Hermes

In 1837 the master saddler Thierry Hermès founded a business producing bridles in Paris. The company added luggage, bags, and document wallets over time. In 1928, the first watch bearing the Hermès name appeared, and many more were produced for the company by Swiss watchmakers over the following decades, including Movado, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Vacheron Constantin, and Rolex.

Hermès founded La Montre Hermès SA in Biel in 1978 to produce watches for the company's expanding retail network. The company's iconic Clipper line was introduced in 1981, featuring a porthole-shaped bezel. The company's lineup expanded in the 1990s with the Cape Cod (1991), Medor (1993), and H-Hour (1997), but it was the double-wrap strap introduced in 1998 on a Cape Cod model that cemented the brand's reputation.