Cyma Watches

Cyma is a Swiss watch brand and manufacturer whose origins date to 1862, when brothers Joseph and Theodore Schwob established the business in the Jura watchmaking region. The name Cyma is associated with a Latin term meaning “sprout” and with the French word cime, meaning summit. In its early period, the company operated on a relatively modest industrial scale, with approximately 40 employees and 55 machines producing around 40 watches per day. Its early identity was therefore rooted in specialized Swiss production rather than mass-market retail branding. A major expansion came in 1892, when the Schwob brothers entered into a partnership with Frédéric Henri Sandoz, who owned the watch wholesaling business Henri Sandoz et Cie. Sandoz’s commercial and organizational involvement helped transform the enterprise into the Cyma Watch Company and supported the construction of a factory in La Chaux-de-Fonds, one of the central historic locations of Swiss watchmaking. The factory was situated near Le Locle, another important horological center in the Jura Mountains. This connection to both manufacturing and distribution enabled Cyma to develop beyond its original small workshop scale. During the early twentieth century, Cyma promoted the technical resilience of its watches. Advertising from 1908 emphasized resistance to electricity, magnetism, and changes in temperature, reflecting the period’s interest in demonstrating the reliability of mechanical timepieces under demanding conditions. Such claims placed the brand within the broader Swiss industry’s effort to associate wristwatches with precision engineering and dependable everyday use. Cyma remained connected to the changing structure of the Swiss watch industry. In 1959, the brand was acquired by the Heuroplan group, alongside watch names including Movado, Eska, and Nappey. This ownership change placed Cyma within a broader portfolio during a period when established Swiss watch companies were increasingly organized through groups and multi-brand commercial structures. The brand’s historical positioning has continued to emphasize Swiss manufacture, mechanical watchmaking, and traditional horological design, while quartz watches have also formed part of its product range. Cyma is currently associated with Stelux International Ltd., a Hong Kong-based holding company whose investments include fine jewelry and watches. The brand is located in Le Locle and has been described as being managed provincially by Claude and Françoise Guilgot. Cyma has also been connected with Universal Genève, another Fédération de l'industrie Horlogère Suisse member, in an oversight or industry relationship described in reference material. In 2010, Cyma and E-Watch organized an event in Yverdon to launch the Myriad brand collection, showing that the company was still pursuing new product and brand initiatives in the contemporary period. Today, Cyma’s identity is best understood as that of a historically established Swiss watch label rather than a diversified consumer conglomerate. Its heritage rests on the Schwob family’s nineteenth-century foundation, Sandoz-era expansion, Jura manufacturing, early claims of technical resistance, and continued association with mechanical and quartz wristwatches. Publicly available reference material provides limited detail about its current collection, production volumes, financial performance, and international distribution, so those aspects are not quantified here.

