A Clear Path from Interest to Acquisition
Acquiring a dormant Swiss watch brand is a significant decision. We've structured our process to give you the information you need at each stage — without pressure, and without upfront cost until you're ready to go deeper.
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Brand Brief
Please share some details about your company and your acquisition objectives. Using our Brand Brief, you can outline your priorities, target markets, indicative acquisition budget and intended positioning. We will then assess whether SWB is the right partner to support your search and which opportunities may merit further consideration. This initial process is free of charge and without obligation.
Consultation Package
The Consultation Package, prepared after reviewing your Brand Brief, presents initial brand proposals tailored to your criteria and budget. Its fee is fully credited towards the purchase price if the purchase agreement is signed within three months.
For each brand under consideration, you receive:
• A summary of the documented brand history, with selected archival materials
• Product and market analysis
• Trademark status and geographical scope of protection
• A valuation rationale explaining the proposed purchase price
Acquisition
Once you have selected your brand, the Scope of Offer and Brand Dossier set out exactly what is included before you enter into the purchase agreement. Following signature of the purchase agreement, SWB undertakes the agreed research and documentation process, prepares the historical material for future relaunch purposes and handles the transfer of the trademark rights. The final documentation includes the completed historical dossier and the SWB Certificate of Authenticity.
BRAND IN THE SPOTLIGHT
A LEGACY OF WATCHMAKING INGENUITY
ESTABLISHED 1857 AND OPERATIONAL UNTIL 1982: 125 YEARS OF SWISS WATCHMAKING
In 1857, a young French entrepreneur established a watchmaking business in Biel, Switzerland, at just twenty-three. His first workshop was located in the emerging railway district, as the arrival of the railway began transforming the city into a major centre of Swiss watchmaking. That same year, he began a collaboration with another watchmaking family, initially entrusting them with specialised movement-finishing work — a relationship that would shape the company's history for generations.
The company distinguished itself through patented movements and complicated timepieces, particularly its innovative eight-day watches. An 1893 patent, also granted in Great Britain, introduced an ingenious arrangement of the mainspring barrel and gear train, combining extended running time with a compact construction. A documented example combines the patented eight-day movement design with a quarter-hour repeater, demonstrating its application in a particularly sophisticated timepiece.
Watches incorporating the patented eight-day movement have also been documented among timepieces retailed by Tiffany & Co. and Mappin & Webb, demonstrating its international reach. The same movement design was used by S. Smith & Sons (M.A.) Ltd, the distinguished British watchmaking firm and supplier to the Admiralty and the Indian Government. During the First World War, the firm incorporated this patented construction into Admiralty Mark II cockpit timepieces supplied to British naval aviation.
Tiffany & Co.-signed eight-day pocket watch with patented movement.
The company's technical ambitions extended well beyond its celebrated eight-day movements. In 1905, it jointly patented a chronograph featuring jumping minute and hour counters with Reymond Frères of the Vallée de Joux. Reymond Frères would later become Valjoux — one of the most influential names in the history of Swiss chronograph movements.
The company also received international recognition at the 1906 Milan International Exhibition, where gold medals were awarded to both the firm and a collaborator. By 1908, it was advertising patented double-counter chronographs, demonstrating the commercial application of its technical developments.
Innovation continued in 1915 with a patented mechanism allowing a watch to be wound and set by rotating its bezel. By the early 1920s, the company's range encompassed gold wristwatches, sophisticated repeating timepieces and specialised instruments for motoring and aviation.
Swiss patent drawing of a chronograph with jumping minute and hour counters, 1905.
Over the following decades, the relationship between the two watchmaking families developed into a close business partnership, culminating in the complete transfer of ownership and the consolidation of the company under a single brand in 1942. Its extensive range of wristwatches included elegant dress models and technically refined chronographs.
During the Second World War, the company also supplied military wristwatches to the German armed forces, including models bearing the distinctive “DH” (Dienstuhr Heer) case marking. These timepieces were intended for military use, where reliability, precision and durability were essential requirements.
Military wristwatch from the 1940s, with case marked “DH” (Dienstuhr Heer), supplied to the German armed forces.
In 1957, exactly a century after the company's founding, its owner jointly patented a dual-time watch with Frédéric Piguet of the renowned Le Brassus movement manufacture. The construction featured two independently adjustable pairs of hands, allowing two different time zones to be displayed and set independently.
The patented concept was subsequently incorporated into watches produced by the next generation of the watchmaking family, anticipating the growing popularity of dual-time wristwatches in the decades that followed. A surviving example features a dial combining Western and Eastern Arabic numerals for its two time displays, reflecting the company's longstanding commercial connections with the Middle East.
Dual-time wristwatch featuring four hands and Western and Eastern Arabic numerals, based on a patented construction from 1957.
By the mid-1950s, the company had established a presence in key international markets, including the Middle East, where its eight-day movements had reached customers decades earlier. Among the early exhibitors at the International Watch Fair in Basel, it regularly showcased its latest models and innovations.
Over the decades, the company had evolved from developing and manufacturing its own patented movements into an established Swiss watchmaking firm incorporating calibres from specialised movement manufacturers. This transition allowed it to combine its watchmaking heritage with advances in Swiss movement technology, offering timepieces that balanced technical sophistication with everyday reliability.
Its centenary collection reflected this approach. A 1957 anniversary model featured a 30-jewel Felsa automatic movement with power-reserve indication and calendar functions. Across its broader range, the company also employed movements from respected Swiss manufacturers such as A. Schild, Peseux and Valjoux, selected for their technical capabilities and suitability for different watch categories.
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Centenary advertisement, 1957: automatic wristwatch with a 30-jewel Felsa movement, power-reserve indicator and calendar.
The brand remained active until 1982, leaving a legacy of technical innovation, distinctive watchmaking and more than a century of Swiss horological heritage.
In 2027, the brand will mark 170 years since its founding — a compelling foundation for its revival.
Interested in this heritage? Contact SWB to discuss the opportunity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the trademark fully transferred or only licensed?
Every acquisition involves the full transfer of ownership of the trademark rights included in the offering — not a licensing arrangement. SWB generally offers trademarks that are free from existing licences, distribution agreements and other third-party rights. The exact rights and territorial scope included in the transfer, as well as any known relevant third-party arrangements or legal restrictions, are specified in the individual brand documentation.
Are the brands registered internationally or only in Switzerland?
This varies by brand. Some come with international (WIPO) protection already in place; others are offered with Swiss registration only, providing a documented basis for further filings in the buyer’s target markets. The territorial scope of the trademark rights is always specified clearly in the individual brand documentation.
Is there exclusivity once I express interest?
Once a brand enters into active negotiation with a prospective buyer, we do not offer it to other parties. Where more time is needed, a reservation period can be agreed against a fee. Both the reservation fee and the Consultation Package fee are fully credited towards the purchase price, provided the purchase agreement is signed within three months of receiving the Consultation Package, or within an agreed reservation period.
What exactly is included in the Consultation Package?
For each brand under consideration, the Consultation Package includes a summary of the brand’s documented history, featuring selected archival materials, together with product and market analyses. You also receive information on the trademark status and geographical scope of protection, as well as a valuation rationale explaining the proposed purchase price.
Is the Consultation Package fee credited towards the purchase price?
Yes, in full, provided the purchase agreement is signed within three months of receiving the Consultation Package, or within an agreed reservation period. After this, the fee is no longer credited and is non-refundable. Please note that brands presented in the Consultation Package are not reserved and may be acquired by other parties in the meantime, unless a specific brand enters into active negotiation with you.