Grovana is a Swiss watch company based in Tenniken, a municipality in the district of Sissach in the canton of Basel-Country in Switzerland. The brand traces its origins to 1920s. Grovana Watch Company produces Swiss made timepieces under Grovana and Swiss Alpine Military trademarks.
Grovana Watch Company had been the official licensee of the famous Revue Thommen watch brand from 2001 to 2011 and after this period the trademark rights of Revue Thommen watch brand were handed over to the newly formed joint company GT Thommen Watch Co.(GTWAG) in Waldenburg.
Timeline
1924: Hans and Walter Gröflin found H. und W. Gröflin Uhrenfabrik AG. The purpose of the company is to produce watch movements.
1961: Hans Gröflin decides to found his own watch factory under the name of Hans Gröflin AG. A new factory building is erected at Bisnachtweg 42.
1970: Werner Bitterli takes over Hans Gröflin AG and the name is changed to Grovana Uhrenfabrik AG.
1971: The production of watch movements is gradually being reduced whilst the development of the company’s own collection simultaneously starts under the name of ‘Grovana’.
1980: The Swiss watch industry slips into the biggest crisis in its history. The demand for mechanical watches steadily decreases. Werner Bitterli decides to launch a new collection with quartz analog movements.
1985: Due to the great demand for watches with quartz analog movements, the production premises have to be extended for the first time.
1990: Grovana enters new markets in Eastern Europe and Russia.
1999: The premises must be extended for a second time to optimise the storage and forwarding facilities.
2001: Grovana concludes a license agreement with Revue Thommen AG in Waldenburg to produce the “Revue Thommen” brand and market it worldwide.
2002: The mechanical movements are acquired under the license agreement with Revue Thommen AG. Grovana decides to produce these movements again and to sell them exclusively under the brand of “Revue Thommen”.
2003: The premises must be extended for a third time. This extension is designed to improve the production processes.
2006: Grovana makes the first prototypes of a module for the exclusive manufacture movements. The mechanical manufacture movements are produced under the name of GT (Grovana Tenniken).
2007: Grovana opens its first retail shop in Liestal, BL, Switzerland.
2012: The joint company GT Thommen Watch Co. is founded together with several partners.
2014: Grovana celebrates its 90th anniversary.
Featured Timepieces
2019: Grovana Airborne 1
2017: Grovana GMT Moontimer
2015: Grovana Grande Date
2014: Grovana Master Commander
2011: GROVANA Day Retrograde
Official website: https://www.grovana.ch/en
