Industry consolidation

The watch industry has dramatically consolidated during the 20th century to just a few watch groups. There were waves of consolidation in the 1930s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, all of which resulted in a few companies (Swatch Group, Richemont, LVMH, Kering, and so on) controlling most of the Swiss and European watch industry. Similar consolidation occurred in Japan, where Seiko Group and Citizen Holdings own much of the industry, and in America, which is dominated by Movado Group.

• The Société des Fabricants et Négociants d'Horlogerie (“Society of Watch Manufacturers and Traders”) is founded in Saint-Imier

• September 2 - The Association Boîtes de Montres (“Association of Watch Case Assemblers”) is established in La Chaux-de-Fonds, serving Neuchâtel, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Le Locle, Tramelan, Franches-Montagnes, Bienne, La Neuveville, and the Saint-Imier valley
• Société des Repasseurs, Remonteurs, Faiseurs d'Échappements Visiteurs en Horlogerie (“Society of Ironers, Reassemblers, and Adjusters of Escapements”) is founded in Saint-Imier
• Société des Graveurs et Guillocheurs (“Society of Engravers and Guillocheurs”) is founded in Saint-Imier
• Société des Faiseurs de Ressorts (“Society of Springmakers”) is founded in Saint-Imier

• Société des Monteurs de Boîtes de Montres (“Society of Watch Case Assemblers”) is founded in Courtelary

• Association Monteurs de Boîtes (“Association of Watch Case Assemblers”) is established in Saint-Imier
• November 22 - Société des Ouvriers Faiseurs d'Échappements (“Society of Escapement Adjustment Workers”)

• October 15 - Union des Ouvriers Monteurs de Boîtes (“Union of Watch Case Assembly Workers”) is established in Porrentruy

• Société des Émailleurs (“Society of Enamelers”) is established in Courtelary

• October 31 - Fédération des Sociétés d'Horlogerie du Jura Bernois (“Horology Federation of the Bernese Jura”)
• November 6 - Fédération des Ouvriers Horlogers (“Federation of Horology Workers”) in Moutier

• January 23 - The Assembly of Watch Manufacturers meets in Biel decides to found the FH
• March 20 - Fédération des Ouvriers Repasseurs et Rémonteurs du Jura
• June 5 - The Assembly of Watch Manufacturers meets in Saint-Imier
• September 11 - Porrentruy watchmakers join the FH
• December 20 - Syndicat des Fabriques d'Ébauches Suisses & Françaises (“Syndicate of Ebauche Makers in Switzerland and France”) is founded in Moutier

• Syndicat des Fabricants de Montres (“Syndicate of Watch Makers”) is established

• December 14 - Syndicat des Fabriques d'Ébauches Suisses & Françaises (“Syndicate of Ebauche Makers in Switzerland and France”) is founded in Moutier

• Syndicat des Fabricants d'Horlogerie (“Syndicate of Watch Makers”)
• August 27 - Syndicat des Fabriques d'Ébauches des cantons de Berne et Soleure (“Syndicate of Ebauche Makers in Berne and Soleure”)

• May 27 - The Longines brand is registered in Switzerland by Ernest Francillon & Co. of Saint-Imier, establishing the first “marque de fabrique déposée” in watchmaking. Francillon had marked movements with “Longines” since at least 1869.
• The Colombe brand is registered by Alb. Jeanneret & Frères, also of Saint-Imier

• The Diana brand is registered by Alb. Jeanneret & Frères, making this the first two-marque company. They would add Pigeon later that year and Excelsior in 1894.

• Rodolphe Uhlmann of La Chaux-de-Fonds began using Colombia, creating an early brand conflict

• March 27 - The Longines brand is registered worldwide

• The Zenith brand is registered

• Indicateur Davoine lists 58 Swiss watch brands

• January 17 - Foundation of the Swiss Watch Federation

• The LeCoultre family form Société Anonyme de Produits Industriels et Commerciaux (SAPIC) as a holding company for their watch interests, including the Le Sentier watchmaking operation that would become Jaeger-LeCoultre

• Omega and Tissot form the SSIH, the industry's first large holding company.

