Top 15 High-End International Watchmaker Groups

Watchmaker Group News, Reviews & Resources

• Lessons From The Most Valuable Luxury Brands In 2021 - "Five of the list’s ten brands - Hermès, Chanel, Prada, Burberry, and Rolex - are independent, while the other five belong to the three leading luxury groups: LVMH, Kering, and Richemont."
• LVMH considering takeover of Richemont - report - "Swiss paper Finanz und Wirtschaft reported on Wednesday that there are 'whispers' in the luxury fashion industry regarding a potential takeover of Richemont (OTCPK:CFRHF) by LVMH (OTCPK:LVMHF)."
• LVMH hits 400 billion euro in market value - "LVMH (LVMH.PA) shares rose to a fresh record high on Tuesday, giving the luxury goods group a market capitalisation of 400 billion euros ($434 billion) for the first time and cementing its lead as Europe's most valuable company. Like other luxury companies which are heavily exposed to China, LVMH has benefited this year from the fast reopening of the world's second biggest economy. However, some analysts said further gains in the share price could become harder to achieve."
• Rolex’s upcoming billion-dollar factory - "Rolex roughly produced around 1.24 million watches last year, earning the iconic watchmaker a revenue of $11.5 billion. Around ten times as many watches as Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet combined. Yet, there are long waiting lists for many of the popular Rolex models, with some exceeding two years. Set to open in 2029, the new manufacturing facility is located in Bulle, a small municipality in the district of Gruyère, Switzerland."
• Top 15 Luxury Watch Brands in the World - "The demand for luxury watches is associated with status and class, indicating a need for companies to establish a consistent brand image and perception of class and luxury."
• Top 50 swiss watch brands of 2020 - Estimated Market share & sales - "The Invincible Hegemony of Rolex. Coming in behind Rolex are two usual suspects: Omega and Cartier. Polarisation, diverging trends, successes and failures, 2020 only reinforces an ongoing tendency."
• Watch manufacturing companies - Wikipedia.

