time in the most beautiful and original way possible. BOVET insists on the finest materials and the rarest workmanship – domed dials in fired enamels, hands and screws blued by fire, or miniature paintings on mother-of-pearl.. Today workmanship, mother-of-pearl, miniatures and engraving continue to set BOVET watches apart as distinctive works of art. Miniature painting takes more than seventy hours of concentration and sixty or more firings in a kiln to distil the emotion of a portrait or the drama of a wildlife study. Decorating a movement is also a delicate operation involving a vast array of tiny details, many of which are hidden, and all of which require a specialist’s hand. Movements for the Fleurier line are richly engraved in BOVET’s own fleurisanne style, sometimes enamelled and set with split pearls, whereas Sportster movements are finished in the classic Côtes de Genève decoration with screws and rotor blued by fire. Since the early 19h century, BOVET has represented the union of watchmaking’s highest level of technical skills with the expressions of luxurious decorative arts. Thes include, miniature paintings, hand-engraved decorated movements and the use of precious gem settings. On a BOVET timepiece from a bridge to the case becomes a veritable canvas for transcendent artistic expression. The Bow and the Crown: the bow around the crown at 12 o’clock is the most distinctive feature of a BOVET wristwatch, as it was in its pocket watches of the 19th century. Serpentine Hands: serpentine hands appeared in pocket watches a century ago and today are found in BOVET watches for the minutes and hours, for the chronograph’s running seconds or for the other indications such as the power reserve. Fleurisanne Engraving: fleurisanne is the art of carving metal in high relief with contrasting chiselled background. This spectacular 19th century engraving technique is a BOVET speciality use to decorate the bridges and bars of its movements. The winding rotors of its self-winding watches as well as some cases and dials. Open Case back: in the BOVET tradition, the artistic objective of a timepiece is to trigger that thrill of discovering a new aesthetic expression. But the value of originality can only be sustained by display of well thought-out and brillantly executed craftmanship. BOVET was the first to display its beautifully decorated movement throught transparent glass case-back of its 19th century highly decorated pocket watches. Lotus Flower Signatures: the BOVET logo is a stylized 12 petal lotus flower and is engraved on cases, buckles, movements and rotors of BOVET timpiece. It is a symbol of the heritage in the Far East and the 12 petals signify 12 hours of watch. BOVET has achieved its vertical integration in an independent and high-quality way. It owns its own hand-crafted high watchmaking Manufacture as well as a dial and gem-setting factory, both united under the name DIMIER 1738, in Switzerland. DIMIER 1738 Manufacture de Haute Horlogerie Artisanale, located in Tramelan, in the Bern Jura, develops the tourbillon movements. Over 70 craftsmen are bringing together their know-how and passion to bring to life high-qualitative movements with a high sense of detail. Each part must be fashioned and decorated according to the criteria laid down for the very peak of the timepiece segment. Nothing is left to chance. DIMIER 1738 Manufacture de Cadrans et de Sertissage, located in Plan-les-Ouates, in the region of Geneva, houses artisan dial crafting and precious stone setting workshops. The manufacture is renowned for its original designs and traditional hand-crafting of dials as well as the meticulous hand-setting of precious stones. More than 37 artisans and craftsmen are expressing their creativity and know-how to adorn timepieces at the highest level of quality. CASTLE OF MÔTIERS: located in Môtiers, the oldest village in the Val-de-Travers region, the Château was built in the 13th century. In 1957, the descendants of Henri-François Du Bois-BOVET donated the Château to the canton of Neuchâtel. Whether by chance or by destiny, all the events leading up to 2007, when Pascal Raffy, President of BOVET, purchased the Château, paved the way to the realization of his dream of offering BOVET a unique opportunity to return to its own heritage. The Tradition of high quality standards: BOVET maintains its heritage with an authentic Artisan Haute Horlogerie Watchmaking Workshop, confined in a constant controlled atmosphere which is hermetically sealed. BOVET assures its timepieces controlled conditions of optimal temperature and humidity as well as strictly limited quantity of suspended dust. The case up of Haute Horlogerie complication timepieces is thus achieved in the most excellent environment possible to ensure BOVET’s high quality standards. As BOVET’s center of artisan craftsmanship, decoration and watchmaking as well as artistic talent, the Château de Môtiers will continue to host watchmakers, artisans of decorative finish, artisan engravers and miniature painters in the future. The BOVET Museum: destined to become the artistic center of BOVET, the Château will also house, in the Diesse Tower, a BOVET Museum open to visitors. It will display BOVET’s private collection of its antique 19th pocket-watches. An idyllic setting for preservation of its creative history and the inspiration of posterity in artistic creations of an authentic Swiss watchmaking house. |
