Revue Thommen

The ability to make its own, extremely reliable movements is at the heart of the esteem that Revue Thommen has enjoyed with its customers over many decades. Drawing on this expertise, in the 1920s the company decided to produce precise measuring instruments for aviation, and it has continuously expanded this area of operation ever since.

In reaction to the wave of cheap quartz watches from the Far East that plunged the watch industry into tumult in the early 1960s, Revue Thommen merged with several other firms to form Manufactures d'Horlogerie Suisses Réunies SA. This allowed more efficient work practises to be introduced and helped to assure the company's future. To this end, the creation of movements in the original company headquarters in Waldenburg ceased and was relocated instead to Vulcain Studio SA. At the start of the 2000s, Revue Thommen became a subsidiary of the Swiss umbrella company Grovana, with the good news that it was once again able to directly manufacture its own watch movements. These in-house calibres bore the initials of the company founder: GT.

A few years ago, history ran full circle and Revue Thommen returned to the ownership of the Thommen family. Working with a business partner, Andreas Thommen bought the firm with the goal of revitalizing this once treasured watch brand. A range of new and existing models were showcased at the Baselworld watch and jewellery convention in 2015, a clear demonstration that he is well on his way to achieving his aim.

During the height of its battle with cheap quartz imports, Revue Thommen launched one of its most celebrated wristwatches of all time - the Cricket, with its mechanical alarm clock function. A form of this unusual mechanism originally saw the light of day in 1947, and earned its name because its strong chirping sounded eerily like a real insect. The Cricket has a sophisticated system consisting of an acoustic membrane and a sound box, and it was this that allowed it to emit an alarm at such piercing volume.

A sister watch, the Vulcain Cricket, went on to achieve an especially high profile worldwide. It became known as the presidential watch, because it adorned the wrists of a long list of US presidents, such as Harry S. Truman , Dwight D. Eisenhower and Lyndon B. Johnson. Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev was clearly impressed too, as he made a point of wearing a Revue Thommen Cricket when he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990.

To this day, Revue Thommen timepieces are handcrafted by highly qualified master watchmakers. Over the course of the company's history, over 100 different GT movements have been engineered in its workshops in Switzerland. Without exception, they display the accuracy, reliability and ingenuity that have long been associated with the Revue Thommen brand. And you'll find the same commitment to quality in Revue Thommen quartz watches too.

Revue Thommen's wide-ranging product portfolio is divided into three categories: Classics, Sport and Lifestyle. As its name suggests, the Classic watch line is dominated by timeless designs with clear, simple dials and elegantly understated accents. This collection reflects the firm's deep sense of heritage.

With the the Revue Thommen sport collection, you get exactly what you would expect: ruggedness, precision and dynamic, go-getting looks. The strong stainless steel casings are covered with non-reflective sapphire glass, making them easy to read even in the full glare of competition. You'll discover some great Revue Thommen diver watches in this collection, as well as options suitable for polo, sailing and other daring, adventurous exploits.

Shop from the lifestyle collection, and you can expect a true masterpiece of fine watchmaking. Revue Thommen knows better than anyone how to pack complex, multi-functional movements into cases that ooze style and drip with precious materials. But whether you're looking for something to go with business attire, sports kit or evening wear, all of these timepieces are underpinned by the same meticulously accurate technology and flawless attention to detail.