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Villemont Watches
Montres Villemont and Amundsen Oslo recently merged to form the Villemont Group. Montres Villemont was founded in 2004 by Olivier Müller, and Amundsen Oslo AS, a
Norwegian watch manufacturer set up in 2002 by the designer Jorgen
Amundsen. To provide the growth impetus required by Montres Villemont and
Amundsen Oslo, the private equity company ValleyRoad Capital raised an
initial CHF 10 million from private investors. This sum will be
injected into a new holding structure, established in Geneva, which
will absorb the two brands under the corporate name Villemont Group SA.
In the first instance, the new entity will fully integrate both Montres
Villemont and Amundsen Oslo, their shareholders receiving a minority
stake in the company’s capital.
In order to create a veritable watchmaking group with extensive
industrial capacities, Villemont Group will set up a workshop in
Geneva, run by two watchmakers with recognised expertise who already
work closely with Montres Villemont on watch casings. A percentage of
the sum raised will also be invested in the group’s industrial
facilities, notably its fleet of machines. In the long run, Villemont Group will thus be able to stake its claim
to the highly sought-after title of "manufacture horlogère"
(watchmaking workshop) thanks to a vertically integrated structure that
is crucial for ensuring sufficiently short production times and gaining
a solid foothold in the universe of high-end watches. In this respect,
the group’s sales network will gradually be extended to allow for
selective distribution in all key markets, where Fine Watchmaking is
going from strength to strength.
The new group’s strength lies in the fact that the two brands
complement each other perfectly, sharing the same watchmaking DNA.
Montres Villemont, naturally entitled to use the Swiss made label, has
succeeded in forging an identity in the luxury segment thanks to the
quality of its components, the inclusion of features (GMT, alarm,
chronograph, etc) and designs that combine classicism and innovation.
Jorgen Amundsen has launched a series of timepieces with a direct link
to his great great-uncle Roald Amundsen, one of the finest explorers of
the twentieth century and the first to reach the South Pole in 1911.
The watches in the range have been designed to withstand the most
extreme conditions in polar zones but also for sailing and aviation. Villemont will continue to produce some of the worlds finest timepieces.
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