History of Concord

Truly one of the most innovative watch companies, Concord has been creating timepieces of distinction for nearly a century. From the beginning, Concord focused on technical prowess and aesthetic advancements, quickly propelling itself to a premier position within the world of fine watchmaking.

Since its founding in Bienne, Switzerland, in 1908, Concord has regularly turned out masterpieces.

Within the first decade of its existence, the brand carved out a niche for itself as a producer of luxury timepieces, crafting in platinum and accenting its watches with diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires.

In the 1920s, Concord moved into the realm of clock design and unveiled the now-famed Concord Ring Clock—the first portable eight-day winding travel alarm clock. Nearly two decades later this clock was still so impressive that president Harry Truman presented it to several heads of state in 1945, including Winston Churchill.

In 1969, visionary businessman Gedalio Grinberg purchased Concord Watch Company and incorporated it into North American Watch Corporation in New York—which is known today as Movado Group Inc. Under Grinberg’s vigilant eye, the Concord brand flourished.

Groundbreaking research resulted in the launch of the quartz-powered Delirium in 1979. The world’s thinnest watch, the Delirium measured 1.98mm. Within a year, the brand broke its own record with the Delirium IV—measuring just under 1mm.

A year later, in 1980, Concord introduced its Mariner sports watch, and in 1986 unveiled the Saratoga—an icon for the brand even today. A trendsetter in the sophisticated art of watch design, Concord went on to launch the Saratoga Exor in 1995.

Created in three versions, including a perpetual calendar, minute repeater and tourbillon, each of the Exor watches was so elaborately decorated with gemstones that they ranked among the world’s most expensive jeweled creations.

Today, Concord’s impressive roster includes not only the Saratoga, but the sophisticated Veneto watch (launched in 1996), the daring 18-karat gold geometric La Scala (launched in 1997), and the bold La Scala Stainless Steel Chronograph (launched in 2001).

In typical Concord style, the brand regularly adds new models to these collections—offering fresh intrigue and excitement.

Determined to adhere to the highest standards in watchmaking, Concord creates all of its timepieces with scrupulous attention to detail, performance and originality. Such is the case with the superb Saratoga line. First launched 17 years ago, the Saratoga was a sophisticated, elite timepiece that earned international praise. It has remained an important signature collection for the brand and was recently reinterpreted to reflect today’s lifestyles and designs.The new Saratoga is the culmination of nearly a century of Concord watchmaking excellence. Its casually elegant beauty is emphasized by the eight-sided bezel—a hallmark of the watch—and by the striking modernistic scallop-engraved dials. The faces are graced with alpha hands, applied markers and numerals, with a date at 3:00.

A precision sports watch, the Saratoga is sleek and bold—a true expression of individuality. The newly designed Saratoga watches are crafted in solid stainless steel, 18-karat white or rose gold, and stainless steel with 18-karat yellow-gold or rose-gold accents.
They feature a distinctive woven-link bracelet with deployment clasp and elegantly engineered, patented crown protector that securely latches shut to ensure water resistance to 50 meters. The newest models feature embossed casebacks with an equestrian design, recalling the original sport for which the watch was created. New variations include diamond-adorned bezels and dials.

Paying homage to its heritage, Concord has unveiled a one-of-a-kind Saratoga Tourbillon that is crafted harmoniously in 18-karat white gold. This spectacular piece is a work of art and old-world craftsmanship.

It features a tourbillon escapement, minute repeater, chronograph, and power reserve. The watch features a sapphire caseback to view the magnificent movement.

Concord’s smoothly sculpted, incredibly elegant La Scala collection dons newness with color and gemstones. First introduced at the 1997 World Watch and Jewelry Fair in Basel, the La Scala stole hearts with its sleek design and bold beauty.

Already rich with variation, the La Scala collection of round and square timepieces boasts chronograph models bedecked in diamonds (colorless and black) or in gemstones (sapphires of all hues).

The straps of these watches are interchangeable and are made of alligator or rubber in many colors and shades.

Bracelets of these architecturally inspired timepieces feature deployment clasps and are crafted either in steel or in 18-karat gold.

New square models include a stainless steel chronograph with two rows of diamonds on the top and bottom case-to-bracelet attachments, with a lustrous mother-of-pearl dial in pastel hues of either lilac, mango or yellow with color-coordinated straps. There also is a full diamond-set model.

For a more fashionable appeal in the world of luxury, Concord has unveiled the striking 18-karat white-gold La Scala Fashion manchette model that wears like a cuff bracelet.
Featuring a panoply of diamonds in varying settings, the watch is reminiscent of a fine piece of sculpted jewelry.

It is available with either 122 diamonds weighing just over 1 carat, or with 328 diamonds with a total weight of just over 3 carats.