Breitling Has Bought Watchmaker Universal Genève for P3.8 Billion

It’s the hottest acquisition in the watchmaking industry this year. 

Watchmaker Breitling has acquired Universal Genève in a deal reportedly worth CHF60 million (about P3.8 billion). It is Breitling’s first-ever major acquisition. Universal Genève, which is turning 130 years by next year, is a Swiss manufacture that has produced movements for several Geneva-based Swiss luxury watch brands and is credited for creating the first-ever chronograph in 1917.

The deal makes Breitling a watchmaking group competing with the giants of the Swiss watchmaking industry such as the Swatch group and Richemont, which both have multiple brands under their respective portfolios. 

Breitling said that the acquisition marks a new chapter for a brand renowned for its horological artistry and innovation. “As excited as we are, we are also fully aware of the task at hand and the profound heritage we are set to uphold,” said Georges Kern, CEO of Breitling, in a statement. 

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“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,” said Alfred Gantner, co-founder of Partners Group and chairman of the Breitling board. 

“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. A dedicated team will be brought on board to allow Breitling and Universal Genève to operate as separate maisons,” Kern added.

Universal Genève was founded in 1894, and, within two decades grew in prominence with their innovative designs and technical prowess. In the 1920s, the company was known for elegant women’s cocktail watches and innovative men’s jewelry timepieces, including the reversible Cabriolet. By the 1940s, the brand was at the forefront of chronograph innovation, creating a variety of its Compax chronographs with manufacture movements, and created the legendary Tri-Compax full calendar watch that was launched to celebrate the brand’s 50th anniversary.

In the 1960s Universal Genève relaunched its Compax series as sports watches, including the collectors’ favorite “Nina Rindt” chronograph and full-calendar Tri-Compax “Eric Clapton,” as a tribute to its famous owners. In 1966, Universal Genève created the world’s flattest automatic movement with its Golden Shadow model. 

The advent of the quartz industry in the 1970s negatively affected and challenged the company. It was then bought by the Hong Kong based Stelux Group in 1989 until its acquisition by the Breitling Group.

“We are convinced that Breitling is best positioned to take Universal Genève to the next level, as it has so successfully done with its own marque,” said Joseph Wong, chairman and CEO of Stelux Group. “When stewarding a maison d’horlogerie 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 Genève lives on, not just in name but in spirit.”

Both Breitling and Universal Genève were fierce competitors in the field of making fine chronograph watches, and with this acquisition, continues to honor a mutual history of ingenuity and maintain its own sense of individuality.

“This revival is a dream turned into a vision,” Kern elaborated. “It’s a process we are embarking on with the utmost respect and dedication with the aim of seeing Universal Genève restored to its rightful place in watchmaking.” Breitling, just founded 10 years earlier in 1884, is renowned for its high-precision timepieces, development of the wrist chronograph, and an uncompromising commitment to design excellence.