• Lemania joins the SSIH. Lanco, Cortebert, Marc Favre, Hamilton, and others are added later
• Indicateur Davoine lists 77 Swiss watch brands

• ASUAG is formed by Ebauches SA, along with A. Schild, FHF, and AMSA

• Gebrüder Schild & Co is divided into two parts within ASUAG Watch production was reorganized as Eterna SA under General Watch Co., while the movement manufacture ETA SA Fabrique d'Ebauches (ETA) became part of Ebauches SA
• Fleurier Watch Co. is split, with movements going to Ebauches SA
• Auguste Reymond is split, with movements (Unitas) going to Ebauches SA and watches (ARSA) in ASUAG
• Manzoni, Moser, and ED Kummer become part of Ebauches SA
• Atlantic becomes part of ASUAG

• Peseux SA becomes part of Ebauches SA

• SAPIC purchases Etablissements Ed. Jawger, creating Jaeger-LeCoultre
• SAPIC and Vacheron & Constantin swap shares, effectively merging the companies

• Champagne becomes part of ASUAG

• Indicateur Davoine lists 93 Swiss watch brands

• Derby becomes part of Ebauches SA
• Precimax and Gigantic become part of ASUAG

• Glycine becomes part of ASUAG

• Valljoux SA becomes part of Ebauches SA

• Indicateur Davoine lists 177 Swiss watch brands

• Heuroplan is formed as a joint marketing organization for Cyma, Eska, Juvenia, Movado, and Nappey

• April 4 - The Coopérative de Fabricants Suisses d'Horlogerie is formed to help smaller watch producers compete with ASUAG and Ebauches SA
• Indicateur Davoine lists nearly 200 European watch brands

• Rayville joins the SSIH, including the Blancpain brand
• Manufactures d'Horlogerie Suisses Réunies SA (MSR) is founded by Roland Straumann of Revue Thommen and includes Vulcain, Buser, and Phenix

• Georges Ketterer trades his shares in SAPIC for control of subsidiary Vacheron & Constantin, leaving just a small stake connecting the company to Jaeger-LeCoultre, with the remaining holding company called SAPHIR
• The Coopérative de Fabricants Suisses d'Horlogerie launches the shared brand Jaquet-Droz, featuring watches produced by all 150 members

• ASUAG creates Chronos Holding SA, which took over the newly-defunct Cyma and Tavannes brands, as well as taking a stake in Gruen
• Venus is absorbed by Valjoux
• The American firm Hamilton purchases Büren of Switzerland
• Société Horlogeère de Production et de Participation SA (Sagiter) is formed, containing brands like Camy, Invicta, and Sandoz

• Ebauches SA creates Ebauches Electronic SA and begins production of quartz crystals, integrated circuits, and other electronic watch components
• Ebauches SA purchases SEFEA in Annemasse, France and Durowe of Pforzheim, Germany
• Economic Swiss Time Holding is formed as a federation of lower-priced Swiss watch manufacturers, including Agon, Basis, Buler, and Ferex

• ASUAG creates Pierre Holding SA in Bienne for member manufacturers of watch jewels
• Chronos Holding creates Synchron, which includes Cyma, Doxa, and Ernest Borel
• Société des Garde-Temps SA (SGT) is founded, containing Elgin, Fleurier Watch, Invicta, Sandoz, and Waltham

• The Favre family purchases SAPHIR, bringing Jaeger-LeCoultre and Favre-Leuba together under SAPHIR Group
• Movado and Zenith merge as Movado-Zenith
• Mondia is added to Movado-Zenith, becoming Movado-Zenith-Mondia
• The Coopérative de Fabricants Suisses d'Horlogerie is converted into Parsicor Holding, with 135 small watch makers as members, many producing watches under the shared Jaquet-Droz brand

