Arcadia Watches
 | This articlecontains content that is written likean advertisement.(April 2012) |
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Watch manufacturing |
| Founded | Fleurier, Switzerland (1858) |
| Founder | Claude Sanz |
| Headquarters | Geneva ,Switzerland |
Key people | Richard Baldwin(CEO) |
| Products | Wrist watches |
Arcadia Watchesis a Swiss brand ofluxury watches[1]established in 1858. In 1968, the brand ceased due to a decline caused by the introduction ofquartzmovements.[2]It was relaunched in 2007 by Claude Sanz, owner and President of Maison Bunter based inGeneva,and the first new Arcadia watch, the AC01, entered the market in 2010.[1]
History
[edit]The Arcadia brand originated inFleurier,a small village in Val-de-Travers region of theCanton of Neuchâtelin Switzerland. Watchmaker Jules-Samuel Jequier was born in 1835 inFleurierand joinedBovetafter training as a jewel-cutter and quickly climbed up the company ladder. In 1858, he founded Arcadia and positioned it as the top-of-the-line watchmaker among the five watchmaking brands of the Fleurier Watch Company, a manufacturer established in 1915. The company specialized in jewel cutting and designing watch calibers and had federated watchmaking farmers into working cooperatively with each other. Fleurier Watch Company supplied movements for over a century to many watch brands.[1]
While Arcadia had started off producingmovements,it followed several years later with a watch line. Arcadia was in fact one of the earliest brands to sell its watches around the world, includingChinaandSouth America,and it was anavant-gardebrand[2]that became the flagship of the Fleurier Watch Company.[1]
The brand sold watches until 1968, when, like many othermechanical watchcompanies, the advent of inexpensive quartz models led to its demise.[3]
Rebirth
[edit]In 2007, Claude Sanz re-launched the brand. Sanz is the President and owner of the jewellery watch house[1]in Bunter SA, based in a 17th-century farmhouse just outside Geneva.[2]Claude is a trainedgeologistandmineralogist,a self-taughtwatchmakerand a 33-year watch industryveteran.
Bunter SA, works behind the scenes for companies that customize gem-set high-complication mechanical watches for some of the watch industry’s most prestigious brands. Bunter is responsible for the invisibly set baguettediamondwatches that are exhibited at everyBaselFair. Sanz bought the Arcadia brand several years ago, and it was the enthusiasm of a few friends and his own team at Bunter that in 2007 set the wheels of rebirth in motion.[2]The relaunch of Arcadia has led to it restarting the Flourier Watch Company, which is temporarily based in Geneva with all movements assembled there.[4]
All sixty of Bunter’s employees worked on the first Arcadia watch, the AC01chronograph,at different times for a few hours per day performing varied watchmaking crafts, such as design and case-making or movement assembly. Insteelandtitanium,a limited edition of 275 pieces launched in January 2010 at the Geneva Time Exhibition.
Models
[edit]-
Ring Watch circa 1930 -
Centenary Watch 1958 -
Arcadia Watch circa 1950 -
Arcadia Watch circa 1960 -
Arcadia Watch circa 1966
Further developments
[edit] | This section needs to beupdated.(February 2022) |
Sanz’s ultimate plan is to restart production of Arcadia movements in the town of Fleurier[1],with redesigned and redeveloped calibres that can replaceETA movements.[2]
The first watch to be made completely in-house was in 2012, a 14lignemanually wound movement. A ladies’ gem set jewellery timepiece was released in 2012.[1]
References
[edit]- ^abcdef"Arcadia Website"ArchivedJanuary 23, 2012, at theWayback Machinearcadia-watches.com.Accessed January 07 2012
- ^abcde"International Wristwatch – The definitive source for watch enthusiasts".iwmagazine.com.Retrieved2023-03-27.
- ^Malcolmson, James D. (2011-05-01)."Watches: Vintage Victory".Robb Report.Retrieved2023-03-27.
- ^"Arcadia Takes Over Fleurier Watch Co"World Tempus,March 2011. Accessed December 31, 2011