Carl F. Bucherer

Founded in 1888 by Carl Friedrich Bucherer in Lucerne, Switzerland, the company began as a boutique selling watches and jewelry. Carl Friedrich was an early adopter of the wristwatch strap, then a revolutionary concept. In 1919, the brand launched its first ladies' watch collection in art deco style. By 1948, the focus shifted to sporty chronographs with prominent date displays. The company became one of Switzerland's top three certified chronometer producers by 1968, having manufactured around 15,000 high-precision timepieces. In 1969, Carl F. Bucherer joined a Swiss consortium developing the Beta 21, the first quartz movement for wristwatches. Jörg G. Bucherer, representing the third generation, assumed leadership in 1976. The brand was repositioned in 2001 with the launch of the Patravi collection. A pivotal moment came in 2007 with the acquisition of Techniques Horlogères Appliquées in Sainte-Croix, enabling in-house movement development. This led to the groundbreaking CFB A1000 caliber in 2008—the first reliably functioning automatic movement with a peripherally mounted power source in series production. Subsequent innovations include the CFB T3000 with a floating peripheral tourbillon (2018) and the CFB MR3000 featuring a peripheral minute repeater (2021). In August 2023, the Bucherer family sold the company to Rolex after 135 years of family ownership, making it one of the longest continuously family-held Swiss luxury watchmakers.