Bernard FAVRE

What Bernard FAVRE does

Bernard Favre, trading through the Swiss legal entity Ofidia Sàrl, is a luxury mechanical watch winder manufacturer founded in 2011 by Bernard Favre in the Neuchâtel canton of Switzerland — the heart of the Swiss watchmaking region. The company invented and commercialized the double perpendicular axis gyroscopic Planet movement, inspired by marine chronometer gimbal systems, which rotates automatic watches through two axes to replicate natural wrist motion more accurately than traditional single-axis winders. The product portfolio comprises four collections: Planet (flagship double-axis winders in Black, Silver, Gold, and Special Series including diamond-encrusted variants priced up to CHF 21,520), the Crown Ultimate (a limited edition of 68 hand-wound watch winders with sensor-based auto-stop technology), the Moon Modulor system (modular 1/3/4/6-winder configurations), and Planet Bases (display stages in wood, marble, and reinforced concrete), plus accessories such as the Travel Leather Case.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer model primarily through its Shopify-powered bernardfavre.ch storefront, supplemented by a global network of authorized brick-and-mortar watch retailers and a bespoke/custom program for commissioned pieces. All sales are one-time purchases with no subscription or recurring revenue component; prices span CHF 270 (travel case) to CHF 21,520 (special series). The customer base is narrowly defined as high-net-worth luxury watch collectors who use winders both as functional maintenance tools and as kinetic display sculptures. Marketing is largely organic — Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, and a dedicated press portal — with storytelling anchored in Swiss craftsmanship and the founder's artisan laboratory identity.

The company is founder-owned and -operated with no disclosed external investment, parent company, or subsidiary structure. It holds a registered design/CE certification for the double-axis movement, has continuously operated since 2011, and presents itself as a boutique manufacturer combining handcraft, proprietary mechanical IP, and limited-batch production rather than a scaled industrial business.

Name

Bernard FAVRE

Legal name

Ofidia Sàrl

Website

https://bernardfavre.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bernard Favre is a Swiss luxury watch winder manufacturer founded in 2011, known for inventing the double perpendicular axis Planet movement. It serves high-net-worth automatic watch collectors via a Shopify storefront, authorized retailers, and bespoke commissions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Luxury Watch Accessories

SIC

Watches, Clocks, Clockwork Operated Devices/Parts (3873)

akta.pro primary industry

Watch Parts & Components (Straps/Bracelets, Crystals, Hands, Buckles) (CRAKADAK)

Keywords

• Luxury watch winders
• Mechanical watch accessories
• Swiss watchmaking
• Automatic watch winding
• Horological display

Headquarters

HQ city

Les Geneveys-sur-Coffrane

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Watch Winder and Accessory Sales: Direct sales of mechanical watch winders (Planet, Moon, Crown collections) and accessories (travel cases, bases) to end consumers and watch collectors via owned e-commerce storefront and retail partners. One-time purchase model with prices ranging from CHF 1,390 to CHF 21,520. No recurring subscription revenue model.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Bernard Favre designs, manufactures, and sells premium mechanical watch winders and display accessories for luxury automatic and hand-wound timepieces. The company's flagship innovation is the double perpendicular axis (gyroscopic) Planet movement that replicates natural wrist motion for optimal watch winding. Products are sold directly through the bernardfavre.ch e-commerce storefront and authorized retailers, with prices ranging from CHF 1,390 to CHF 21,520.

Product overview

Bernard Favre is a Swiss luxury watch winder manufacturer operating since 2011, known for inventing the double-axis movement in the Planet collection. The product portfolio consists of four main collections: (1) Planet - the flagship double-axis watch winder available in Black, Silver, and Gold collections with various base materials (aluminum, leather, ostrich); (2) The Crown Ultimate - a limited edition (68 pieces) hand-wound watch winder with automatic overwinding prevention; (3) Moon - a modular winder system (Modulor) allowing combinations of 1, 3, 4, or 6 winders; and (4) Planet Bases - display stages in wood, marble, and concrete materials for housing multiple winders. Special Series offers exclusive variants including diamond-encrusted and specialty-finish pieces. All products feature Swiss-made craftsmanship with gyroscopic mechanisms inspired by marine chronometers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• The Crown Ultimate winds 99% of all watch types (Program 5: 480 clockwise and 480 anticlockwise rotations)
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ShopifycoreTechnology or IntegrationBernard Favre's online store is powered by Shopify, which handles e-commerce hosting, payment processing, order management, and customer account functionality. Shopify collects and processes personal information about site visitors and customers. The store uses Shopify's infrastructure for the full purchase journey including checkout, shipping fulfillment, and data analytics.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Rapport London: Established British heritage maker of watch winders, watch boxes, and clocks with a broader portfolio than Bernard Favre. Operates in the same luxury watch-accessory category but offers single-axis winders across a wider price and style range.
• Wolf 1834: Long-running American maker of watch winders, watch boxes, and jewellery storage with broad retail distribution. Comparable product category but a much larger, mass-premium incumbent compared to Bernard Favre's artisan niche.

Direct peers

• Swiss Kubik: Swiss-made watch winder manufacturer offering both single and multi-watch winders targeted at luxury mechanical watch collectors. Closest direct competitor to Bernard Favre, sharing Swiss-made positioning, premium price points, and direct-to-collector distribution model.
• Buben & Zörweg: Manufacturer of luxury watch winders, safes, and presentation cases marketed at ultra-high-net-worth collectors. Highly comparable in product category, premium/luxury positioning, and price ladder (often exceeding CHF 20,000 per piece).
• Elma Watches: Swiss watch winder manufacturer producing programmable winders targeting the same collector segment. Comparable Swiss-made positioning and direct-to-consumer model, focused on programmable single-axis solutions.
• Orbita: US-based watch winder specialist offering rotor-based and programmable winders aimed at collectors. Direct competitor in product category with comparable feature-driven differentiation (e.g., programmable turn counts), though without the double-axis mechanism.
• Heiden & Harbeck: German precision manufacturer of high-end watch winders and watch accessories. Comparable in premium positioning, mechanical craftsmanship, and collector-oriented distribution across Europe.
• Scatola del Tempo: Italian luxury watch winder and watch storage maker producing high-end, artisan-style winders in limited runs. Comparable in artisanal positioning, premium pricing, and collector-focused customer base, though with single-axis tradition rather than Bernard Favre's double-axis mechanism.

Emerging players

• Underwood London: British leather-goods maker producing premium watch rolls, watch cases, and selected winder-style accessories. Comparable in luxury positioning and collector target market, though focused more on travel leather goods than mechanical winding.
• Charles Simon: Canadian maker of luxury watch accessories, including watch rolls and bespoke cases, with limited watch-winder offerings. Comparable in artisan positioning and ultra-premium pricing for the same HNW collector segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@bernardfavre6727
• Facebookfacebook.com/bernardfavreswiss
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bernardfavre
• Instagraminstagram.com/bernard_favre

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Bernard FAVRE