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Breguet |
Breguet
fa il suo ingresso nel mondo dell’alta orologeria parigino nel 1775. Di
lì a poco, dopo la fabbricazione del primo esemplare a carica manuale
Perpétuelles (1780), la regina Maria Antonietta nel 1783 commissionerà
la realizzazione di un orologio portante il suo nome e completato
solamente quarantaquattro anni dopo. Segue un lungo periodo di
invenzioni e brevetti: il primo quadrante guilloché nel 1786,
l’anti-shock nel 1790 (perfezionato nel 1806), il Tourbillon ( creato
nel 1795 e brevettato sei anni dopo), il Calendario Perpetuo e
l’Overcoil, il modello Subscription nel 1796. Allo scadere del primo
decennio del nuovo secolo viene prodotto il primo orologio da polso
,creato per la Regina di Napoli, e nel 1820 nasce l’esemplare Double
seconds, precursore del moderno cronografo, seguito due anni dopo dal
cronografo Ink. Alla morte di Abraham-Louis (1823) la direzione Breguet
passa al figlio, Antoine-Louis. Successivamente Louis-Clément, nipote
del fondatore vende la manifattura alla società di Edward Brown, la cui
famiglia mantiene la proprietà fino al 1970, anno in cui passa nelle
mani di Chaumet. Al breve periodo sotto la direzione di Investcorp nel
1987, segue l’acquisizione da parte del Gruppo Swatch, nel 1999. Da
allora il direttore e amministratore delegato è Nicolas G. Hayek, che
confida a tutti gli estimatori: “Non ho potuto desiderare un futuro
migliore per Breguet”. Continuando la cronostoria dei modelli arriviamo
al 1954, anno di debutto del cronografo militare Type XX. Nel 1988
nasce l’orologio da polso Tourbillon, nel 1991 un orologio con
equazione perpetua del tempo e sette anni dopo un movimento con
calendario perpetuo. Del 2002 è l’anno in cui l’esemplare Regina
di Napoli riceve un brevetto per il meccanismo a fasi lunari. Nel 2003,
il modello “Il risveglio dello Zar” ottiene due brevetti, in seguito si
assiste al lancio della collezione Tradizione e nel 2006 fa la sua
entrata nel mercato il modello Doppio Tourbillon. La storia della
maison è segnata anche da acquirenti prestigiosi, famiglie reali,
personalità politiche e grandi artisti. Tra i celebri “clienti” Breguet
possiamo menzionare le regine Maria Antonietta e Vittoria
d’Inghilterra, Napoleone Bonaparte, il Sultano dell’Impero Ottomano, lo
Zar di Russia Alessandro I, Winston Churchill e il pianista Arthur
Rubenstein. Anche il mondo della letteratura ha celebrato il marchio
Breguet, comparso in citazioni di Victor Hugo, Stendhal, Honoré de
Balzac e Alexandre Dumas. Attualmente la maison Montres Breguet SA è un
membro della società Swatch Group e i suoi orologi sono prodotti nella
Vallée de Joux, l’area della Svizzera occidentale più famosa nella
storia della manifattura orologiaia. |
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Breitling |
La
primissima sede del laboratorio Breitling viene inaugurata nel 1884 a
St-Imier in Svizzera. Otto anni dopo viene trasferita a Chaux-de-Fonds,
nucleo urbano storico dell’alta orologeria elvetica. L’artefice del
successo del marchio è Léon Breitling, artigiano specializzato nella
fabbricazione di cronografi e contatori di precisione per applicazioni
scientifiche ed industriali. Nel 1915 Gaston Breitling eredita la
direzione aziendale dal padre e crea il primo cronografo da polso: a
breve inizierà a fornire i primi strumenti da polso agli aviatori e
,come dimostra l’importante collaborazione datata 1936 con la Royal Air
Force Britannica, ad avere stretti e duraturi rapporti con l’aviazione
mondiale in generale. Già nel 1923 la maison svizzera produce il primo
pulsante cronografo indipendente, vale a dire non collegato alla
corona. Le redini dell’azienda passeranno a Willy, figlio di Gaston,
nel 1932 e due anni dopo l’invenzione del secondo pulsante di
azzeramento porterà alla creazione di un cronografo strutturato come
quelli attuali. Il 1942 è l’anno del Chronomat, il primo cronografo
provvisto di un regolo calcolatore circolare mentre nel 1952 tocca al
Navitimer, un orologio-strumento provvisto del celebre “computer
d’aviazione” utile ad eseguire tutti i calcoli necessari alla
navigazione, un cult per i piloti di tutto il mondo. Dieci anni dopo
l’astronauta Scott Carpenter indosserà il cronografo Cosmonaute durante
il suo volo orbitale a bordo della capsula Aurora 7. Nel 1969 Breitling
