MB - Microtec

What MB - Microtec does

mb-microtec ag is a Swiss family-owned microtechnology company founded in 1969 by physicist Oskar Thürer and headquartered in Niederwangen near Bern, Switzerland. The company is the inventor and global leader in tritium gas light source technology, marketed under the registered trigalight® brand. The technology consists of hermetically sealed glass capillaries (as small as 0.30 mm outer diameter) internally coated with luminescent phosphors and filled with tritium gas; the tritium nuclei decay with a 12.3-year half-life, producing continuous visible light for over 25 years without batteries or external power. The company also produces precision glass capillaries (0.2–5 mm OD) for analytical, aerospace, medical, and telecommunications applications, and operates the world's only in-house tritium recycling facility (commissioned 2021).

The business operates through three branded product lines — traser® (Swiss-made self-illuminating watches with 100+ models distributed in 40+ countries), trigalight® (OEM self-luminous components sold to defense, safety, aviation, and watchmaking customers), and swisatec® (tactical safety solutions integrated into firearms and knives) — supplemented by tritium trade (98% isotope purity), tritium recycling services, Type B(U) certified transport container rental, PVD coating services, and hermetic vapor cells for molecular clock and frequency reference applications. Notable customers include the US Army (300,000+ units delivered in 1989 per MIL-W-46374F), US Navy SEALs, and Swiss Armed Forces.

The company employs approximately 85 people from 18 nations across a 2,000 m² Minergie-certified production facility housing 18 laser machines with vision systems, and is led by CEO Roger Siegenthaler (since 2014) and Chairman Marc Gerber. All production is vertically integrated in-house in Switzerland, from proprietary machine development through glass shaping, tritium handling, coating, and finished watch assembly. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; pricing is quote-based and routed through direct enterprise sales, a 40+ country distributor network, and direct-to-consumer e-commerce via traser.com.

Name

MB - Microtec

Legal name

mb-microtec ag

Website

https://mbmicrotec.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

mb-microtec ag is a Swiss family-owned microtechnology company (founded 1969, ~85 employees) that invented and globally leads tritium gas light source technology (trigalight®), selling self-luminous components, traser® Swiss watches, and tactical safety solutions to defense, watchmaking, safety, and industrial customers in 40+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Self-luminous Tritium Technology

NAICS

Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451)

SIC

Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827)

akta.pro primary industry

Electronics & Semiconductor High-Purity Gases (IMAEACAG)

Keywords

• Tritium gas light sources
• Self-luminous technology
• Precision glass capillaries
• Tritium recycling services
• Self-illuminated watches

Headquarters

HQ city

Bern

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tritium Light Source Products (trigalight®): Sale of trigalight® self-luminous light sources to customers in defense, safety, watchmaking, aviation, and other industrial sectors. Products are sold directly and through distributors globally.
2. traser Swiss H3 Watches: Sale of traser self-illuminated watches under the SWISS MADE quality label. The collection includes over 100 models sold in more than 40 countries.
3. Tritium Sales: Sale of tritium isotope in highest purity (minimum 98% T isotope purity) for use in various applications including pharmaceutical, fusion research, and other specialized industries.
4. Glass Capillaries: Production and sale of precision glass capillaries with outer diameters from 0.2 mm to 5 mm, in various geometries (round, rectangular), for applications in analytics, aerospace, medical, and telecommunications industries.
5. Tritium Recycling Services: Recycling services for tritium from cleaned trigalight products, enabling customers to return old products for sustainable resource recovery.
6. Type B(U) Container Rental: Rental of certified Type B(U) transport containers for customers needing to transport tritium internationally, including regulatory support and handling guidance.
7. Hermetic Vapor Cells / Molecular Clock Components: Sale of hermetically sealed glass gas or vapor cells filled with dipolar molecules for use in molecular clocks, frequency standards, and other precision measurement applications.
8. PVD Coating Services: PVD vacuum coating services for decorative and functional surfaces, including metallic coatings, protective layers, and laser engraving on coated surfaces.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

mb-microtec ag is a Swiss manufacturer that develops and produces self-luminous tritium gas light sources under the proprietary trigalight® technology, hermetically sealing tritium gas inside glass capillaries coated with luminescent phosphor to provide continuous illumination for over 25 years without any external power source. The company markets these light sources to defense, watch, aviation, safety, and industrial OEM customers, complemented by the traser® self-illuminating Swiss Made watch line, precision glass capillaries, tritium trade and recycling, Type B(U) container rental, PVD coating services, and hermetic vapor cell components for molecular clocks — all manufactured vertically in-house at its Niederwangen facility near Bern.

Product overview

MB-microtec is a Swiss microtechnology company that operates as an integrated product portfolio centered on tritium-based self-luminous technology. The core technology is trigalight, which provides maintenance-free illumination via hermetically sealed glass capsules filled with tritium gas. This technology underpins three brands: traser (Swiss-made watches with self-illuminating dials and bezels), trigalight (standalone tritium light sources sold to OEM customers), and swisatec (tactical safety solutions integrating trigalight into firearms and knives). The company complements its light-source business with precision glass manufacturing (glass capillaries from 0.2mm outer diameter), coating services (PVD vacuum coating), molecular clock components (hermetic vapor cells for frequency standards), and specialized services including tritium trade, tritium recycling, Type B(U) container rental, and tritium handling services for fusion, beta batteries, and cryptography applications. The entire operation is vertically integrated from in-house machine development through glass shaping, coating, tritium handling, and final watch assembly under one roof.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• traser: Watch brand featuring trigalight self-powered illumination technology, offering high functionality and reliable time readability in all situations.
• trigalight
• swisatec

