Salon Switzerland

Why should you definitely visit the Salon Suisse at INHORGENTA? Quite simply: Here you can discover Swiss-made watchmaking beyond the usual suspects and use your newly acquired knowledge to present yourself to your customers as a true expert in Swiss watchmaking!

The Salon Suisse This year presents brands such as Elka Watch, Aviator, Jowissa, Atlantic, EST Contintal, Le Temps of Switzerland, Technik 4Time, Andre Mouche, Epos, Doxa, Vulcain, Delma, Delbana and Cornavin.

Cover image: Doxa

The brands of Salon Suisse

You will find the Salon Suisse in Hall A1, Booth 309.

DOXA

Doxa introduced the SUB concept in 1967, which proved popular with both recreational and professional divers. The watch, water-resistant to 30 bar and featuring a unidirectional rotating bezel, was the first of its kind and incorporated US Navy data into its design.

Jacques-Yves Cousteau even secured the exclusive distribution rights in the USA. In 1969, Doxa introduced the helium escape valve (HRV) to solve the problem of helium infiltration during saturation dives. Today, Doxa dive watches combine state-of-the-art functionality with appealing design.

The result is a range of genuine diving watches that also catch the eye on land. This is due not only to the typical Doxa case shape and the appealing dial colors, but also to their high-quality brilliance.

Seven color and gemstone combinations, seven different models, and mother-of-pearl for the dial are combined for the first time in the „SUB 200T Diamonds“ with the practical and reliable properties of the original „SUB“ concept.

Each of the seven diver's watch models features a bezel set with 107 diamonds and 13 brilliant-cut gemstones – the "WhitePearl" and "SharkHunter" models are even set exclusively with diamonds.

Sapphires in vibrant orange, blue or pink, black diamonds, vivid turquoise Paraiba tourmalines and intense green emeralds: this new Doxa collection also captures the characteristic Doxa colors:

Professional Orange, Sharkhunter Black, Caribbean Deep Blue, Aquamarine Turquoise, Whitepearl White, Sea Emerald Green. In addition, there is an exclusive new color making its debut in this collection: Ocean Dream Pink.

To improve wearing comfort, Doxa has reduced the stainless steel case to 39 millimeters in diameter and 10.70 millimeters in height. It protects the Swiss automatic movement, which offers a 38-hour power reserve, up to 20 bar.

Elka Watch

Elka Watches was founded three years ago by Hakim El Kadiri. However, the brand name wasn't entirely new. The historic watch brand Elka was created by Louis Eduard Kiek. He and his father and brother-in-law founded a company in 1913, which was later called Elka Watch Co. Elka stood for Louis Eduard Kiek's son: Ernst Louis Kiek Amsterdam. A branch in Switzerland was added in 1949.

In addition to pocket watches, wristwatches, and jewelry watches, the company also supplied Braille, chess, signal, and time clocks, among other things. Furthermore, the family operated an exclusive shop in Amsterdam selling watches from Rolex, Ulysse Nardin, Vulcain, Breitling, Universal, Jaeger-LeCoultre, and Blancpain, as well as clocks and watches from the Elka brand.

In the 1970s, the brand, like so many others, disappeared under the influence of the quartz watch. Ernst Louis Kiek, the last owner, continued to run the business on Kalverstraat with his wife Edith Verpoort until 2000, before the company was finally dissolved.

Since Hakim El Kadiri was particularly fond of watches from past decades, he revived the brand name – with the appropriate initials.

However: „Our 2022 brand has no connection to the defunct Amsterdam brand. We simply wanted to pay homage to the old Dutch brand with our first two models.“

He focuses on the charm of modern Swiss-made watches with vintage-inspired designs. He's not interested in fleeting trends, but rather in beauty and function that stand the test of time.

Cornavin Geneva

Does the name sound familiar? No wonder! Founded in Geneva in 1922, the brand was named after the central district of the Swiss city, which is also considered the cradle of watchmaking.

Today, Cornavin's headquarters are located in Zurich, where the family business continuously strives to offer exclusive and affordable timepieces to watch enthusiasts around the world.

Since its founding, Cornavin has always aimed to create watches with a high recognition value. This is largely due to the patented case designs, which are developed with meticulous attention to detail. Furthermore, every Cornavin watch is assembled by hand in Switzerland. The portfolio includes both mechanical and quartz watches.

The current highlight is the "Downtown Skeleton," which, true to its name, offers a glimpse into its inner workings. The multi-layered dial complements the skeletonized automatic movement and gives the watch its dynamic look. Adorned with three striking bridges, secured to the dial with screws, Cornavin's DNA is found not only in the case but also at the heart of the watch.

Vulcain

With the French entrepreneur and watchmaker Guillaume Laidet as a consultant, the Vulcain brand, founded in 1858, was revived; despite its famous "Cricket" alarm clock, which adorned the wrists of numerous US presidents, it had almost been forgotten.

In autumn 2021, Laidet presented his reactivation plan to owner Flavio Becca – he was convinced and is now Chief Revival Officer (CRO). Under his leadership, several reinterpretations of iconic timepieces from the brand have already been released, generating considerable buzz. These include the „Cricket,“ as well as the „Skindiver Nautique,“ the „Grand Prix,“ the „Chronograph 1970,“ the „Nautical Heritage,“ and the „Monopusher“ collections.

Modern design and a tribute to the past combine to create a successful symbiosis.

This also applies to the reinterpretation of the iconic clock from the TWA terminal at JFK airport in the form of a compact table clock.

„I came across a photo of the watch in a New York Times article about Anders Modig’s 1960s design. I immediately knew that there was no better way to honor this remarkable era of history than to bring this watch back,“ says Guillaume Laidet.

The watch is crafted from 316L stainless steel with a light gray Pantone 2323 U finish. Each sunburst dial features black indices, hands, and the Vulcain logo. The three dials display different time zones. Three Ronda 712 quartz movements ensure precision.