Revue Thommen

Revue Thommen's origins trace to 1853 when the town of Waldenburg, Switzerland founded Société d'Horlogerie à Waldenbourg to create employment after losing economic significance due to the new Basel-Olten-Geneva railway. In 1859, entrepreneurs Gédéon Thommen and Louis Tschopp acquired the company. When Tschopp departed in 1869, Gédéon Thommen became sole owner, renaming it Gédéon Thommen's Uhrenfabriken. By 1905, it transformed into Revue Thommen AG as a joint-stock company. The aviation chapter began in 1916 when Revue Thommen created its first aircraft chronograph for the Swiss Air Force. From 1936-1943, the company produced cockpit instrumentation including altimeters, airspeed indicators, and landing gear components for Swiss military aircraft. The brand also supplied the Wehrmacht during WWII under the Revue-Sport name. In 1947, Waldenburg watchmakers developed the famous 'Cricket' alarm watch, worn by several American presidents. The company continued developing in-house movements (GT44, GT54, GT56, GT12, GT14) throughout the 20th century. The MSR Holding era united Revue with Vulcain, Buser Phenix, and Marvin brands. In 2000, the watch business was licensed to Grovana while Revue Thommen AG focused on aviation instruments. A pivotal moment came in 2012 when GT Thommen Watch AG was established by Andreas Thommen (fifth-generation) and partners, acquiring the watch brand IP rights. Since 2021, the company continues under Thommen family leadership, maintaining the tradition of robust Swiss mechanical watches.