• North American Watch Company acquires Concord after failing to buy Movado
• Indicateur Davoine lists over 1,400 European watch brands

• ASUAG begins the creation of General Watch Co. to manage production of complete watches. Seven companies are integrated, including Certina, Edox, Eterna, Mido, Oris, and Technos. Later in 1971, General Watch Co. adds Longines, owner of Record and Rotary
• Economic Swiss Time Holding is integrated into the SSIH, including AGON, Buler, Continental, and Ferex

• June - Zenith Radio Corp. purchases Movado-Zenith-Mondia

• May 16 - Hamilton is absorbed into the SSIH after the Büren brand was retired
• ASUAG's General Watch Co. expands with five more brands acquired

• Dixi Group purchases Movado-Zenith-Mondia from Zenith Radio Corp. Zenith and Movado become Zenith Movado Le Locle SA and Mondia is merged into Dixi
• VDO purchases IWC
• VDO acquires a 55% or 65% stake in Jaeger-LeCoultre from the SAPHIR Group; In the 1980s, Günter Blümlein purchases the 20% of Jaeger-LeCoultre owned by a Swiss bank and the 25% owned by Vacheron Constantin
• Benedom acquires the Favre-Leuba brand from SAPHIR Group
• Cyma is sold by Synchron and moved to the Doxa factory in Le Locle

• Cartier Monde is formed as a holding company for the various Cartier businesses
• ETA SA and A. Schild (AS) are merged to become the modern ETA (Fabrique d'Ebauches ETA. SA) and movement production is focused from 136 to just 40
• ASULAB SA is founded in Neuchâtel to coordinate industrial research for the group
• ASUAG becomes a majority shareholder in Statek Corporation USA, which produces quartz crystals and electronic components

• Management consultant Nicolas G. Hayek recommends that ASUAG and SSIH be combined and redundant components be spun out or shut down
• Synchron is sold by ASUAG, including Doxa, and Ernest Borel

• Jean-Claude Biver and Jacques Piguet purchase the Blancpain brand from SSIH
• Lemania is sold by SSIH to investors
• ETA is expanded to include ETA's Grenchen operations, FHF in Fontainemelon, EEM in Marin, SEFEA in Annemasse, France and Durowe of Pforzheim, Germany
• SAPHIR Group, owner of Jaeger-LeCoultre and part of VDO, purchases the watch and distribution rights of Jaeger of France

• Oris is reorganized and spun-out of ASUAG in a management buy-out
• Eterna is sold by ASUAG to PCW (Porsche Design)

• February - Zenith Movado Le Locle SA (part of Dixi Group) sells Movado to North American Watch Company
• May 23 - The merger of ASUAG and SSIH is announced in a press conference
• July 29 - Swiss banks take expand their stake in ASUAG from 38% to 97.5%
• December - ASUAG is merged with SSIH to become ASUAG-SSIH, predecessor to today's Swatch Group
• Edox is spun out of ASUAG in a management buy-out

• Arnault Group purchases Dior
• Auguste Reymond is spun out of ASUAG-SSIH in a management buy-out
• Investcorp acquires Tiffany for $95 million
• Swatch SA is formed as a joint venture with ETA under ASUAG-SSIH

• A massive reorganization of the Swiss watch industry results in the creation of SMH (Swiss Corporation for Microelectronics and Watchmaking Industries Ltd) as a holding company for ASUAG-SSIH and all of its components
• Roamer is spun out of ASUAG in a management buy-out

• VDO sells 40% of SAPHIR Group (owner of Jaeger-LeCoultre) to Audemars Piguet to raise money and strengthen ties with that brand

• LVMH is formed as Louis Vuitton and Moët Hennessy are combined
• All watchmaking components under Ebauches SA are reorganized under ETA
• Investcorp acquires Breguet from Chaumet
• Investcorp floats Tiffany shares in an IPO
• Investcorp purchases Chaumet out of bankruptcy amid a fraud case involving the Chaumet brothers

