TOP

G. Gagnebin & Cie — birth of a brand with a long history

G. Gagnebin & Cie Karaktero collection

G. Gagnebin & Cie is relaunched with the Karaktero collection including a vintage, a contemporary and a modern version with black PVD.

Twitter is a fantastic tool to get the latest news and this is true for news about watches too. This week I had the pleasure to discover a watch brand on Twitter that I did not know about, G. Gagnebin & Cie (@GGagnebin_Cie). As you will see, G. Gagnebin & Cie has a long history and today it is more of a rebirth than the birth of a new brand.

The man behind this relaunch is watch designer David Gagnebin, who wanted to continue his great grandfather’s dream of a brand that bears the Gagnebin name. David’s great grandfather, Gerorges Gagnebin established G. Gagnebin & Cie in 1932 that operated two  brands, Niga and Postala.

In the 1940’s, his son, David’s grandfather further developed the Niga brand, but unfortunately he was forced to close it in the 60’s. But the watchmaking tradition, did not stop there; David’s father worked more than 40 years at Longines.

The lion and snake on the back of the Karaktero watches

The lion and snake on the back of the Karaktero watches are a proof of staying faithful to the traditional values of the company.

Launched at the end of November, the Karaktero collection is proposing three models: the vintage version, the contemporary version and the modern variant, in black PVD.

43mm stainless steel case, sapphire crystal, automatic Sellita SW300, with hours, minutes, seconds and date functionality,  G. Gagnebin & Cie is proposing super-classy timepieces for men that want to be elegant.

This is a promising relaunch and we wish Davind Gagnebin good luck in carrying forward the torch. I’m sure some Gagnebins, up in the watchmakers heaven, are really proud today.

The black PVD Karaktero is 1350 CHF (about CAN$1600), while the vintage and the contemporary version will set you back 1190 CHF (about CAN$1410). To order them or to learn more about G. Gagnebin & Cie go to www.g-gagnebin.ch

Corrections

Gerorges Gagnebin established the G. Gagnebin & Cie society that operated two brands. At that time G. Gagnebin & Cie was a society and not a brand as we wrote in the first version of this article.

As a graphic designer, I'm fascinated by the crossroads between technology and aesthetics. Horology is one of these crafts, where art and engineering come together to produce mechanical wonders that grace the eye. WatchPaper was born from the desire to create an online tool where I can share my passion for watches.