Breitling Just Bought a 129-Year-Old Watch Brand
Universal Genève is a collectors’ favorite that’s been around since 1894.

Breitling announced the surprise acquisition via press release Tuesday, with CEO Georges Kern stating, “As excited as we are, we are also fully aware of the task at hand and the profound heritage we are set to uphold. Rebuilding a brand with such a rich narrative is not a quick endeavor—it is a meticulous labor of love that we anticipate will unfold over the coming years.”
The cost of the acquisition was not disclosed in the release but a filing by Stelux Holdings International Ltd., the Hong Kong-based company that owns Universal Genève, shows Breitling paid 60 million Swiss francs ($69 million) for Universal Genève.
According to an online history of the brand, Universal Genève was founded on Jan. 18, 1894, in LeLocle, Switzerland, as Universal Watch.
The name was changed to Universal Genève in 1937, several years after its operations were consolidated and moved to one city, Geneva, in order to save money and weather the Great Depression.
Key watches produced by the 129-year-old brand include the “Cabriolet” (1927), a reversible watch that pre-dated Jaeger LeCoultre’s “Reverso” by four years; the “Compur,” the world’s first two-pusher chronograph, which the brand introduced at the 1934 Baselworld show; and the “Tri-Compax,” a triple calendar chronograph with moonphase, debuted at Baselworld in 1944.
The Tri-Compax became Universal Genève’s best-selling watch; one was given to President Harry Truman at The Potsdam Conference in 1945.
Patek Philippe distributed Universal Genève watches in the United States in the 1940s, and its timepieces remained popular until the “quartz crisis” in the 1970s, when mechanical watch sales fell off worldwide.
Stelux Holdings bought the company in 1989.
According to a Breitling spokesperson, Universal Genève still makes a limited number of watches and provides after-sales service, though distribution currently is limited to a few Asian countries: Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, China, and Malaysia.
Its vintage models remain popular with collectors, selling on secondhand watch websites like Analog:Shift for anywhere between $1,550 and nearly $40,000.
The brand’s potential comeback is creating a buzz in the watch world.
Alfred Gantner, co-founder of Partners Group—which is Breitling’s largest shareholder—and chairman of the Breitling board, said: “Universal Genève 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.”
CEO Kern said Breitling will be hiring a dedicated team for Universal Genève so that Breitling and Universal Genève can operate as separate maisons.
No further details on Breitling’s sales strategy for the brand are currently available.
The Latest

Plus, parent company Saks Global announces plans to cut ties with up to 600 vendors.

Peter Smith joined Michelle Graff to chat about the state of brick-and-mortar stores and share a few book and podcast recommendations.

The necklace features a candy-colored Australian white opal in 18-karat Fairmined gold, as the brand was named a Fairmined ambassador.

Gain access to the most exclusive and coveted antique pieces from trusted dealers during Las Vegas Jewelry Week.

Sponsored by the Las Vegas Antique Jewelry and Watch Show


A private American collector purchased the 10-carat fancy vivid blue diamond.

The designer has taken the appeal of freshly picked fruit and channeled it into a capsule collection of earrings, necklaces, and pendants.

Supplier Spotlight Sponsored by GIA

The country’s gem and jewelry exports fell 5 percent year-over-year last month, while imports declined 18 percent.

Around 54 million Americans and counting live with a disability. Here’s how to make your jewelry store and website more accessible.

The event is also accepting poster submissions now through June 16.

Before Pope Leo XIV was elected, a centuries-old procedure regarding the late pontiff’s ring was followed.

The one-of-a-kind platinum Rolex Cosmograph Daytona was estimated to fetch up to $1.7 million.

While the product has entrenched itself in the market, retailers and consultants are assessing the next phase of the category’s development.

The police are trying to identify the man suspected of robbing two Tiffany & Co. locations in the area.

The well-known Maine jeweler takes over for Brian Fleming and will serve a one-year term.

The donation was the result of the brand’s annual Earth Day Ingot event.

Located in NorthPark Center, the revamped store is nearly 2,000 square feet larger and includes the first Tudor boutique in Dallas.

The nonprofit has made updates to the content in its beginner and advanced jewelry sales courses.

BIJC President Malyia McNaughton will shift roles to lead the new foundation, and Elyssa Jenkins-Pérez will succeed her as president.

As a nod to the theme of JCK Las Vegas 2025, “Decades,” National Jeweler took a look back at the top 10 jewelry trends of the past 10 years.

The company plans to halt all consumer-facing activity this summer, while Lightbox factory operations will cease by the end of the year.

Following weekend negotiations, the tax on Chinese goods imported into the United States will drop by 115 percent for the next 90 days.

“Artists’ Jewelry: From Cubism to Pop, the Diane Venet Collection” is on view at the Norton Museum of Art through October.

The deadline to submit is June 16.

Moti Ferder stepped down Wednesday and will not receive any severance pay, parent company Compass Diversified said.

Lichtenberg partnered with luxury platform Mytheresa on two designs honoring the connection between mothers and daughters.