divide con Buren e Heuer-Leonidas la creazione del movimento cronografo
a carica automatica, un progresso importante per tutta la storia
dell’orologeria. E’ il 1979 quando Ernest Schneider, pilota,
fabbricante di orologi ed esperto di microelettronica, acquista il
marchio dal nipote del fondatore. Nel 1984 il Chronomat diventa il
modello di punta della collezione, grazie alla stretta collaborazione
dell’azienda con la pattuglia acrobatica italiana delle Frecce
Tricolori. Quasi dieci anni dopo fa il suo ingresso sul mercato
Emergency, un orologio-strumento multifunzione corredato di
radiotrasmittente in miniatura che utilizza la frequenza radio
d’emergenza dell’aviazione; mentre nel 1998 compare il B-1, il
cronografo multifunzione più completo mai prodotto dalla casa svizzera,
progettato in collaborazione con gli esperti dell’aviazione. Per
coronare oltre un secolo di alta professionalità Breitling nel 1999
lancia la sfida “Esclusivamente cronometri”, sottoponendo tutta la sua
produzione ai test del COSC. Nello stesso anno il brand svizzero
sponsorizza e sostiene Bertrand Piccard e Brian Jones nella loro
impresa: il primo giro del mondo non-stop in mongolfiera. Nel 2001
introduce il Superquartz, dieci volte più accurato di un movimento al
quarzo normale. Nuovo epicentro della produzione aziendale, inaugurato
nel 2000 a Grenchen, in Svizzera ospita gli uffici amministrativi e
costituisce un’unità di progettazione e fabbricazione all’avanguardia;
l’anno seguente, si aggiunge il Breitling Chronométrie, centro
specializzato nella produzione di movimenti per cronografi meccanici
con sede a Chaux-de-Fonds. Di recente creazione è la collezione
Breitling for Bentley nata dalla collaborazione tra la tradizione
svizzera Breitling e lo stile britannico Bentley e comprendente diversi
modelli, tra cui: GMT, Motors, GT, Flying B, Mark VI, Mulliner
Tourbillon. |
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Bucherer |
It
was in 1888 that businessman and industrialist Carl-Friedrich Bucherer
opened his first watch and jewelry store in Lucerne, Switzerland, thus
laying the foundations for a successful family business. Today, more than one hundred years later, we are proud of the fact that BUCHERER leads the Swiss watch and jewelry retail sector. The family-run business, steeped in tradition, is currently in its third generation and run by Jörg G. Bucherer, who is the Chairman of the Board of Directors. It has some 1100 employees. The name BUCHERER is known well beyond the borders of Switzerland and stands for quality at the very highest level. This is due firstly to our outstanding range, comprising almost 50 000 different items, and secondly to our staff, whose expertise, love of precious materials and company loyalty are exemplary. The pearl and gemstone creations designed and handcrafted in our own workshops likewise enjoy worldwide renown. On top of this, we have ensured that we really are close to our customers by positioning our retail outlets in international shopping districts and world-famous resorts. Perhaps just as importantly, connoisseurs of fine jewelry and watches benefit greatly from the fact that we are retailers, manufacturers and wholesalers in one. We buy directly on the world markets, eliminating wholesalers, agents and other intermediaries, to offer our customers top-quality products at moderate prices. Creating benefit for you, the customer, is the touchstone of our corporate philosophy. And it is something you can count on. |
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Bulova |
1875:
Joseph Bulova, a 23-year-old immigrant from Bohemia, opens a small
jewelry shop on Maiden Lane in New York City. 1911: Bulova begins manufacturing and selling boudoir and table clocks as well as fine pocket watches. These pieces are sold in unprecedented numbers. 1912: Bulova sets up its first plant dedicated to the production of watch components and their assembly into jeweled movements in Bienne, Switzerland. 1919: During World War I, the convenience of wristwatches (as opposed to pocket watches) is discovered. In 1919 Bulova introduces the first full line of men's jeweled wristwatches. 1920: Bulova Watch Company, Inc. moves to 580 Fifth Avenue and builds the Bulova Observatory on top of the building for the taking of sidereal time. This is the first Observatory ever built atop a skyscraper. The Observatory is under the direction of a mathematician whose readings are electrically recorded, instantaneously, on a chronograph hundreds of feet below the observatory, guiding the Bulova watchmakers in the Setting and Timing unit of the Company. 1923: The name Bulova Watch Company, Inc. is adopted. Bulova perfects a new concept in the watch industry with total standardization of parts. Every part of a Bulova watch is made with such precision (standardized to the ten thousandth part of an inch) that it is interchangeable with the same part in any other Bulova watch. This revolutionizes the servicing of watches. 