Do Swatch own Omega ?

[j3gme]

Just had my PO serviced with Omega (10 weeks!!) On the invoice it says "The Swatch Group Southampton" whats all that about ?

[Uriel]

Yes

[j3gme]

Well you learn somthing everyday. How long have they owend Omega for ?

[RemainAllHoof]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega_SA

1985, it was taken over by a company which then renamed to The Swatch Group.

[andy_s]

Who owns who -

Swatch Group:
Balmain
Blancpain
Breguet
Certina
cK/Calvin Klein
Endura
ETA/Valjoux (movements)
Fendi*
Flik-Flak
Glashütte Original
Glashütte Union
Hamilton
Jacquet-Droz Lanco
Lemania (movements)
Leon Halot
Longines
Mido
Omega
Pierre F. Piguet (movements)
Rado
Swatch
Tissot
Unitas
Universo (watch hands)

Sowind
Daniel JeanRichard
Girard-Perregaux
Tradema

Richemont
A.Lange & Söhne (60% Stake)
Baume & Mercier
Cartier
Alfred Dunhill
IWC
Jaeger-LeCoutre Minerva
Mont Blanc
Officine Panerai
Piaget
Van Cleef & Arpels
Vacheron Constantin

Movado
Coach (Made under Contract)
Concord
Ebel
ESQ
Movado
VIZIO

LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessey)
Chaumet
Christian Dior
Favre-Leuba
Fred
Donna Karan
TAG-Heuer
Zenith

[andy_s]

Independents/unknowns:

AeroWatch
Akteo
Alain Silberstein
Alfex
Armand Nicolet
Audemars-Piguet
Bell & Ross
Berney-Blondeau
Boccia
Rainer Brand
Daniel Baumann (uc)
Breitling
Kelek
Bucherer
Bulova Ind/Loews Corp.)
Bunz
Bvlgari
Daniel Roth
Gerald Genta
BWC Swiss
Calcio Swiss
Candino
Carlo Ferrara*
Carven
Casio
Catamaran
Catena
Cattin
Catorex
Private Label
Century
Chagal
Chanel
Charriol
Chase-Durer
Chopard
Chronoswiss
Chronoswiss (Unofficial) Citizen
Clerc
Consul
Corum
Delbana
Delma
Doxa
Dubey & Schaldenbrand
Dubois-Depraz
Eberhard & Co.
Enigma
Epos
Festina
Calypso, Candino
Jaguar, Lotus
Formex
Fortis
Fossil
Zodiac
Frederique Constant
Furrer Jacot
Gallet
Gevril
Glycine
Grenacher
Grovana
Guinand
Hanhart
HMT(I)
Horoswiss
Hublot
Ikepod
Invicta
Its Time
Jean Marcel Jovial
Junghans
Kobold
Maurice Lacroix
Andre Le Marquand
Leschot Tourbillion
Limes
Luminox
Mellerio dits Meller
Michel Jordi
Milus
Mondaine
Muhle Glashutte
Franck Muller (US site)
MHR
Nivrel
Nomos Glashutte
Ollech & Wajs
Orfina
Oris
Parmigiani Fleurier
Patek Philippe
Paul Picot
Jean Perret
Piljot
Porsche Design
Eterna
R&R Time Group
CAT
Roamer
Rodolphe
Raymond Weil
Revue Thommen
RGM
Roberge Genevé
Rolex
Tudor Rotary
Roventa Henex SA
R•X•W .jp site)
Saint Honoré
Jörg Schauer
Sekonda
Sector
Seiko
LaSalle, Pulsar
Side Watch
Sinn (.de only)
Skagen
Sothis (.de only)
Swiss Army
Victorinox
Wenger
Swiza
Temption (de), US)
Timex
Titan
Titoni
Tutima
Ulysse Nardin
Universal Genéve
UTS-Müenchen
Van Der Bauwede
Ventura
Victorinox Swiss Army
Waltham
Wenger Swiss Army
Harry Winston
Wittau
Wittnauer
XEMEX
Yantar
Zeno Watch Basel


British Masters/Les Monts:
John Arnold & Son*
Thomas Earnshaw
George Graham
Thomas Mudge
Daniel Quare
Thomas Tompion
PK Time Group

And I suppose we ought to add in Eddie Platts who owns Precista and Smiths names. (Only in the UK though, as SwissWatchGroup has bought the international Precista name and selling watches using it...)

