In 1833 Antoine LeCoultre (1803-1881) founded a small workshop, which was to become the Manufacture Jaeger-LeCoultre.

In 1844, LeCoultre measured the micron (?) for the first time; he created the world’s most precise measuring instrument, the millionometer (a device capable of measuring to the nearest thousandths of a millimeter).

In 1847, LeCoultre created a revolutionary system that eliminated the need for keys to rewind and set watches. A push-piece activated a lever to change from one function to another.

In 1851 at the first Universal Exhibition in London, LeCoultre was awarded a gold medal in recognition of his collective works in the fields of precision and mechanization.

Elie LeCoultre, Antoine’s son understood that it was necessary to control all the different stages of manufacturing and assembly. In 1866 he transformed his workshop into a ‘Manufacture’. Under one roof, his employees were to pool their know-how, enabling them to meet the most incredible challenges. In 1870 LeCoultre & Cie manufactured the components of complicated movements using mechanized processes. Within 30 years, thanks to the marriage of hand and machine, the Manufacture created more than 350 different calibers of which 128 were equipped with chronograph functions and 99 with repeater mechanisms.

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MD: Stefano, can you describe your role at Girard-Perregaux and tell us what areas you oversee?

SM: That is the one billion-dollar question! (laughing) I have three main roles inside Girard-Perregaux. First, I’m involved in product design. Second, I am responsible for the global Girard-Perregaux corporate image including our retail concept. And third, I am in charge of the BMW-Oracle Racing partnership. From the relationship with the Challenge to the design of limited editions dedicated to our America’s Cup partnership. In general, I’m working on keeping the brand image and the design consistent in different fields. We have a clear vision of what makes Girard-Perregaux and pay close attention to our brand’s integrity.

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Largely perceived as a women’s brand in recent past, Ebel is taking a stab at the men’s mechanical watch market under the leadership of its new brand president Thomas van der Kallen.

As we greet the return of an estranged friend – with open arms and a pinch of doubt, followed by delight as we discover each defining characteristic intact – so we applaud Ebel’s return to the men’s mechanical watch arena. Under LVMH ownership between 1999 and 2003, the brand was slung towards the fashion end of the watch business, and in that time, it had come to be known largely as a maker of women’s watches, in particular steel watches with diamonds. Not a bad thing, if it hadn’t lost a fair chunk of its heritage in men’s watches in the process. That is about to change, we expect. Now owned by US-based Movado Group and led by its new brand president Thomas van der Kallen, Ebel is shifting gears, aligning its focus, staging a comeback in men’s mechanical watches. The chosen champion in this quest is the 1911 BTR collection of men-only watches, boasting proprietary mechanical movements, useful complications (GMT, perpetual calendar, chronograph) and most important of all, signature style of original 1911, in edgier dress for today’s market. Thomas van der Kallen speaks to REVOLUTION about the new Ebel, and how the watchmaker plans to reclaim its place in the male psyche, borne on the legitimacy and iconic design of the re-born 1911.

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The LM-3 is the third watch released by the Ocean7 Watch Company. For those unfamiliar with this new player in the watch world, Ocean7 was founded last year with the goal of designing and building world-class watches with the assistance and advice from enthusiasts worldwide. According to their website, their “mission is to provide innovative products in niche markets with the highest quality manufactured watches at prices that can be achieved only by selling direct to consumers over the Internet.” Their first watch was the LM-1 Limited Edition. Made in an edition size of 150, the LM-1 quickly found a strong following with it’s over the top styling and impressive build quality. Sadly the LM-1 L.E. has now sold out and will not be available in the future. Ocean7 offers two different lines, within it’s brand, to it’s customers. The first are watches in the LM series. The LM watches are always Swiss Made featuring custom designs. While the entry level line is the G series which offers lower priced models that still meet a high level of quality but may not be exclusive to the Ocean7 line up or Swiss made. The price of the LM-3 starts at $699.

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Watch and consumer fashion firm Fossil (Nasdaq: FOSL) provided investors with good news last week, announcing it is now current in its financial filings and the SEC doesn’t plan any “enforcement action” as a result of an ongoing stock options investigation. The company is up to report second-quarter results tomorrow as it returns focus to growing its business. Below is what to expect.