1924: Bulova unveils the first full line of ladies' watches, including diamond-accented pieces. In the same year, President Calvin Coolidge presents a Bulova watch to Stanley "Bucky" Harris player-manager of the World Series-winning Washington Senators. Bulova designs a new watch in honor of the occasion and names it the "President." 1926: Bulova produces the nation's first radio commercial, "At the tone, it's 8 P.M., B-U-L-O-V-A, Bulova watch time." 1926: Ardé Bulova, Joseph’s son, offers a prize of $1,000 to the pilot who first succeeds in a nonstop flight across the Atlantic. 1927: In honor of Charles Lindbergh's transatlantic solo flight from New York to Paris, Bulova ships 5,000 Lone Eagle watches, packaged with pictures of Lindbergh. The supply, which is available the day after the landing, is sold out within three days. During the next few years Bulova sells nearly 50,000 of these commemorative watches. Also in 1927, Bulova Watch Company goes public on the American Stock Exchange, and Bulova Canada is established. 1928: Bulova introduces the world's first clock radio. 1929: Bulova engineers and patents a new principle in the construction of automobile clocks. 1931: Bulova begins manufacturing the first electric clocks. The collection includes wall and mantel clocks, and clocks for use in stores, windows, office buildings, train stations and airports. Also, Bulova becomes the first watch manufacturer to spend more than $1 million a year on advertising. Throughout the Depression years, Bulova supports retailers by offering Bulova watches to buyers on time-payment plans. 1932: Bulova runs a "Name the Watch" contest for its new $24.75 timepiece, with cash prizes totaling $10,000. The top prize of $1,000 would be equivalent to about $12,500 in the year 2000. 1935: Joseph Bulova, founder of Bulova Watch Company, dies. 1940: Bulova is a sponsor for all of the top 20 radio shows, including Charley McCarthy, Jack Benny, Fibber McGee and Molly and Major Bowes Amateur Hour. 1941: Continuing its tradition of advertising firsts, Bulova airs the first television commercial: a simple picture of a clock and a map of the United States, with a voice-over proclaiming, "America runs on Bulova time." The 20-second spot costs $9. 1941 also marks the year that the Bulova Board of Directors, chaired by Joseph’s son, Ardé Bulova, adopts a resolution to sell products for national defense at actual cost. Throughout World War II, having perfected the skill of creating precision timepieces, Bulova works with the U.S. government to produce military watches, specialized timepieces, aircraft instruments, critical torpedo mechanisms and fuses. 1944: 25% of all radio advertising was used to promote the sale of War Bonds and Stamps: “B-U-L-O-V- Bulova Watch Time…Time to Buy United States War Bonds and Stamps.” 1945: The Joseph Bulova School of Watchmaking opens its doors to help disabled veterans learn watchmaking skills. Entirely supported by the Bulova Foundation, the school is equipped with state-of-the-art accessibility features, including automatic doors and extra-wide elevators. Graduates of the school are assured employment with over 1,500 positions pledged by American Jewelers. 1948: Bulova begins developing the Phototimer, a unique combination of photo-finish camera and precision electronic timing instrument. 1952: Bulova begins developing Accutron, the first breakthrough in timekeeping technology in over 300 years. Accutron, the first fully electronic watch, promises to keep time to within 2 seconds a day. 1953: Recognizing new trends in the watch industry, Bulova adds more self-winding and shock-proof watches to its line. Also added this year is the Bulova Wrist-Alarm, an entirely new kind of watch. 1954: Bulova introduces the Bulova 23, a self-winding, waterproof, 23-jewel watch with an unbreakable mainspring, made entirely in the United States. Omar Bradley, World War II general and retired chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, joins Bulova as Chairman of the Board of the Bulova Research and Development Laboratories. 1955: An independent A.C. Neilson Company survey reveals that Americans see more national advertising for Bulova products than for any other products, in any other industry, in the world. 1956: Bulova completes negotiations to cosponsor the “Jackie Gleason Show" a one-hour live television show airing Saturday nights from eight to nine o'clock. This is the first time in history that any watch or jewelry-related company has made a sponsorship commitment of such magnitude. 1958: Omar N. Bradley becomes chairman of the Bulova Watch Company, a position he remains in until 1973, when he retires at the age of 80. 1959: Bulova offers an unprecedented 1-year warranty on all of its clock radios. 