Cyma’s history begins in 1862, when Joseph and Theodore Schwob founded a watchmaking business in the Swiss Jura. The brothers selected the name Cyma, which is linked in reference material to a Latin word for “sprout” and to the French term cime, or summit. The early operation employed about 40 people and used 55 machines to produce approximately 40 watches per day, indicating a small but mechanized manufacturing enterprise for its time. The company’s expansion accelerated in 1892 through a partnership with Frédéric Henri Sandoz, proprietor of the watch wholesaler Henri Sandoz et Cie. Sandoz’s role helped the enterprise develop into the Cyma Watch Company and contributed to the establishment of a factory in La Chaux-de-Fonds, close to Le Locle. Both towns were major centers of Swiss horological production during the nineteenth century, giving Cyma a strong geographic association with the country’s developing industrial watch sector. By the beginning of the twentieth century, Cyma was promoting the durability and technical performance of its watches. Advertising in 1908 highlighted resistance to electricity, magnetism, and temperature variation. These themes reflected contemporary efforts by Swiss manufacturers to distinguish precision watches through engineering claims and reliability in varied environments. The ownership structure changed in 1959, when Cyma was acquired by the Heuroplan group. The transaction brought the brand into a portfolio that also included Movado, Eska, and Nappey. This period illustrates the increasing importance of group ownership and multi-brand structures within the Swiss watch industry. Later reference material places Cyma in Le Locle and identifies Claude and Françoise Guilgot as provincial managers. It also identifies Stelux International Ltd., a Hong Kong-based holding company with interests in watches and fine jewelry, as the current owner. The same material describes an oversight relationship with Universal Genève, a fellow Fédération de l'industrie Horlogère Suisse member. These contemporary corporate details are less extensively documented than the brand’s nineteenth- and early twentieth-century history. On 9 September 2010, Cyma SA and E-Watch held an event in Yverdon to launch the Myriad collection. The event provides evidence of an active product-development and brand-building effort in the modern period. Cyma’s documented product identity includes mechanical and quartz wristwatches, although detailed public information on individual current references, calibers, distribution, and production volumes is limited. Its enduring brand narrative is consequently centered on Swiss origin, Jura watchmaking, traditional mechanical expertise, and a long record of technical positioning.

• 2010

  Myriad collection launch

  [1]Cyma Watchesen.wikipedia.org

  Cyma SA and E-Watch hold a Yverdon event to introduce the Myriad collection.

• 1959

  Acquisition by the Heuroplan group

  [1]Cyma Watchesen.wikipedia.org

  Cyma is acquired by Heuroplan and joins a portfolio that includes Movado, Eska, and Nappey.

• 1908

  Technical-resistance advertising

  [1]Cyma Watchesen.wikipedia.org

  Cyma advertising promotes the resilience of its watches against electricity, magnetism, and temperature changes.

• 1892

  Partnership with Frédéric Henri Sandoz

  [1]Cyma Watchesen.wikipedia.org

  The Schwob brothers partner with watch wholesaler Frédéric Henri Sandoz, supporting the company’s expansion and development as the Cyma Watch Company.

• 1862

  Cyma is founded

  [1]Cyma Watchesen.wikipedia.org

  Brothers Joseph and Theodore Schwob establish the Swiss watchmaking business that becomes Cyma.

Traditional Swiss watch brand focused on heritage, mechanical watchmaking, and precision-oriented horological design.

• Mechanical watches

  Mechanical wristwatches

  Mechanical wristwatches form the core of Cyma’s historical identity. The brand’s documented heritage is tied to Swiss precision manufacturing and to early advertising that emphasized resistance to magnetic, electrical, and temperature-related influences. Public reference material does not provide a complete list of current references or movements, so this entry describes the category at brand level rather than assigning specific calibers or technical specifications.

• Quartz watches

  Quartz wristwatches

  Quartz watches are part of Cyma’s documented product scope alongside its mechanical timepieces. They represent the brand’s participation in the broader transition of the Swiss watch industry toward electronic timekeeping, although the available reference material does not identify specific models, launch dates, movements, or current availability.

• Watch collection · 2010

  Myriad

  Myriad was a Cyma-associated collection launched through a public event organized with E-Watch in Yverdon on 9 September 2010. The available source confirms the collection launch but does not provide sufficient detail about its case designs, movements, complications, target price segment, or subsequent production status.

• 2010Myriad collection launch event

  Switzerland

  Cyma SA and E-Watch presented the Myriad collection at an event in Yverdon on 9 September 2010.

  Outcome. The launch is documented, but subsequent commercial performance is not available in the supplied sources.

  Source
• 1908Resistance and durability advertising

  International markets

  Cyma advertising emphasized the ability of its timepieces to withstand electricity, magnetism, and changing temperatures. The campaign positioned the watches around technical resilience and precision.

  Outcome. The source documents the advertising message but does not provide quantified sales or market results.

  Source

1. 1Cyma Watchesen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Cyma Watches official websitecymawatches.com