Synchron

Synchron was a Swiss holding company under ASUAG containing Cyma (Tavannes Watch), Doxa, and Ernest Borel from 1968 to 1980. Auréole joined in 1975.

History

The massive ASUAG holding company included many Swiss watch brands from its founding in 1932, and acted to protect the industry throughout the coming decades. In 1966, ASUAG created Chronos Holding to manage new acquisitions, including the recently-defunct Cyma-Tavannes brands and a stake in Gruen. Chronos, in turn, created Synchron in 1968 to manage Cyma along with Doxa and Ernest Borel.

Ernest Borel was the successor to Borel et Courvoisier, founded in 1859 as a premier finisher and distributor of high-end watches. Cyma sprung from the Tavannes Watch operation, founded in 1862. It was a pioneer in mechanized production of watch components. Doxa was founded in 1889 by Georges Ducommun and was known as Jacques Nardin from 1936.

The group introduced the low-priced Conquistador brand in 1970. Synchron rationalized marketing, product lines, and production in 1973, bringing all brands under one roof in Le Locle.

Throughout the 1970's, the Synchron name was used in public advertisements to support the three brands, Cyma, Doxa, and Ernest Borel. Auréole joined Synchron on April 30, 1975.

But the quartz crisis of that decade led to the decline of the Swiss watch industry. Cyma was sold to a private investor in 1978 and moved to the Doxa factory in Le Locle. Around 1980, ASUAG sold Synchron and the two remaining brands.

Note: Contrary to the current Doxa web site FAQ, Girard-Perregaux, Zodiac, and Eberhard & Co. were not part of the Synchron group.

Membership

As of 1970, Chronos Holding included the following companies:

• Synchron SA, Neuchâtel
  • Centre 1: Ernest Borel & Cie SA, Neuchâtel
  • Centre 2: Doxa SA, Le Locle
  • Centre 3: Cyma Watch Co SA, La Chaux-de-Fonds
  • Auréole, La Chaux-de-Fonds
  • Tavannes Watch Co SA, Tavannes
• Saphir
  • Favre-Leuba Holding SA, Zoug
  • Sepic/Jaeger-LeCoultre, Genève