1960: NASA asks Bulova to incorporate Accutron into its computers for the space program. Bulova timing mechanisms eventually become an integral part of 46 missions of the U.S. Space Program. Also in 1960, Bulova reintroduces its redeveloped Phototimer clock for track and field, improved with updated photographic and electronic technologies. It features an infrared sensing element patterned after those used on heat-seeking missiles. Mounted on the starter's pistol, the Phototimer senses the flash of the gun and starts a timer clock at the same instant that the runners leave their marks. October 25, 1960: Accutron, the first watch to keep time through electronics, is introduced. It is the most spectacular breakthrough in timekeeping since the invention of the wristwatch. This revolutionary timekeeping concept of a watch without springs or escapement is operated by an electronically activated tuning fork. The Accutron watch goes on to become a presidential gift to world leaders and other dignitaries. President Johnson declares it the White House's official Gift of State. 1962: The Accutron Tuning-fork watch becomes the first wristwatch certified for use by railroad personnel. 1962 is also the year that Bulova introduces its Caravelle line of jeweled watches. Designed to retail at $10.95 to $29.95, Caravelle competes with non-jeweled watches in the same price range. 1966: Bulova runs national commercials for Accutron on many popular television shows including the Dean Martin Show and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. 1967: Accutron clocks are the only clocks aboard Air Force One. 1968: The Bulova Satellite Clock, the world's first public clock regulated by time signals from orbiting satellites, is inaugurated by Gustavo Diaz Ordaz, President of Mexico. The clock is installed atop the Torre Latino Americana, Mexico's tallest skyscraper. 1968 also marks the year that Caravelle becomes the largest selling jeweled-movement watch in the United States. 1969: An Accutron watch movement is part of the equipment placed on the moon by Apollo 11 astronauts, the first men on the moon. A Bulova timer is placed in the moon's Sea of Tranquility to control the transmissions of vital data through the years. 1969: Bulova introduces the Accuquartz, the first quartz-based clock. 1970: The Bulova Accuquartz men's calendar wristwatch becomes the first quartz-crystal watch sold at retail in the United States. Made of 18-karat gold, it retails for $1,325. 1973: Three specially designed Accutron portable alarm clocks are placed on board NASA's Skylab, the world's first space laboratory, launched from Cape Kennedy. Also this year, Bulova wins the world's first design competition for solid-state digital watches at the Prix de la Ville de Genève watch-styling competition, the world's most prestigious international watch-styling competition. Bulova also wins two of the three honorable mentions awarded at the competition. 1976: Bulova introduces its line of Accutron Quartz movement watches for men. Also this year, the Smithsonian Institution's newly opened National Air and Space Museum features a replica of the NASA Skylab. It includes an Accutron "space alarm" clock identical to the ones mounted onboard the actual Skylab. 1977: Bulova introduces its line of Accutron Quartz movement watches for women. 1979: Bulova runs a magazine ad campaign featuring Walter Cronkite, with the slogan “Good News from Bulova." The company also places national commercials on many television shows including All in the Family, Charlie’s Angels, Starsky and Hutch, The Dukes of Hazard and Hawaii 5-0. 1979: Bulova becomes a subsidiary of Loews Corporation. 1982: Bulova heightens its profile by targeting young consumers with a television and magazine advertising campaign featuring Muhammad Ali, Morgan Fairchild, Cathy Lee Crosby, Bernadette Peters, Johnny Cash and Roger Daltrey. 1983: The Bulova Dimension is unveiled. It is the worlds thinnest wall clock, measuring just 5/8 of an inch. 1986: Bulova introduces its first miniature clock. Creating a new category of timepieces, Bulova goes on to produce entire collections of miniature clocks, including limited-edition pieces and themed groupings. 1987: Bulova becomes the official supplier to the U.S. Olympic team, providing watches for both the winter games in Calgary and the summer games in Seoul. 1988: Bulova changes its corporate name from Bulova Watch Company, Inc. to Bulova Corporation. This move reflects the companies growth into new and different product markets. Bulova produces an ad in record time. At the Winter Olympics in Calgary, a photograph is snapped on Saturday morning. Eight hours later an ad incorporating the photo is on the press in time to be in millions of copies of Time magazine on Monday. 1991: This year, with its new line of Swiss quartz watches, Accutron is relaunched as the premier brand of the Bulova Corporation. 