{"id":99382,"date":"2025-09-22T14:35:39","date_gmt":"2025-09-22T12:35:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ohselection.com\/watchmaking-groups\/"},"modified":"2025-09-22T14:37:25","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T12:37:25","slug":"watchmaking-groups","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ohselection.com\/en\/watchmaking-groups\/","title":{"rendered":"Watchmaking Groups"},"content":{"rendered":"

Until the early 20th century, the watchmaking industry<\/a> primarily consisted of companies and manufacturers that each worked independently. However, the new century brought its share of economic crises, and these crises prompted watchmaking firms (particularly Swiss ones) to merge to better confront difficulties and face competition. Today, these watchmaking groups are the main leaders in the watch sector. <\/p>\n

Watchmaking Groups to Better Face Challenges<\/h2>\n

In economics, as elsewhere, unity is strength. From the first decades of the 20th century, watchmaking companies understood this well, especially when the 1929 crisis, which began in the United States, transformed into a Great Depression that flooded the global economy, reaching even the charming and quiet valleys of the Jura where the watchmaking industry had established itself. <\/p>\n

Watch manufacturers were too small, too weak, too dispersed. The crisis hit them hard, seriously threatening their survival; they responded with painful social dumping, their sole weapon to fight against the invisible enemy. Amidst the turmoil, the Confederation and major banking institutions created ASUAG in 1931, or Soci\u00e9t\u00e9 g\u00e9n\u00e9rale de l\u2019industrie horlog\u00e8re suisse: a holding company that brought together several manufacturers of parts and \u00e9bauches, as well as iconic brands (including Hamilton, Longines, Mido, and Rado). <\/p>\n

ASUAG was not exactly the first example of a watchmaking group. In 1925, the Omega brand was still suffering the economic consequences of the world conflict and became bogged down in a series of internal social movements that weighed heavily on the manufacturer’s accounts. To bounce back, Omega partnered with Tissot, thus restarting operations. A few years later, the two brands together created the SSIH (Soci\u00e9t\u00e9 suisse pour l\u2019industrie horlog\u00e8re) holding company, destined to expand. ASUAG would only come after this initial attempt, but by establishing a watchmaking group of an entirely different scale. <\/p>\n

This model served as the basis for the major consolidation of the 1980s. Faced with a new crisis (the so-called “quartz crisis”) and threatened with extinction by the surge of electronic watches from Japan, ASUAG and SSIH allied to form a vast entity: SMH (Soci\u00e9t\u00e9 de micro\u00e9lectronique et d\u2019horlogerie), in 1983, thanks to the efforts made by banks. This watchmaking group would take on the name \u2013 better known today \u2013 of Swatch Group in 1998. <\/p>\n

\"\"Powerful Conglomerates in the Luxury Sector<\/h2>\n

However, watchmaking groups are not formed solely due to crises and difficulties in the sector. The more recent trend is the acquisition of manufacturers and brands by more powerful groups, generally positioned in the luxury segment. Since the 1990s, we have thus seen acquisitions of watch brands by conglomerates such as LVMH, Kering (formerly PPR), or Richemont. These watchmaking groups are no longer formed during periods of stagnation, but rather against a backdrop of economic prosperity. <\/p>\n

How can this trend be explained? To understand this, it is necessary to realize that the watchmaking industry split into two around the 1990s\/2000s: mass consumption on one side and prestige production on the other. To survive in the era of inexpensive watches, high-end brands (particularly Swiss ones) repositioned themselves to resolutely occupy the luxury segment, offering models ranging from a few hundred to several hundred thousand euros. <\/p>\n

Thus, within a few years, the most prestigious brands in the sector became strategic assets for major luxury groups looking to enter the watchmaking world. As a result, conglomerates like LVMH or Richemont acquired important brands (De Beers, TAG Heuer, or Zenith for the former; Cartier, Jaeger-LeCoultre, or Vacheron Constantin for the latter) to integrate this highly sought-after sector by making a grand entrance. <\/p>\n

After all, producing high-end watches is beneficial for brand image. This is why watchmaking groups, dedicated solely to this art, share the market with more heterogeneous but equally imposing entities in the watchmaking sector. <\/p>\n

The most Iconic Watchmaking Groups and Their Watch Brands<\/h2>\n

Among the most renowned watchmaking groups are:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Festina Lotus S.A. \u2013 a group specializing in entry-level watches, which brings together the brands Calypso, Candino, Festina, Jaguar, and Lotus Watches.<\/li>\n
  • Rolex \u2013 the most famous watch brand, launched by Hans Wilsdorf, forms a mini watchmaking group with Tudor.<\/li>\n
  • Swatch Group \u2013 founded in 1983 by Nicolas Hayek from ASUAG and SSIH, under the name SMH. Its iconic brand is none other than Swatch, the affordable Swiss watch that revolutionized the watchmaking industry. Other brands: Blancpain, Breguet, Hamilton, Jaquet Droz, Longines, Mido, Omega, Pierre Balmain, Tiffany, Tissot\u2026 <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    Among the luxury groups owning iconic watch brands are:<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

      \n
    • Kering \u2013 formerly PPR, owns the brands Boucheron, Gucci, Yves Saint-Laurent, Girard Perregaux, and JeanRichard.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

        \n
      • LVMH \u2013 the world’s leading luxury group, and it is French. In the watchmaking sector, LVMH brings together the brands Chaumet, De Beers, Dior, Fred, Louis Vuitton, TAG Heuer, and Zenith. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        \"\"<\/p>\n

          \n
        • Richemont \u2013 founded in 1988 by Johann Rupert. Among the group’s most important watch brands are Baume & Mercier, Cartier, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Montblanc, Piaget, and Vacheron Constantin. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          \"\"<\/p>\n

          After exploring watchmaking groups, also discover watch manufacturers, watch brands, and the watchmaking industry!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Until the early 20th century, the watchmaking industry primarily consisted of companies and manufacturers that each worked independently. However, the new century brought its share of economic crises, and these crises prompted watchmaking firms (particularly Swiss ones) to merge to better confront difficulties and face competition. Today, these watchmaking groups are the main leaders in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":99387,"parent":99411,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-99382","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nWatchmaking Groups: when Watch Brands Join Forces<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Watchmaking groups are a recent creation (early 20th century), but they now hold a major position in the watchmaking sector.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ohselection.com\/en\/watchmaking-groups\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Watchmaking Groups: when Watch Brands Join Forces\" \/>\n<meta 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