{"id":24432,"date":"2023-12-13T01:54:19","date_gmt":"2023-12-13T06:54:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.watchtime.com\/wristwatch-industry-news\/breitling-just-announced-the-acquisition-of-universal-geneve\/"},"modified":"2023-12-13T01:54:19","modified_gmt":"2023-12-13T06:54:19","slug":"breitling-just-announced-the-acquisition-of-universal-geneve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pureluxurymag.com\/watchnews\/breitling-just-announced-the-acquisition-of-universal-geneve\/","title":{"rendered":"Breitling Just Announced the Acquisition of Universal Gen\u00e8ve"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a rather unexpected strategic move, Breitling announced today that it aims to restore the prestige of the historical brand name in the world of luxury watches \u2013 something that many collectors (and watch industry executives) have been wanting to see happen for quite some time. <\/p>\n

Even though there obviously is a huge potential for synergies, especially when it comes to chronograph watches, Universal Gen\u00e8ve<\/strong> will be, according to the press release sent out today, \u201coperated as a separate maison by a dedicated team,\u201d<\/em> which is de facto also catapulting Breitling to the level of a watchmaking group:<\/p>\n

\u201cAs excited as we are, we are also fully aware of the task at hand and the profound heritage we are set to uphold,\u201d<\/em> stated Georges Kern, CEO of Breitling. \u201cUniversal Gen\u00e8ve was once hailed as the couturier of watchmaking, renowned for its in-house movements and mythical models. It is a brand that watch enthusiasts have dreamed of seeing make a permanent comeback,\u201d<\/em> said Alfred Gantner, Co-Founder of Partners Group and Chairman of the Breitling board. \u201cRebuilding a brand with such a rich narrative is not a quick endeavor \u2014 it is a meticulous labor of love that we anticipate will unfold over the coming years. A dedicated team will be brought on board to allow Breitling and Universal Gen\u00e8ve to operate as separate maisons,\u201d<\/em> explained Georges Kern.<\/p>\n

Founded in 1894, Universal Gen\u00e8ve rose to prominence through the early to mid-20th century with their innovative designs and technical prowess (like the Compax chronograph in the late 1930s). However, the advent of the quartz crisis significantly challenged the company, marking a shift in its trajectory. <\/p>\n

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\u201cIt is a brand that watch enthusiasts have dreamed of seeing make a permanent comeback\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Alfred Gantner, Co-Founder of Partners Group and Chairman of the Breitling board<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Since 1989, it had been owned by the Hong Kong based Stelux Group, which actively maintained its legacy. \u201cWe are convinced that Breitling is best positioned to take Universal Gen\u00e8ve to the next level, as it has so successfully done with its own marque,\u201d<\/em> said Joseph Wong, Chairman and CEO of Stelux Group. \u201cWhen stewarding a maison d\u2019horlogerie of this stature, preserving its heritage is a topmost concern. The management at Breitling has demonstrated that it is 100 percent committed to ensuring that Universal Gen\u00e8ve lives on, not just in name but in spirit.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Follow this link to read the full press release<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a rather unexpected strategic move, Breitling announced today that it aims to restore the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24433,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1107,1108],"tags":[1111,1112,1113],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pureluxurymag.com\/watchnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24432"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pureluxurymag.com\/watchnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pureluxurymag.com\/watchnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pureluxurymag.com\/watchnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pureluxurymag.com\/watchnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24432"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pureluxurymag.com\/watchnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24432\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pureluxurymag.com\/watchnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pureluxurymag.com\/watchnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pureluxurymag.com\/watchnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24432"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pureluxurymag.com\/watchnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}