{"id":1099,"date":"2017-08-05T02:34:25","date_gmt":"2017-08-05T02:34:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swisswatchexpo.com\/TheWatchClub\/?p=1099"},"modified":"2023-02-24T08:08:13","modified_gmt":"2023-02-24T08:08:13","slug":"how-world-famous-watch-brands-got-their-names","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swisswatchexpo.com\/thewatchclub\/2017\/08\/05\/how-world-famous-watch-brands-got-their-names\/","title":{"rendered":"How Famous Watch Brands Got their Names"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Most of today\u2019s best-known watch brands<\/a> are centuries old, so\u00a0when we think of them, we rarely think about how they got their names. And yet, there is usually a fascinating story behind each one.<\/p>\n

A true-blue fan of a brand would know its origins \u2013 and that includes how it came to be known by its world-famous name today.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Here’s a quick insight into the world’s finest:<\/div>\n
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\"RolexROLEX<\/strong><\/div>\n
When the company\u00a0was founded in 1905, it\u00a0was named\u00a0Wilsdorf and Davis<\/em>, after its founders\u00a0brothers-in-law\u00a0Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred James Davis. But Wilsdorf wanted his watches to bear a brand name that was easy to recall and pronounce, and which would look good on watch dials. Based on his memoir, he was on a double-decker bus when \u201ca good genie whispered\u201d to him a \u201cshort yet significant word\u201d: Rolex.<\/div>\n
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pictured:\u00a0Rolex Submariner<\/a> Steel 18K Yellow Gold Black Dial Watch<\/a><\/div>\n
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\"\u00a0CartierCARTIER<\/strong><\/div>\n
Founder\u00a0Louis-Francois Cartier began his career at age 28, after apprenticing at the workshop of renowned watchmaker\u00a0Adolphe Picard in 29 Rue Montorgueil, Paris. He took over Picard’s workshop in 1847 and founded Maison de Cartier. His three sons would take over in 1874, and the company would remain company-owned until 1972, when it was brought by\u00a0Joseph Kanoui.<\/div>\n
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pictured:\u00a0Cartier Tank Anglaise Steel Automatic Large Mens Watch<\/a><\/div>\n
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\"OmegaOMEGA<\/strong><\/div>\n
The company was launched by Louis Brandt\u00a0in 1848\u00a0and was then named\u00a0La Generale Watch Co.<\/em>\u00a0When Louis’ two sons took over, they developed a revolutionary in-house production control system which\u00a0allowed the parts to be interchangeable. The new watches<\/a> created under this system were sold under the new brand “Omega”, the last letter of the Greek alphabet, which also symbolizes perfection.<\/div>\n
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pictured:\u00a0Omega Speedmaster Chronograph Black Dial Mens Watch<\/a><\/div>\n
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\"TagTAG HEUER<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
Edouard\u00a0Heuer founded the company in 1860 as the\u00a0Heuer\u00a0Watch<\/a> Company<\/em>.\u00a0In the decades that followed, it built a reputation for precision timekeeping in sports, and for auto racing in particular.\u00a0In 1985,\u00a0TAG Group (Holdings) S.A. acquired the company, and merged their\u00a0names.\u00a0TAG is an abbreviation for ‘Techniques d\u2019Avant Garde’\u00a0<\/span>which roughly translates to “new or\u00a0forward looking techniques”.<\/div>\n
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pictured:\u00a0Tag Heuer Grand Carrera GMT Chrono Mens Watch<\/a><\/div>\n
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\"PatekPATEK PHILIPPE<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
Polish Antoni Patek began his career in 1839, making pocket watches in Geneva with fellow Polish Franciszek Czapek. When their partnership ended in 1844, Patek partnered with French watchmaker Adrien Philippe, creator of the keyless winding mechanism. Under\u00a0Patek Philippe & Co<\/em>, they went on to popularize the chronograph, perpetual calendar, split-seconds hand, and minute repeater in watches, and is now the world’s most sought after watch brand<\/a>.<\/div>\n
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pictured:\u00a0Patek Philippe Calatrava Porcelain Dial 18k Yellow Gold Watch<\/a><\/div>\n
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\"IWCIWC<\/strong><\/div>\n
IWC stands for “International Watch Company”. The company was founded in 1868 by\u00a0Florentine Ariosto Jones, a watchmaker from Boston. He established the company in\u00a0Schaffhausen, Switzerland\u00a0with the vision of combining Swiss craftsmanship with American\u00a0modern engineering technology in order to create high quality watches for the American market.<\/div>\n
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pictured:\u00a0IWC Portuguese Chrono Manual Stainless Steel Mens Watch<\/a><\/div>\n
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AUDEMARS PIGUET<\/strong><\/a>\"\u00a0Audemars<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
The company is named after founders\u00a0Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet, who are said to be the Lennon and McCartney of horology.\u00a0Audemars would create the raw components for the timepieces, while Piguet served as the\u00a0repasseur,\u00a0<\/em>who performs the final inspection on a watch.\u00a0The Swiss craftsmen founded the company in 1875, and went on to produce numerous technical innovations in watchmaking such as the first minute repeater watch.<\/div>\n
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pictured:\u00a0Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Safari Watch<\/a><\/div>\n
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JAEGER LECOULTRE<\/strong>\"Jaeger<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n
In 1833, Antoine Lecoultre founded a small\u00a0watchmaking workshop in Switzerland. By the 1900s, the family-run business\u00a0would have created over 350 calibres, and begin producing movement parts\u00a0for Patek Philippe.\u00a0In 1903, French watchmaker\u00a0Edmond Jaeger was looking for\u00a0Swiss manufacturers to\u00a0produce the ultra-thin movements that he invented. Antoine\u2019s grandson\u00a0Jacques-David\u00a0accepted the challenge, and would lead to the company officially being named Jaeger Lecoultre in 1937.<\/div>\n
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pictured:\u00a0Jaeger Lecoultre Reserve De Marche Steel Watch<\/a><\/div>\n
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SEE MORE OF THE WATCHES IN OUR VIDEO:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

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