What analysts say:

* Buy, sell, or waffle? Six analysts currently follow FOSL. Three are bullish while the rest have a hold rating on the stock.

* Revenues. Analysts on average expect $294.4 million in second-quarter sales, or approximately 14% ahead of last year’s second-quarter sales amount.

* Earnings. Analysts project a quarterly earnings of $0.20, or about 25% growth over last year’s quarter.

What management says:

Back when Fossil released first-quarter results, it said it expected “net sales growth in the lower double-digit range for the remainder of fiscal year 2007.” It is also projecting an improvement in gross margins from last year and plans on providing earnings estimates again once it finalizes the internal stock-options investigation.

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One of the folks at the WatchUSeek Forum has been given a tour of the Prim factory! He posted some nice pictures… Enjoy his review!

I visited the Prim watch factory in the Czech Republic this February. I know it has been a little while but I took good notes and have some pictures to share with you.

Mr. Jan Prokop, the commercial Director for Prim, communicated with me to setup the factory visit and agreed to pick me up from my hotel in Prague. His sales associate Mr. Tomáš Bouška joined us as well and gave me a great history of Prim as well as Czech life.

Prim factory is located about 1.5 hours drive from Prague in the gorgeous town of Nové M?sto nad Metují also known as Czech Bethlehem.

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Swatch reported an almost 40 percent rise in first-half net profit amid booming sales of luxury watches and warned that strong demand in the second half could outstrip production.

Shares in the world’s biggest watchmaker rose on Tuesday after it beat expectations with net profit of 460 million Swiss francs ($385.3 million) for the first six months.

“Overall consensus now looks clearly too low for the year, and we anticipate a slew of upgrades on the stock during the session,” said Kepler Equities analyst Jon Cox, who has a “buy” rating on the stock and a target price of 420 francs.

Swatch registered shares were up 2.9 percent at 350 francs by 0812 GMT, compared with a 0.7 percent decline in the Swiss benchmark index.

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The great debate, which, under pressure from the barons of timekeeping, has just begun regarding a reformed definition of ‘Swiss Made’ leading to stricter requirements, is going to weigh heavily on the industry’s suppliers.

Called, up to now, watchmaking’s ‘annex branches’, similar to the secondary branches of a tree, the sup-pliers currently run the risk of finding themselves as the main trunk of the watch tree. We know that they are being smothered with orders and that they are trying hard to satisfy them all. In addition, they are also the coveted prey in a frantic race towards industrial verticalization by many brands seeking to establish their independence. All of a sudden, the number of ‘bottlenecks’ in the supply chain has grown considerably in an increasingly nervous environment.

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Actively involved in golf since 1988 alongside Nick Faldo, the Manufacture Audemars Piguet is proud to have Cristie Kerr as one its ambassadors. The talented young golfer has just added a new victory to her impressive tally by winning the Ladies’ US Open 2007, on July 1st.

To celebrate this magnificent victory, Cristie Kerr paid a visit to Audemars Piguet’s New York City flagship boutique on Thursday July 5th, with trophy in hand.

Audemars Piguet is a long-time supporter of Cristie’s and was proud to welcome her back to New York City after her big weekend at Pine Needles. The brand shares essential values with the young champion, including a constant quest for perfection, concern for details, and patience dedicated to the cause of excellence.

AP Watches

The Movado Group, a watchmaker based in Paramus, N.J., said yesterday that it had agreed to buy Ebel, a Swiss luxury watchmaker, from LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton of France for $47.3 million in cash. Ebel, which makes watches priced up to $10,000 each, is expected to generate about $65 million in net sales in calendar 2003. Its brands include Beluga and Classic Wave. Richard Cote, Movado’s chief operating officer, said that integrating Ebel would initially reduce earnings by 10 to 20 cents a share for the year ending Jan. 1, 2005. The company said it expected the transaction to increase earnings in fiscal 2006.

The Movado Group sells popular Movado Watches

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