• April 26 - Cartier Monde acquires 60% of Piaget and Baume & Mercier
• Bernard Arnault's Arnault Group initiates a hostile takeover of LVMH, adding Dior to the group
• SMH divests its stake in France Ebauches
• Investcorp acquires half of Gucci
• Sowind Group is established by Luigi Macaluso as a distributor for Breitling, Girard-Perregaux, and Hamilton in Italy and soon purchased a minority stake in Girard-Perregaux

• Günter Blümlein and IWC begin working with Walter Lange to re-launch A. Lange & Söhne

• VDO's three watch companies (IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, and A. Lange & Söhne) are organized as Les Manufactures Horologes (LMH) under Blümlein
• VDO is acquired by Mannesmann, which also owns Jaeger
• SMH acquires Porta Micromechanic (PUW and Rowi) of Pforzheim and VEB Uhrenwerke Ruhla

• July - SMH acquires Blancpain and Frédéric Piguet
• Investcorp acquires Nouvelle Lemania as a movement partner for Breguet
• Sowind Group acquires a majority stake in Lorane Holding SA, owner of Girard-Perregaux

• Cartier Monde is renamed Vendôme Luxury Group and IPOs
• October - Richemont separates its tobacco interests into Rothmans International and its luxury goods business into Vendôme, including Baume & Mercier, Cartier, Alfred Dunhill, Montblanc, Piaget, Karl Lagerfeld, Chloé, Sulka, Hackett, and Seeger
• Investcorp acquires the remainder of Gucci

• Investcorp acquires Ebel from the founding family
• Roamer is purchased by Chung Nam
• Investcorp renews the Gucci manufacturing license amid much public drama

• July 30 - LVMH acquires Fred and Benedom, owner of Favre-Leuba and producer of Dior and Céline watches
• LVMH begins to acquire Gucci shares as a prelude to a hostile takeover
• March - LVMH acquires Céline
• Investcorp lists 48.2% of Gucci on the New York Stock Exchange

• April 15 - North American Watch Company is renamed Movado Group; the group owns the Concord, Esquire/ESQ, and Movado brands and controls distribution of Piaget and Corum
• December 12 - Vendôme acquires Vacheron Constantin
• Investcorp sells most of their shares in Gucci to the public

• Q1 - An internal audit recommends that Audemars Piguet divest of the 40% of Jaeger-LeCoultre it holds; Stephen Urquhart leaves Georges-Henri Meylan as sole CEO
• Vendôme acquires Officine Panerai and Lancel
• November 26 - Richemont announces that it will the remaining 30% of Vendôme
• Movado Group begins producing Coach brand watches under license

• February 19 - SMH is renamed Swatch Group on Nicolas Hayek's 70th birthday
• Richemont completes a 2-year plan to purchase the remainder of Vendôme and dissolves it
• Sowind Group's Lorane Holding, owner of Girard-Perregaux, buys the 45% of GP Manufacture owned by Bulgari

• February 4 - Vodafone acquires Mannesmann for $190 billion (the largest merger in history) and soon puts VDO (and LMH) up for sale
• PPR and LVMH bid for LMH
• Richemont negotiates with Audemars Piguet to purchase their 40% share of Jaeger-LeCoultre for CHF 280 million
• July 21 - Richemont announces the acquisition of LMH for CHF 2.8 billion
• September 10 - PPR reaches an agreement with LVMH to acquire its 34% stake in Gucci, ending a long battle for the company
• September 13 - LVMH acquires TAG Heuer for CHF 1.2 billion
• September 14 - Swatch Group acquires Breguet and Nouvelle Lemania from Investcorp as they exit the watch business
• October 20 - LVMH acquires Chaumet and Ebel from Investcorp for $460 million
• November 15 - LVMH acquires Zenith from Dixi Group
• Swatch Group acquires Léon Hatot
• Richemont acquires part of Van Cleef & Arpels
• Richemont begins divesting of Rothmans (tobacco)
• Movado Group begins producing Tommy Hilfiger brand watches under license

