Revue Thommen
Revue Thommen is a Swiss watch brand of GT Thommen Watch AG in Waldenburg BL with a tradition since 1853. Parent company is the "Revue Thommen AG " also in Waldenburg BL, which manufactures aircraft instruments and avionics today.
History
After the construction of the railway line Basel- Olten lying on the trade route Basel -Geneva community forest castle threatened to impoverish. By setting up the watch factory Société d'Horlogerie à Waldenburg in 1853, the community of the local unemployment tried to oppose. 1859, the factory of Gedeon Thommen and Louis Tschopp was accepted, as it was already heavily in debt at the time of acquisition. A short time later resigned Tschopp, the factory was continued under Gedeon Thommen 's watch factories. After the private sector restructuring by Gedeon Thommen, the company was able to recover economically.
In order to become independent from suppliers, production of rough movements began in his own studio. Slave cylinder wristwatches began in 1875 the manufacture of anchor pocket watches. The watches were first under the brand name GT ( Gedeon Thommen for ) markets. 1870 were about 4000 made , 1890 already 13 000 copies. After the death of Gedeon his son Alphonse took over the company and founded in 1905 Thommens watch factories AG. From 1908, the watches were sold under the brand name of Revue, later the brand name of watches was changed to Revue Thommen to derive the relationship for the production of aircraft instruments.
The change from Reinhard Straumann as technicians of the Swiss Air Force in 1918 was the beginning of specialization avionischer fittings, as Straumann as a pilot officer still maintained contacts to the Air Force.
1915 was the former clock factory the order of the federal government for the development of cockpit instruments for the first time imported from France aircraft of the newly founded Swiss Air Force. This laid the foundation of today's activity was determined in aviation. The technical development of the products was characterized for very many years by Dr. Edward Mettler.
In 1938, Dr Roland Straumann Beck the majority of shares in the company. He retained a majority shareholding until his death at the age of 94 years. From 1993 to 2004, the Revue Thommen AG majority owned by his two sons and daughter.
1961 the company merged with the Vulcain et Studio SA Brothers Buser, the Phenix and Marvin for Manufactures d' horlogerie Suisses Réunies SA ( MSR Holding). The objective of creating the MSR Holding the attempt counter by the merging and splitting of Manufacturing competencies of that wave of cheap quartz watches from the Far East. Production of Revue Thommen watches were relocated within the MSR Holding the licensee Vulcain Studio SA and stopped production of watches in Waldenburg.
In the period 1961 to 1999, the Revue Thommen watches brand the license holder Vulcain Studio SA were produced. The Vulcain Studio SA has business operations in 1999 and set the Manufacures d' horlogerie Suisses Réunies SA ( MSR Holding) was liquidated in 2002.
The owner of the watch brand the Revue Thommen AG, Waldenburg BL transferred the license to manufacture and sales of the watch brand Revue Thommen by January 2001, the Grovana Watch Factory AG in Tenniken BL.
In 2012, Revue Thommen Andreas Thommen, a direct descendant of Gedeon Thommen and 4th generation representative, Roland Buser, a watchmaker in the third generation, and Christopher Bitterli of Grovana was acquired with the aim of revitaliseren the watch brand and continue in the to produce Baselbieter region.
Trivia
Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev had a cricket, and carried them in 1990, among other things, on receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize.
The clock - watch cricket was supported by three U.S. presidents ( Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Lyndon B. Johnson ).