History of Montres CIMIER SA
1924
The watchmaker Joseph LAPANOUSE founded his company LAPANOUSE SA in Hölstein near Basel, Switzerland, and began selling his watches under the brand name CIMIER. He specialised in making pin-pallet escapement watches, similar to the “Prolétaire”. This was a robust, accurate and affordable timepiece invented by Georges-Frédéric ROSKOPF, the famous German watchmaker. In 1920, the Prolétaire, or «Roskopf» watch, began to be manufactured on an industrial scale. It became Switzerland’s most exported movement: nearly 35
1929
1971
The business now employed more than 500 people in Bubendorf, and its annual production totalled 1.5 million timepieces. Sixty million ROSKOPF-type watches were being produced every year.
2010
In 2010, CIMIER opened the doors of the exclusive world of watchmaking by creating the Watch Academy. Hundreds of students have since passed through its workshops, building their very own CIMIER watch.
2015
Montres CIMIER returned to the Jura region and set up new premises in Bienne. Today, Montres CIMIER is a well-established, profitable and independent watchmaker, perpetuating the art and tradition of Swiss watchmaking. Its timepieces are designed, developed and manufactured by experts and are synonymous with high-quality workmanship. They are guaranteed “Made in Switzerland”