Group

The term, group, typically refers to a large luxury or watch products company which owns multiple brands.

Since the earliest days of Swiss watch production, brands have banded together into larger groups to improve efficiency, variety, and profitability and control competition. Today, most Swiss, German, French, and Japanese brands are controlled by a few large groups. The largest of these, Swatch Group, controls more than half of the market for high-end watches.

As of 2018, the following large watch groups exist:

• Citizen Holdings - Alpina, Arnold & Son, Bulova, Citizen, Frederique Constant
• Citychamp - Corum, Eterna, Rotary
• Fossil Group - Fossil, Zodiac
• Kering - Girard-Perregaux, JeanRichard, Gucci, Ulysse Nardin
• LVMH - Bulgari, Chaumet, Hublot, TAG Heuer, Zenith
• MELB Holding - H. Moser & Cie., Hautlence
• Richemont - A. Lange & Söhne, Baume & Mercier, Cartier, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Montblanc, Officine Panerai, Piaget, Ralph Lauren, Roger Dubuis, Vacheron Constantin, Van Cleef & Arpels
• Seiko Group - Credor, Orient, Grand Seiko, Seiko
• Swatch Group - Balmain, Blancpain, Breguet, Calvin Klein, Certina, Glashütte Original, Hamilton, Harry Winston, Jaquet Droz, Léon Hatot, Longines, Mido, Omega, Rado, Swatch, Tissot, Union Glashütte
• Watchland - Franck Muller, Pierre Kunz, European Company Watch, Rodolphe, Alexis Barthelay, Martin Braun

History

Watch Groups in 1971

A 1971 article specified the size of various Swiss watch groups:

Group	Headquarters	Capital (Million Fr.)	Founding Year	Important Brands	Production of Watches and Movements in 1970 in Millions	Number of Workers in 1970	Notes
ASUAG	Neuchâtel	10,006	1931	Various	Unknown	16,200
Ebauches SA	Neuchâtel	24	1927	N/A	47.1	10,600
SSIH	Geneva	30	1930	Omega Tissot Lanco Aetos Agon Buler Ferex Continental	10.3	7,600
General Watch	Bienne	35	1971	Certina Era Eterna Mido Oris Rado Technos	Unknown	3,500	60% owned by ASUAG
SGT	La Chaux-de-Fonds	1968	45.1	Waltham Avia Helvetia Silvana Solvil Titus Invicta Sandoz	3.75	1,750
Longines-Rotary	Saint-Imier	5.9	1971	Longines Rotary	Unknown	1,450	Majority owned by ASUAG through Ebauches SA after November 1971
SAPHIR	Zug	8	1969	Jaeger-LeCoultre Favre-Leuba	Unknown	1,200
Girard-Perregaux	La Chaux-de-Fonds	3.2	1969	Girard-Perregaux	0.13	242
Heuer-Léonidas	Bienne	3	1964	Heuer Léonidas Sportex	0.45	300
Ermano Holding	Bienne	3	1962	Cortébert Ermano	0.93	259
Synchron	Neuchâtel	2.375	1968	Cyma Ernest Borel Doxa	0.23	200
MSR	Bienne	4.5	1961	Vulcain Revue	Unknown	Unknown
HFB	Bienne	21.15	1966		Unknown	N/A	100 % owner of Synchron, 23% of SAPHIR, convertible bonds of 14% of SGT, and 19.9% of Gruen Industries

The article notes that "The acquisition of the Büren Watch Co. by the Hamilton Watch in February 1966, the Universal by Bulova in August 1966, and the Movado Zenith Mondia Group by the Zenith Radio Corporation in June 1970 are also considered financial concentrations. However, since they are to be regarded as American companies, they do not appear in this table. It should be mentioned that the Hamilton Watch Co. was bought by the SSIH Group in November 1971 and at the same time the Büren Watch Co. announced the cessation of its production."

See Also

• Independent
• Category:Watch and luxury trusts