Top 15 International Watchmaker Groups

• BINDA GROUP - founded in 1906. "The Binda Company was founded in 1906 by Innocente Binda, grandfather of Simone and Marcello, current CEOs of the family company. For over 100 years, Binda has been one of the major players in the watch market, still the core business of the company, complemented by jewelry and accessories."
• CITIZEN - founded in 1918. "CITIZEN is a manufacture, a watch company that does all its manufacturing in-house, from crafting individual watch components to final assembly. A truly global watch brand, CITIZEN does business in over 130 countries worldwide. Founded in 1918, CITIZEN has spent a century developing innovative technologies and building up its skills as a manufacture in its bid to explore the essence and infinite potential of the watch."
• FESTINA GROUP - founded in 1980. "Festina watches have been synonymous with the perfect blend of elegance and features for over a century. Design of distinction, constant technological innovation and excellent price-quality: this combination is the key to the brand’s success."
• FOSSIL GROUP - founded in 1984. American fashion designer and manufacturer founded in 1984 by Tom Kartsotis and based in Richardson, Texas. Their brands include Fossil, Relic, Michele Watch, Skagen Denmark, Misfit, WSI, and Zodiac Watches.
• FRANCK MULLER WATCHLAND S.A. - since 1983. "Remaining faithful to its roots, Franck Muller Genève is established in the very same village where Franck started his activity in 1983, namely Genthod, in the neighboring countryside of Geneva. Only this time, it was mansion built in 1905 that was restored to become, in just a few months, the wonderful headquarters of this promising brand."
• GENEVA WATCH GROUP - founded in 1978. "Geneva Watch Group is a global leader in the design, manufacturing and the distribution of quality timepieces. The company creates watches under license for fashion and lifestyle brands such as Kenneth Cole New York, Kenneth Cole Reaction, BCBGMAXAZRIA, BCBGeneration, Timberland, Police, Ben Sherman, Superdry, Cerrutti 1881 and Ducati Corse. We are proud to be a subsidiary of International Luxury Group. We have assembled a world-class design team who use a contemplative artistic process that promises a variety of unparalleled looks, sure to catch the eye and sophisticated taste of today’s consumer. Specializing in brand enhancement, our designers seamlessly integrate and complement the nuances and characteristics of each brand, while keeping an eye on the collection’s overall aesthetic. Our goal is to design refined watches that complement and emphasize the individual style of both the consumer and the brand."
• GEVRIL Group - since 1758. "The history of Gevril watches is a story that combines an illustrious watchmaking past with an innovative modern revitalization. The company origins date back to the mid-18th century and Jacques Gevril, the gifted Swiss watchmaker who is the founder and inspiration of the eponymous brand."
• Kering - founded in 1963. "Empowering Imagination." It’s our signature, our promise and our commitment as a Luxury Group. It’s the spirit that drives us, individually and collectively, in every aspect of our Group. It’s the value that we bring to our employees, our brands, our customers, and to society as a whole.
• LVMH - founded in 1987. "The most recently established of the Group's activities, the Watches & Jewelry sector brings together leading Houses with complementary positions."
• MONDAINE WATCH GROUP - "Since the foundation by Erwin Bernheim in 1951 Mondaine Group Ltd. has gained recognition as a leading player in the watch industry. The independent, innovative and marketing driven company embraces the world of marketing, lifestyle, design and combines this knowledge with state-of-the-art manufacturing and just-in-time, award-winning logistics and distribution. A reliable, long-term partner for distributors and retailers."
• MORELLATO Group - since 1930. "Interpreter of the great Italian jewelery tradition, the Group today encompasses an important portfolio with 13 jewelery and watch brands distributed in 40 countries around the world through 4 branches based in the strategic markets of: Europe, Far East and Middle East."
• MOVADO GROUP - founded in 1967. "Movado Group’s founder, Gedalio Grinberg, a visionary entrepreneur, was critical in the establishment of luxury watch marketing. He escaped Cuba in the early 1960’s and came to the United States with his young family to begin the journey that would lead to the company that Movado Group has become. Today, Movado Group is recognized as one of the world's premier watchmakers. Designing, manufacturing and distributing watches for some of the most recognized and respected names in time that reach a diverse mix of consumers that are sold throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia and the Far East."
• RAMA WATCH - founded in 1914. "Rama Swiss Watch (RSW) is a Design, Manufacturing and Marketing Company specialized in quality products which stand out from the rest by virtue of attractive concepts, reinforced by specifics Design. Established in Bienne, in the heart of the legendary Swiss watch manufacturing district, Rama Swiss Watch profits from the exceptional privilege to combine and offer at an affordable public price, its creative design, with the best of the local know-how and technology."
• RICHEMONT - founded in 1988. "Compagnie Financière Richemont SA owns some of the world's most prestigious luxury goods Maisons, each of which has a proud history and heritage of craftsmanship and design." The brands it owns include A. Lange & Söhne, Azzedine Alaïa, Baume & Mercier, Buccellati, Cartier, Chloé, Dunhill, IWC Schaffhausen, Giampiero Bodino, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Montblanc, Officine Panerai, Piaget, Peter Millar, Purdey, Roger Dubuis, Vacheron Constantin and Van Cleef & Arpels.
• ROLEX - founded in 1905. "British-founded Swiss watch designer and manufacturer based in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in 1905 as Wilsdorf and Davis by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis in London, England, the company registered the word Rolex as the brand name of its watches in 1908, and it became Rolex Watch Co. Ltd. in 1915. After World War I, the company moved its base of operations to Geneva because of the unfavorable economy in the United Kingdom. In 1920, Hans Wilsdorf registered Montres Rolex SA in Geneva as the new company name (montre is French for a watch (timepiece)); it later became Rolex SA. Since 1960, the company has been owned by the Hans Wilsdorf Foundation, a private family trust. Rolex SA and its subsidiary Montres Tudor SA design, make, distribute, and service wristwatches sold under the Rolex and Tudor brands."
• SWATCH GROUP - founded in 1983. "Swatch Group is an international group active in the design, manufacture and sale of finished watches, jewelry, watch movements and components. Swatch Group supplies nearly all components required by its 17 watch brands, and Swatch Group companies supply movements and components to third-party watchmakers in Switzerland and around the world. Please be sure to visit our brands' websites to learn more about their fantastic products. Swatch Group is also a key player in the manufacture and sale of electronic systems used in watchmaking and other industries." The group owns the Swatch product line and other brands including ETA, Blancpain, Breguet, Glashütte Original, Harry Winston, Omega, Longines, Tissot, Mido, Hamilton, Certina, and Rado.
• TIMEX GROUP - founded in 1854. "Timex Group designs, manufactures and markets innovative timepieces around the world. Timex Group is a privately-held company headquartered in Middlebury, Connecticut with multiple operating units and over 3,000 employees worldwide. As one of the largest watch makers in the world, Timex Group companies produce watches under a number of well-known brands, including Timex, Nautica, Guess, GC, Salvatore Ferragamo, Versace, Versus, Ted Baker, Missoni and Furla."