t began with a love story. Born in 1860 in Courrend, in the Swiss Jura, a young Christian Ruefli followed his watchmaking apprenticeship in Grenchen. In 1883 he married Pauline Flury.

For his beloved wife’s 25^th birthday, the now master watchmaker gifted her a pocket watch made by his own hands. She was thrilled but also impressed by the quality of her husband’s work and encouraged him to set up in business.

Edox was established in 1884 in Biel. The name is derived from the Ancient Greek meaning “measure of time” and would inspire the hourglass logo that appeared in 1900. Which is where the story ends. As the current CEO Alexandre Strambini explains, “entire chapters of Edox’s history have disappeared after numerous archives were destroyed in the late 1960s.”

An Edox advertisement in a 1966 issue of Europa Star.

©Archives Europa Star

We do know that the brand was taken over by Robert Kaufmann-Hug following the death of Christian Ruefli-Flury in 1921, and that he remained at the head of the firm until 1965.

“The Water Champion”

In the 1950s, Edox was a leading Swiss brand that employed as many as 500 watchmakers. In 1961 it introduced the Delfin with a double caseback, special protective gaskets and an innovative patented double seal. In doing so, Edox helped set a new benchmark for water-resistance and shock protection.

©Archives Europa Star

Edox in Europa Star in 1968, a decade when the brand emphasised its ties with sailing and the marine world.

©Archives Europa Star

“The Water Champion”: the emblematic Delfin.

©Archives Europa Star

“The Delfin collection, designed by Edox, forged the brand’s renown and earned it the nickname of ‘Water Champion’. In fact the Delfin name is possibly better known today than the brand itself. When in 1965 Edox launched the Hydro-Sub, with 500-metre water-resistance, it confirmed its reputation as the reference for highly water-resistant watches,” continues Alexandre Strambini.

Fall and rise

Like many brands at that time, Edox wasn’t spared by the quartz crisis that hit the Swiss watch industry hard. Its owner throughout these difficult years, ASUAG (future Swatch Group), put the brand up for sale in 1983.

“My father, Victor Strambini, bought it and relocated from Biel to Les Genevez in the Jura. Then nothing much happened until my sister joined the company in 1999. She breathed new life into the brand and started working on its image. To be honest, we had to build back almost from nothing.”

The brand turned a corner in the late 1990s. Above, an advert published in Europa Star in 2002.

©Archives Europa Star

Today’s Edox focuses on its sporty designs - flagship collections are the Delfin and the Chronorally with its oversized pusher - hand-assembly in its workshops and the quality of its collections. Alexandre Strambini is happy to discuss what are perfectly respectable production volumes: “Currently Edox makes between 30,000 and 40,000 watches a year. We are present in over 60 markets at almost 1,000 points of sale. And we’re delighted to say that we are still 100% independent.”

From the 1961 Delfin to the Hydro-Sub and now the CO-1, Edox has continued to improve its watches’ water-resistance, a characteristic feature of the brand.

The Edox identity

After more than a quarter of a century with the brand, Strambini is convinced that, beyond its historic capital and credibility in the sports watch segment, this independence is what most sets Edox apart. “We aim to offer quality products at the best possible price and strongly believe in putting people first. Ours is a small structure, which makes the decision-making process much smoother. We don’t particularly follow trends. We have our place and stay with it. Being independent means we can target reasonable growth and be happy with that.”

In volume terms, production is currently half quartz, using Ronda movements, and half automatic, on Sellita calibres. “Our watches retail between CHF 650 and CHF 3,500, with an increase in the CHF 1,500 to CHF 2,000 bracket,” Strambini says.

The 1970s were a golden age for motorsports. For its anniversary, Edox has released a 41mm Sportsman Chronograph Automatic, inspired by a 1972 model.

The original Sportsman from 1972.

“No-one can predict the future. We want to continue being the best we can, cement what we have achieved so far and most of all stay independent. Of course we want to become better known and open new markets, such as India, but we’re not in some mad race for growth. We also know how to be satisfied with what we have.” A refreshing frankness in an era that always wants more.

The new-generation Chronorally marks Edox’s partnership with BMW M Motorsport.