Enjoy Watches

Brand history & owner guide

Concord

Concord is a Swiss watch brand with origins in Biel in 1908, presented today in Movado Group's brand portfolio. 12

History and owner orientation, separating acquisitions, a parent-company name change and the identity of a particular watch.

At a glance

Origins
Biel, Switzerland; 1908 12
Parent portfolio
Movado Group 12
Concord acquisition
1970 2
Delirium milestone
1979; 1.98 mm in the archived account 3

Browse Concord watches →

Selected reference records

72 documented configurations from 41 model names. These records are a selection, not the full Concord catalogue.

Browse 72 recorded Concord configurations →

A Biel brand with an American business chapter

Movado Group's Concord profile dates the brand's beginnings to Biel, Switzerland, in 1908. Its corporate filing also describes the Swiss company that manufactured Concord watches before the group's acquisition. This gives an owner a useful starting point without treating the brand name as a complete specification of every watch made since.

A Concord-signed watch may belong to a very different product era from another example with the same signature. Identify the collection and reference before using a broad company history to interpret its materials, movement or original market. 12

1970, 1983 and 1996 are different events

Movado Group's 2013 filing records the Concord acquisition in 1970, the acquisition of the Movado distributor and brand-related assets in 1983, and the parent's name change in 1996. The last event was not a new sale of Concord.

This sequence is more useful than saying simply that 'Movado bought Concord.' It distinguishes the watch brand from the company that eventually took the Movado Group name. It also corrects the 1984 date repeated in some secondary summaries of the separate Movado transaction. 2

Distribution is not manufacture or ownership

The same filing describes the parent's earlier American Piaget and Corum distribution businesses. A distribution company sells or imports products; that role should not silently be turned into ownership of the underlying Swiss manufacture.

This matters when researching an old advertisement or retailer document listing several names. Shared representation may explain why those names appear together, but it cannot establish that they used the same movements, cases or factory. Keep the relationship stated in the document separate from any inference about the watch itself. 2

Why Delirium matters

The archived Concord presentation dates Delirium to 1979 and gives a thickness of 1.98 mm. It places later Delirium variants in 1980. These are dated product milestones in the brand's account, not a claim that every watch now carrying the Delirium name has the original construction.

For an owner, the useful first question is which Delirium reference and generation is present. A thin profile alone is not an identification method. Record the case markings and dimensions, and compare them with documentation for that version rather than a general story about thin watches. 3

A collection is a starting point, not a production date

Saratoga appears as a 1986 milestone in the same archived timeline. A launch date tells you when a line began, not when every example bearing its name was produced. That distinction applies just as much to a dress watch as to a sports collection.

When comparing a seller's description with your watch, look for a reference, a movement identification and dated supporting material. Matching a collection name is only the beginning. A purchase date can also be later than manufacture, particularly where stock remained unsold. 3

Use dated manufacturing and service information carefully

The 2013 filing describes Concord watches assembled in Switzerland by independent third parties using Swiss movements. That is a dated disclosure, not evidence that every historical or current reference uses one particular movement supplier.

For a service enquiry, begin with the current parent-brand page and the watch's own documents. Preserve the full reference and earlier repair paperwork. Neither the group's ownership history nor an old manufacturing statement guarantees present parts availability, warranty coverage or the originality of a movement now fitted to a watch. 21

Key dates

  1. 1908

    Biel origins

    Confirmed by the current parent-brand profile. 12

  2. 1970

    Concord acquired

    The corporate filing dates the acquisition to 1970. 2

  3. 1979

    Delirium

    Archived brand material gives the first model as 1.98 mm thick. 3

  4. 1983

    Separate Movado transaction

    Distributor and brand-related assets acquired. 2

  5. 1996

    Parent renamed

    The company became Movado Group. 2

Ownership and continuity

The brand's Swiss origins and the parent's later American acquisition history are related, but a parent-company renaming is not a new founding of Concord. 12

Identification and service

For an individual watch, record the complete reference, serial, dial, case, and movement markings and compare them with dated primary documentation.

A brand history cannot authenticate, appraise, or establish the provenance of a particular watch.

Evidence and limits

How the claims are supported
  1. source stated claim

    The parent profile and corporate filing identify Concord's 1908 Swiss origins and its position in the portfolio.

  2. source stated claim

    The filing distinguishes Concord's 1970 acquisition, Movado-related assets in 1983 and the parent's 1996 renaming.

  3. source stated claim

    The corporate filing distinguishes Piaget and Corum distribution businesses from owned watch brands.

  4. source stated claim

    The archived brand account dates the first Delirium to 1979 at 1.98 mm and lists later variants separately.

  5. source stated claim

    The archived timeline lists Saratoga in 1986; collection launch and individual manufacture dates are different questions.

  6. source stated claim

    Movado's 2013 manufacturing disclosure is historical and does not establish current model-specific sourcing or service terms.

Known limits

  • Founders' partner names and unsourced production/revenue figures are omitted.
  • Archived product milestones are not serial-number dating rules.
  • The 2013 manufacturing disclosure is not presented as a current sourcing statement.

Direct sources

  1. Concord brand profileMovado Group · official current website · accessed September 11, 2026

    Locator: Biel origins in 1908 and current brand presentation. First-party source; its statements remain attributed.

  2. Movado Group 2013 Form 10-KMovado Group / SEC · official corporate filing · accessed September 11, 2026

    Locator: Business history; 1970, 1983, 1996; manufacturing section. First-party source; its statements remain attributed.

  3. Concord brand timelineHorlogerie Suisse · archived brand presentation · accessed September 11, 2026

    Locator: Archived brand presentation: Delirium and Saratoga milestones. External source.

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