Mont Blanc History

Founded by the stationer Claus-Johannes Voss, the banker Alfred Nehemias and the engineer August Eberstein in 1906, the company began as the Simplo Filler Pen company producing up-market pens in the Schanzen district of Hamburg. Their first model was the Rouge Et Noir in 1909 followed in 1910 by the pen that was later to give the company its new name, the Mont Blanc. The first pen (a fountain pen) known as the Meisterstück (English: "Masterpiece," the name used for export) was produced in 1925. Today the Montblanc brand is on other goods besides pens, including leather goods and eyewear.

The company was successful despite its founder, Eberstein, fleeing to the US to avoid prosecution for stealing company funds in 1909. In 1934 the company changed its name to Montblanc-Simplo GmbH, and introduced its first piston filler.

The company was acquired by Dunhill in 1977, following which lower price pens were dropped and the brand was used on a wide range of luxury goods other than pens. Today Montblanc forms part of the Richemont group. Its sister companies include luxury brands Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Chloé, and Baume et Mercier. Since 2000, Montblanc has manufactured all the components for Montegrappa and Cartier branded pens.  

Information supplied by wikipedia.org

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TW STEEL History

TW Steel started out in The Netherlands, led by its entrepreneurial CEO, Jordy Cobelens, who now aged just 27 finds himself spearheading one of the most exciting and innovative watch brands to hit the market in recent times.

A simple four-model collection in 2005 has quickly turned ‘The Watch in Steel’ into a breakout lifestyle brand with the range set to top 124 individual executions in 2009.

Being ‘Big in Oversized Watches’ is more than a mere strap line for the company though. The size of its watches form an essential part of TW Steel’s identity along with the unique use of stainless steel, all models being produced to Swiss quality standard.

It was an idea born out of the creative mind of Ton Cobelens, Jordy’s father, who leads the design process for each new timepiece, while the day-to-day running of the company is left to his son who, despite his age, boasts over a decade’s worth of experience in the watch business, having gained first-hand experience from the ground up in sales, marketing and distribution.

While the company enjoys a broad-reaching, affordable price-point, the strength of the design, combined with the overall look and feel of the product, has ensured TW Steel sits comfortably in high-end retail outlets enjoying its own unique appeal against more established, aspirational brands.

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Pandora History

Originally from Copenhagen, Denmark, Pandora Jewellery secured itself in Northern Europe before coming to the States. In 2002, Pandora Jewelelry made its first appearance into the North American jewellery industry. Inspired by Greek mythology, the Danish jewellery line combined versatility with fashion to establish the beloved charm and bead bracelets that are around today.

According to the Greek myth, Zeus wanted revenge on the god, Prometheus, for stealing fire from the immortals and giving it to the mortals. He ordered the god, Hephaestus, to create Pandora, the first woman and ordered the other gods to lavish her in a way that would entice mankind. Athena, the goddess of wisdom, gave Pandora clothes while Aphrodite, the goddess of love, gave her beauty. Necklaces, created by Hephaestus, were given to her by the Charites, goddesses of charm.

Zeus gave Pandora a box, which he forbade her to open, and then sent her down to Earth. In her creation, the first woman was given curiosity. As a result, Pandora was unable to withstand temptation. When she peered into the box, she released all of the troubles, such as disease and conflict, which would later afflict mankind. In the end, the only thing remaining in her box was hope.

Pandora Jewellery later utilized hope and inspiration as the main impetus behind the successful Pandora design. By offering women the opportunity to design their own jewellery, the Danish line encourages creativity and individuality. Today, the company is featured in magazines and in jewellery stores across the globe.

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Franck Muller History

He enters the famous Geneva School of Watch making in 1981. After 4 years of remarkable studies, he receives the highest distinction and prizes. Faithful to his independence of state and mind, he chooses the most difficult path: to create his own workshop instead of joining a brand or a group of watchmakers. It does not take long before his reputation is made: gifted by exception technical talent, auction houses and collectors from all over the world send him their treasures for restoration.

After a few years in this field, he starts the creation of unique timepieces under his own name. Throughout his studies and first years as a watch restorer, Franck Muller comes to a conclusion regarding the horology world: since XIXth century, few technical inventions have been developed and applied to wristwatches. Willing to change this situation, he decides to devote his work to the realization of unique timepieces, wristwatches to be specific, which offer the same level of technical feats as those presented in pocket watches. This prerogative becomes a goal that the young entrepreneur will always hold at hearth.

In 1983, after months of research and micro-mechanical tests, Franck Muller is proud to present his first wristwatches. They all present a complicated movement that has been entirely created by him. World Premiere Once a Year In 1992, the man that is now called by his peers the "watchmaking genius" has the privilege to see one of his models granted the exclusive title of "most complicated wristwatch in the world". This unique timepiece is forever in the history of Fine Watchmaking for never before has such a complicated wristwatch been made: Grande and Petite Sonnerie, Minute Repeater for the hours, quarters and minutes, a Perpetual Calendar programmed to the year 2100 with date, day of the week, month and monthly retrograde equation, leap-year cycle, 24-hour moon phase indicator, indicator of the internal temperature of the mechanism.

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Tag Heuer History

TAG Heuer carries within it the visionary genes of its founders Edouard Heuer and his sons Jules-Edouard and Charles-Auguste: entrepreneurship, innovation, an obsession with ultimate precision, and a deep love of prestigious sports.