Products and services

• trigalight® Self-Luminous Tritium Light Sources Hermetically sealed tritium gas-filled glass capillaries that glow continuously for 25+ years without external power, available from 0.30 mm outer diameter in multiple colors (blue, green, orange, red via spectralight) and brightness levels. Sold as OEM components to defense, watchmaking, safety, aviation, and industrial customers.
• traser® Swiss Made Watches Self-illuminating Swiss Made watches under the SWISS MADE quality label using trigalight® technology, with 100+ models distributed in 40+ countries. Sold direct to consumers via traser.com and through global distributors.
• swisatec Tactical Safety Solutions Customized installation of trigalight® light sources in tactical products such as knives, pistols, and rifles to enhance safety and usability under poor lighting conditions. Supplied to firearms and tactical equipment manufacturers.
• Tritium Trade Sale of tritium isotope in highest purity (minimum 98% T isotope purity) using in-house developed automated transfer facilities with precise metering as tritide in uranium getter beds. Sold to pharmaceutical, fusion, beta battery, and cryptography customers.
• Precision Glass Capillaries Glass capillaries with outer diameters from 0.2 mm to 5 mm, in round, rectangular, and triangular cross-sections, made from soda-lime, borosilicate, neutral, and aluminum silicate glass. Supplied to automotive, aerospace, medical, analytical instrumentation, and telecommunications manufacturers.
• Tritium Recycling Service Globally unique service that recovers tritium from cleaned trigalight® products for reuse, closing the tritium lifecycle with recycled tritium quality identical to newly purchased isotope.
• Type B(U) Container Rental Rental of in-house produced certified Type B(U) transport containers for safe transport of up to 4 PBq of tritium, with regulatory and handling support. Containers certified by CNSC and ENSI for worldwide transport.
• PVD Coating Services PVD vacuum coating using Magnetron Sputtering technology for decorative and functional surfaces, including metallic coatings, protective layers, and laser engraving on coated glass and vacuum-compatible materials.
• Molecular Clock (Hermetic Vapor Cells) Hermetically sealed glass tubes filled with dipolar molecules serving as stable frequency references in the GHz to THz range for molecular clocks and frequency standards. Uses ultra-pure gas handling, advanced glass forming, and laser fusion processes.
• Tritium Handling and Tritium-Free Services Tritium handling services for fusion technology development, beta batteries, and random number generation for cryptography, including material exposure testing and tritium activity characterization. Companion tritium-free services provide hermetically sealed glass gas or vapor cells without tritium.

Quantifiable outcome

• Tritium decay provides continuous illumination for over 25 years without any external power source
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Marathon Watch Company: Canadian manufacturer of military and tactical watches using tritium gas tube illumination, supplying armed forces including the US military. Directly comparable to mb-microtec in serving defense customers with self-illuminating timepieces built to military specifications.
• Luminox: Swiss-origin watch brand specializing in self-illuminating watches using tritium gas tubes (Luminox Light Technology). Directly competes with mb-microtec's traser brand in the tactical and military watch segment using nearly identical tritium illumination technology.
• Ball Watch Company: American watch manufacturer known for using tritium gas tubes (micro gas tubes) for self-illumination, marketed as 'automatic gas tube illumination.' Competes directly with traser in the premium tactical and railroad watch segments with similar battery-free, multi-decade illumination.

Broad incumbents

• Swatch Group: World's largest watch manufacturer and Swiss watch industry giant, owner of brands including Omega, Longines, Tissot, and Breguet. While not using tritium technology, the Swatch Group is a broad incumbent in mb-microtec's home Swiss watch industry, sharing the same ecosystem of suppliers, distributors, and end customers.
• Heraeus Holding: German precious metals and specialty materials company with expertise in high-purity materials, isotopes, and advanced components. Comparable to mb-microtec in handling high-purity specialty materials, with adjacent capabilities in isotope-related products and industrial components.
• Schott AG: German specialty glass manufacturer with deep expertise in precision glass, glass-to-metal sealing, and hermetic components. Comparable to mb-microtec's glass capillary manufacturing capabilities and serves similar high-tech industrial, medical, and scientific markets with precision glass components.
• Corning Incorporated: American specialty glass and ceramics giant producing precision glass components for scientific, medical, and industrial applications. Comparable to mb-microtec in precision glass manufacturing, though at vastly larger scale and broader scope across telecommunications, life sciences, and display technologies.
• Gerresheimer AG: German specialty glass manufacturer producing precision glass and plastic products for pharmaceutical, medical, and cosmetics industries. Comparable to mb-microtec in precision glass manufacturing capabilities, with overlapping expertise in tight-tolerance glass components and hermetic sealing.

Emerging players

• Infleqtion: UK/US-based quantum technology company developing cold atom and quantum sensing products including atomic clocks. Comparable to mb-microtec's emerging molecular clock (vapor cell) business, as both produce components and systems for next-generation frequency standards and quantum precision measurement.

Regional players

• Nivarox-FAR: Swiss manufacturer of precision watchmaking components, especially hairsprings and escapement parts, supplying virtually all major Swiss watch brands. Comparable to mb-microtec as a specialized Swiss micro-components supplier serving the watch industry with high-precision, proprietary manufacturing capabilities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mb-microtec-ag

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MB - Microtec