Edited by andy_s on Monday 16th May 09:18

[glazbagun]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Swatch_Group

A fascinating history. As a Longines fan I'm a little disgruntled at how the ASUAG brands were placed in the Swatch hierarchy, but it's better than the extinction they faced otherwise. If you're up for a read on the subject, Nicolas Hayek's short unauthorised biography is a good bitesized book & really illustrates how the Swiss were sleepwalking into oblivion before Hayek came along. Also dispells a lot of common myths regarding the origin of the Swatch.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mister-Swatch-Nicolas-Secr...

An interesting aside, but it also claims that Rado were one of the only brands to never make a loss during the Quartz crisis, due to strong sales in the middle east.

andy_s said:

Independents/unknowns:

British Masters/Les Monts:
John Arnold & Son*
Thomas Earnshaw
George Graham
Thomas Mudge
Daniel Quare
Thomas Tompion
PK Time Group

Boils my blood seeing Graham's name on those monstrosities. Don't know how they can own John Arnold, though- I thought he was bought out by Charles Frodsham & Co, who are still going?

Edited by glazbagun on Monday 16th May 09:30

[andy_s]

glazbagun said:

Boils my blood seeing Graham's name on those monstrosities. Don't know how they can own John Arnold, though- I thought he was bought out by Charles Frodsham & Co, who are still going?

I know what you mean about Graham, those names are serious...
The list is about mid-2000s, so there may well have been a few changes, in this section especially. I think Frodsham isn't doing much at the moment.
Pinchbecks not on the list either.

(ETA - list is from 2001)

Edited by andy_s on Monday 16th May 09:45

[al1991]

Andy_S, thank you for that.

I've been looking for such a list for ages!

[glazbagun]

Frodshams are currently working on a low volume (I think about 100ish, might be wrong) all-new wristwatch using the Daniels double-impulse chronometer escapement. I've seen their prototype movement and a presentation on their facilities & they look to still be doing world-class work, albeit on a small scale, and still in hand-crafted restoration.

The escapement looks like something else, though- it's tiny! I remember wondering why they were using it, since Daniels seemed to indicate in Watchmaking that it was difficult to make small enough for a wrist watch, but they've managed it with some pretty smart CNC. Sadly, and in that very old-British way, they seem less good at marketing- not updating thier website in years is hardly building things to a fever pitch! Having said that, anyone in the market for that kind of horology will probably have no trouble sniffing it out when it breaks cover.

Needn't trouble my thoughts then.

http://www.frodsham.com/news.html

[andy_s]

glazbagun said:

Frodshams are currently working on a low volume (I think about 100ish, might be wrong) all-new wristwatch using the Daniels double-impulse chronometer escapement. I've seen their prototype movement and a presentation on their facilities & they look to still be doing world-class work, albeit on a small scale, and still in hand-crafted restoration.

The escapement looks like something else, though- it's tiny! I remember wondering why they were using it, since Daniels seemed to indicate in Watchmaking that it was difficult to make small enough for a wrist watch, but they've managed it with some pretty smart CNC. Sadly, and in that very old-British way, they seem less good at marketing- not updating thier website in years is hardly building things to a fever pitch! Having said that, anyone in the market for that kind of horology will probably have no trouble sniffing it out when it breaks cover.

Needn't trouble my thoughts then.

http://www.frodsham.com/news.html

You're welcome al1991 - it was lifted from C. Maddox's site, so credit to him.

Good stuff glazbagun - interesting but difficult to discern from their webpage, as you say. Great to see them still going though, they've probably presold all those watches anyway, well in advance, so no troubled thoughts here either!

[Debaser]

andy_s said:

Independents/unknowns:
Hublot

I think Hublot are part of LVMH?

[andy_s]

Debaser said:

I think Hublot are part of LVMH?

They are now I think.

[Debaser]

Thanks for the info andy_s and glazbagun!

If you were restricted to only buying watches from one group/independent what would you go for?

[MarvinManUK]

Great thread input. Very interesting bit of reading.

[sneijder]

..... so is it still the case that non Swatch group brands are not going to be supplied with ETA movements very soon ?

[sneijder]

Edited by sneijder on Monday 16th May 21:56

[AlexC1981]

What? No Russian's on the list!

And what about our

[LukeBird]

Cracking posts chaps!

sneijder said:

..... so is it still the case that non Swatch group brands are not going to be supplied with ETA movements very soon ?

I don't think there is going to be no supply, just much more restricted supply.

Debaser said:

If you were restricted to only buying watches from one group/independent what would you go for?

Richemont, probably; for A.Lange & Söhne & JLC primarily. IMO two of the finest watchmakers about.

[Mr E Driver]

Independants

Pequignet