From the oscillating pinion to the Mikrograph, the world’s first mechanical stopwatch accurate to 1/100th of a second, the foundations on which TAG Heuer has built its strength today were in place very early on. Ever since then - and without a doubt this is one of the brand’s great assets - men such as Charles-Edouard, Hubert and Jack Heuer, and more recently the contemporary management teams, have had the wisdom to build the brand’s strength around these central characteristics, to keep the focus of their efforts, on both product development and communication, within the framework established by our founding fathers.

Their DNA is unique; it was created in the late 19th century and continues to drive a substantial proportion of development in the early 21st century: The Calibre 360 launched in 2006 perpetuates the obsession with precision that resulted in the Mikrograph in 1916; while the TAG Heuer Formula 1 embodies the ultimate blend of prestige and performance, sport and glamour as the Olympic Games and greyhound races did in the 1920s.

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Raymond Weil History

The Geneva-based Brand belongs to the limited circle of Swiss watchmakers still in family hands. Today, the company continues to develop and consolidate its status among the leading names of the Swiss watch industry.

In 1976, in the middle of a watch industry crisis, Raymond Weil decided to found his own company. Carried along by both his enthusiasm and his experience, the founder of RAYMOND WEIL began by travelling the length and breadth of Europe and then the whole world. Step by step, he put together an international network. RAYMOND WEIL is currently a famous brand and one of the flagships of the Swiss watchmaking industry.

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Frederique Constant History

Already in the early 18th century, Genève became known as a major center for the creation and production of fine timepieces. Since then, the Genèvese watchmakers have risen to unparalleled heights in the Art of Horology. The first users of timekeepers were astronomers who were responsible for the most significant inventions: the pendulum clock and the watch balance spring. A Frédérique Constant is not just a luxurious timepiece. Behind it is an extensive creative process that involves an inspired design, smart development and unparalleled attention to detail. We invite you to look at the fine engravings and printing on our dials. We are also known for our delicate rounded cases that require many hours of hand polishing. Frédérique Constant’s signature is the Heart Beat.

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Trollbeads History

30 years ago people wore parka coats, and big hair was in. ABBA has just released "Arrival" and "Saturday Night Fever" was about to take the world.

1976 was between the hippie age and the disco era; political awareness was declining and the need for parties, dancing and good times was on the rise. And if you were "with it" you had a leather string around your neck. It was here, in this period, the first Trollbead made its entrance.

Even as a young silversmith, Soren Nielsen was well on his way with his works in the hobby-room in a cellar in Holte. He had created a small, refined pearl in silver from a wax model and oxidized and polished it until it was just right. Soren hit upon drilling a hole through the pearl and suddenly things fell into place. The very first Trollbead, "The Mask", was born. This bead can still be found in the collection by the way.

Five Beads followed "The Mask" (at first they were called Trollpearls) and made up the first ever collection. These pearls were not subject to effective marketing and flashy PR, however; they lived their quiet lives on the shelves of the father's jeweller’s shop in Klareboderne in Copenhagen. They were in Hibernation, but the customers gradually noticed them and began putting more and more pearls on the same string.

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Michel Herbelin History

Michel Herbelin founded his watch company in 1947 combining the principles of high quality watch making and technical reliability with elegance and good design. In 1972, Jean - Claude Herbelin, the son of the founder joined the company. With his team, he decided to adapt a new marketing approach by developing the creativity of the brand and proposing to position their high quality watches in the mid to upper section of the market.

Michel Herbelin carries on the finest watchmaking traditions, allying the latest technology with skills honed over the generations. Every Michel Herbelin creation is a unique piece featuring the very best swiss movements and the painstaking work of our master craftsmen.

Michel Herbelin has become the leader in France in its market segment. One in four watches sold in the same price bracket is a Michel Herbelin. Michel Herbelin is an international brand. Two thirds of production is sold in approximately 50 countries worldwide

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Rotary History

Since 1895, Rotary has been manufacturing stylish dress watches from both its Swiss and UK operations. As trends have changed over the years, so has the company. It was in 1895 that Moise Dreyfuss opened his factory in the Swiss town of La Chaux de Fonds. Demand for good value, quality merchandise ensured the business grew quickly.

1920s - Within twelve years, Georges and Sylvain Dreyfuss opened an office in Britain to import the family watches. The company continued to grow, and in 1925 they introduced the now famous Rotary logo, the 'winged wheel'.

1940 - Rotary appointed official watch supplier to the British Army.

1942 - Rotary launches its first automatic watch powered by the movement of the wearer's wrist.

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Citizen History

Our beginnings go back to 1924, when Citizen's forerunner, the Shokosha Watch Research Watch Institute produced its first pocket watch the "CITIZEN". The then Mayor of Tokyo, Mr Shimpei Goto, named the watch "CITIZEN" with the hope that the watch, a luxury item of those times, would become widely available to ordinary citizens and be sold throughout the world.

Time and again Citizen has pioneered groundbreaking technologies and helped to make watches an indispensable part of modern life. Introduced in 1956, Parashock was the first shock resistant watch made by a Japanese manufacturer. And three years later, Parawater was hailed as the country's first water resistant watch.

Citizen believes that delivering excellence is the key to building successful partnerships with retailers and consumers alike. Excellence in product, marketing and service is paramount, and the resources required to achieve excellence are viewed as investments, not costs.

Citizen looks forward to the challenges that the future will no doubt bring. Our guarantee is a commitment to continually strive and work towards an even more successful future for our retailers and consumers. Ready for further growth and progress, we are working harder than ever to explore new directions and contribute to changing lifestyles.

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