1995: Bulova enters into a distribution agreement in South America and extends licenses in the Far East and Europe. 1996: A Gallup survey and the Fairchild 100 report rank Bulova fourth in consumer awareness in the combined watch and jewelry industries. 1998: Bulova introduces the Millennia Collection, a group of watches featuring innovative technology or materials. The collection includes a solar group, watches powered by light; motion quartz, watches powered by the motion of the wearer's arm; and vibra-alarm, watches featuring two alarm mode options: sound or vibration. 1999: Bulova adds World Timer and Perpetual Calendar watches to the Millennia Collection. 2000: On October 4, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani proclaims Bulova Day in New York City, in recognition of Bulova’s 125th anniversary. 2001: Bulova acquires the Wittnauer trademark and some of the assets of Wittnauer International. Bulova also acquires the license for Harley-Davidson watches. Also, in 2001, Women’s Wear Daily’s Luxury Survey, which measures American women’s perception of the most luxurious apparel and accessory brands, ranked Bulova #14 in the watch and jewelry category. 2002: Bulova acquires certain assets of Heirloom, a custom woodworking company specializing in the manufacture of grandfather clocks. Operating as a Bulova subsidiary under the new name, Art of Time, Ltd., the Kitchener, Ontario-based facility begins producing high-quality, custom-made Bulova grandfather clocks for sale in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Bulova also launches a comprehensive international operating strategy to enhance its global positioning while protecting the integrity of the Bulova name by reasserting control over development and marketing worldwide. A key component of the program is the opening of European headquarters in Fribourg, Switzerland, marking Bulova’s return to full proprietary operations in Europe after nearly a quarter of a century. Made in Switzerland, with product development at both Bulova Swiss, S.A. and Bulova’s home office in New York, the Bulova European Collection is set to begin distribution on January 1 |
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BWC |
The
Buttes Watch Company (BWC) was found in 1924 by Mr. Arthur Charlet, in
his birthplace, Buttes (Canton Neuchâtel). The “Val de Travers”, an aesthetic high-lying valley in Switzerland nearby the French border, is well known for watchmakers in the 18th Century. After the economic crisis in 1923 which Switzerland was also oppressively affected, he founded courage to pioneer as a watch manufacturer. From this time on the BWC-Swiss was the only used trade mark in Europe and in English speaking countries. It is also registered as a world-wide trademark. The company first started off with producing all different variety of pocket watches. The first markets was initially launched in Germany and then expanded to England, Spain, Poland and Hungary. Later, sales areas were opened to the most important trading countries in Europe at that time like Greece and Turkey. The main overseas markets were USA, Cuba and Canada. Mr. Arthur Charlet’s son-in-law, Mr. Edwin Volkart, took over the company in 1953 and continue to operate it with alacrity. BWC-Swiss realized quickly the state-of-the-art in watch-technology. By 1967, electro-mechanical watches were also part of their watch collection. Thus in 1972 the collection of the BWC already carried the first quartz-digital-display and in 1975 the first fully developed quartz-analogue watch. With the lack of competent workers in the “Val de Travers” valley and the changing of ownership in 1991, the company had to move the manufacturing plant to Canton Solothurn. All commercial activities of the BWC Fabrique d’Horlogerie SA / Bienne is since then availed by Reek GmbH in Pforzheim, Germany. In the course of re-organization in 1999, BWC-Swiss was integrated in the newly founded Maddox AG in Pforzheim, Germany. In the year 2000, the 75th anniversary watches, designed by Mr. Alexander Schnell-Waltenberger from Pforzheim, won the Good Design Award. This award which is one of the oldest and most meaningful awards for industry design in the United States, was presented to BWC-Swiss in Chicago. In 2003, Starck-Watches in Pforzheim, Germany took over the responsibility for BWC-Swiss. Presenting at the right time at Baselworld 2004, the innovative marketing concept and the new product range was presented with even greater success then before. Many years of international experience of Starck-Watches in this field guarantees further success and expanding in markets for BWC-Swiss. In 2009 the BWC celebrates the 85th anniversary. 85 years of continuous history, in which the BWC has acquired an excellent reputation among retailers and watch enthusiasts and specialists. |
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Autore del template Roberto Mignanelli. mail