====== Festina ======

{{wst>author|[[Foskett, Stephen|Stephen Foskett]] ([[https://grail-watch.com/|Grail Watch]])}}

**Festina** is a historic watch manufacturer once located in [[La Chaux-de-Fonds]], Switzerland. It is now a brand of the **Festina Group**, now headquartered in [[Barcelona]], [[Spain]].

Festina was founded in [[1902]] as a watch assembler and marketer. The brand was purchased in [[1984]] by Spanish entrepreneur, Miguel Rodriguez, who already owned the [[Lotus]] watch brand. The combined company was known as **Festina Lotus SA** and administrative offices were relocated to [[Barcelona]], [[Spain]]. The company acquired the [[Jaguar]] brand in [[1989]]. This mainstream strategy was successful, and Festina reached the mark of 1 million watches per year by [[1990]] and 3 million by [[2002]].

Seeking to establish a high-end Swiss manufacturing capability, in [[2003]] Rodriguez purchased assortment maker Dubois Technique Horlogère (now MHVJ), along with hairspring maker Astral Technologies. In [[2008]], Hong Kong holding company [[Peace Mark]], owner of [[STM Holdings]] (which in turn owned Swiss component makers [[Indtec]], [[Ineltec]], and [[Soprod]]) encountered financial difficulties and sold to Rodriguez. Festina Group retained the high-end Swiss portions of the company, now known simply as [[Soprod]], while eliminating the mass-market quartz operations.

===== Festina Group =====
Today, **Festina Group** manufactures watches under the Festina, [[Candino]], [[Jaguar]], [[Perrelet]], [[L. Leroy]], and [[Calypso]] brands in a layered holding company structure. Much watch manufacturing is handled by [[Citizen]] of Japan, with some higher-end production in Barcelona. However, with Soprod, Festina is a capable Swiss [[manufacture]], able to produce all components of a watch in-house.

  * H1 - Primary holding company
    * H2 - Movement and component companies, including [[Soprod]]
    * H3 - Mainstream watch brands 
      * [[Calypso]] - Under 100 Euro
      * [[Jaguar]] ([[1989]]) - 500 to 600 Euro
      * [[Candino]] ([[2002]]) - Exotic materials (ceramic, carbon fibre)
    * H5 - High-end watch brands 
      * [[Perrelet]] (since [[2001]])
      * [[Joseph Chevalier]]
      * [[Henri Berney-Blondeau]]
      * [[L. Leroy]]


{{tag>Festina}}