• April 25 - Swatch Group acquires Jaquet Droz
• October 9 - Swatch Group acquires Glashütte Original and Union Glashütte
• December - Gucci acquires Boucheron
• July - MSR, one of the longest-lasting independent groups, declares bankruptcy and puts the Marvin, Revue Thommen, and Vulcain brands up for sale
• LVMH recovers the Dior brand license

• November 12 - Fossil Group acquires Zodiac from Dixi, along with Synergies Horlogères, Meliga Habillement Horloger, and Montres Antima
• February - PPR's Gucci acquires 66.7% of Bottega Veneta; it acquired 11.8% more in July
• July - Gucci acquires 91% of Balenciaga
• Bankrupt MSR sells the Vulcain brand to PMH

• August 31 - LVMH launches Luis Vuitton Watches at its new Tokyo office
• MSR sells Marvin to Time Avenue

• March - LVMH sells the Favre-Leuba brand to Valentin; rumors suggest LVMH will exit the watch business completely
• December 23 - LVMH sells the Ebel brand to Movado Group for $47.3 million, keeping Ebel's “Private Label Development” arm and renaming it Les Ateliers Horlogers, a developer of high-end watch movements for Dior and others
• Richemont acquires the rest of Van Cleef & Arpels

• PPR acquires the final minority shares of Gucci
• December - Movado Group acquired the Boss watch license from Tempus Concept
• The bankrupt MSR licenses the Revue Thommen name to Grovana

• Richemont acquires the manufacture Minerva

• October 4 - Citizen Group acquires Bulova and Wittnauer for $250 million, their first acquisition outside Japan
• Fossil Group spins out part of Synergies Horlogères (including Antima)
• September 17 - Richemont acquires the manufacturing assets of Roger Dubuis; it would acquire majority control of the brand the following year

• August 11 - Richemont acquires 60% of the Roger Dubuis brand
• April 24 - LVMH re-commits to the luxury watch industry by purchasing Hublot for est. CHF 490 million, bringing Jean-Claude Biver to the company

• Roamer is reorganized by Chung Nam with Swiss Watch Group

• January - LVMH's Hublot acquires the assets of bankrupt high-end movement specialist BNB Concept

• March 5 - LVMH acquires Bulgari
• June 29 - China Haidian acquires Eterna, including the Porsche Design brand license, for $23 million
• July 4 - PPR acquires Sowind Group with Girard-Perregaux, JeanRichard, and GP Manufacture
• LVMH's Louis Vuitton acquires La Fabrique du Temps, successor to high-end movement specialist BNB Concept, which was purchased by the company a year earlier

• March 5 - Citizen Holdings acquires Prothor, owner of La Joux-Perret and Arnold & Son
• October 25 - MELB Holding is formed to acquire Hautlence
• Q3 - MELB Holding acquires H. Moser & Cie. and Precision Engineering AG
• Fossil Group acquires 51% of movement maker STP
• LVMH's Louis Vuitton acquires dial maker Léman Cadrans

• January 14 - Swatch Group acquires Harry Winston
• April 24 - China Haidian acquires Corum for CHF 86 million
• June 18 - PPR is renamed Kering

• April 14 - China Haidian acquires Dreyfuss Group (owner of Rotary) for HK 351 million
• July 2 - Synergies Horlogères, part owned by Fossil Group, merges with Christopher Ward to become Christopher Ward London Holdings
• July 7 - China Haidian is renamed Citychamp
• July 30 - Kering purchases Ulysse Nardin and places it under Sowind Group

• January 22 - Richemont acquires the remaining 40% of the Roger Dubuis brand it did not purchase in 2008
• May 26 - Citizen Holdings acquires Frederique Constant, including Alpina and Ateliers deMonaco

• November 25 - LVMH announces that it will acquire Tiffany €14.7 billion, though it would take two years to complete the deal

• January 7 - LVMH completes the acquisition of Tiffany at a lower price than announced two years earlier