Heritage
Heritage
How Swiss brands became global ones. An archive of Swiss industrial and brand history, growing with each edition.
1905
Rolex, owned by a foundation
How a watch company founded in London became the best-known name in Geneva, and why it can never be sold.
1884
Victorinox, still in Ibach
The maker of the original Swiss Army Knife has stayed in the same valley, under the same family, for more than 140 years.
1866
Nestlé, from Vevey to the world
Two rival milk companies on the shores of Swiss lakes merged in 1905 and grew into one of the largest food companies in the world.
1896
Roche, a family company in Basel
Founded by a 28-year-old in 1896, Roche is still controlled by the descendants of its founding families.
1908
SIGG, the bottle in MoMA
Ferdinand Sigg and Xaver Küng set up an aluminium works in Biel in 1908. Three SIGG bottles entered the Museum of Modern Art's collection in 1993, and the aluminium bottles are still made in Frauenfeld.
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