Lemania
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| Formerly | Lugrin SA |
|---|---|
| Industry | Watch movement manufacturing |
| Founded | 1884, L'Orient, Switzerland |
| Founder | Alfred Lugrin |
| Brands | Nouvelle Lemania |
| Parent | The Swatch Group Ltd. |
Lemania was a Swiss watch manufacturer and manufacturer of watch movements.
History
[edit]It was founded in 1884 by Alfred Lugrin (1858-1920), who had trained at Jaeger-LeCoultre. Lugrin received awards and gold medals at exhibitions in Milan in 1906 and in Bern in 1914. Until 1930, the factory was called Lugrin SA, until Lugrin's son-in-law Marius Meylan established the firm Lemania Watch Co., based in L'Orient, Switzerland (Vaud).[1]
In 1932, Lemania, Omega and Tissot merged to form the SSIH group.[2][1]
Omega Speedmaster
[edit]The Omega Speedmaster used a chronograph movement developed by Lemania, first developed in 1946 by Albert Piguet, the caliber 27. This later became the Omega Caliber 321.
An Omega Speedmaster featuring this movement was worn by Buzz Aldrin on the first moon landings in 1969.[3][4]
Nouvelle Lemania
[edit]With the advent of electronic watches in the 1970s, sales of mechanical watches from the SSIH Group collapsed. In 1980, creditor banks gave Nicolas Hayek the task of restructuring the group. In the course of a management buyout, Lemania separated from the SSIH Group in 1981 and changed its name to Nouvelle Lemania.[5]
Swatch Group
[edit]In 1992, Nouvelle Lemania was bought by Breguet.[6] In 1999, the Swatch Group acquired Breguet, along with Nouvelle Lemania.[7] Since 2003, Lemania has exclusively provided watch movements to members of the Swatch Group.[8]
Notable wearers
[edit]Sir Winston Churchill wore a 36 mm 18K gold Lemania chronograph gifted to him from the town of Canton de Vaud in 1946.[9][10][11]
References
[edit]- 1 2 Cronin, John (2022-07-26). Watch - An Illustrated Guide to its History and Mechanism. The Crowood Press. ISBN 978-0-7198-4089-0.
- ↑ Young, Anthony (July 5, 2011). "The Lémania Legacy". International Wristwatch Magazine. Archived from the original on November 5, 2018. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
- ↑ Vaux, Tim (2025-09-24). "How Lemania's Chronograph Movements Enabled an Era of Tool Watches". Oracle Time. Retrieved 2026-09-02.
- ↑ Trueb, Lucien F. (2015-02-17). Astonishing the Wild Pigs: Highlights of Technology. Athena bei wbv. ISBN 978-3-89896-766-2.
- ↑ Donzé, Pierre-Yves; Guhl, Harry (2026-01-08). Luxury Brand Management and Heritage Revival: Case Studies from the Swiss Watch Industry. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 978-1-350-54533-5.
- ↑ "Breguet maintient Nouvelle Lémania à la vallée de Joux, mais gèle ses projets - Le Temps" (in French). 1999-04-30. ISSN 1423-3967. Retrieved 2026-09-03.
- ↑ "A la barbe de LVMH, Swatch Group s'offre Breguet - Le Temps" (in French). 1999-09-15. ISSN 1423-3967. Retrieved 2026-09-03.
- ↑ Donzé, P. (2014-04-08). A Business History of the Swatch Group: The Rebirth of Swiss Watchmaking and the Globalization of the Luxury Industry. Springer. ISBN 978-1-137-38908-4.
- ↑ "Found: A Gold Lemania Chronograph Formerly Owned By Winston Churchill". Hodinkee. Retrieved 2026-09-02.
- ↑ Admin (2017-05-21). "You can buy Winston Churchill's watch". Esquire Middle East. Retrieved 2026-09-02.
- ↑ Kessler, Ken (2017-04-13). "For sale: Churchill's watch for 'unity in Europe' | CNN". CNN. Retrieved 2026-09-02.