End of an era: Why Rolex discontinued the Carl F. Bucherer brand
For almost 150 years, the Bucherer family ran a watch brand that was as synonymous with quality as its luxury timepieces were with Hollywood. That all changed recently when Rolex discontinued the Carl F. Bucherer brand. Why? Because Bucherer, which was founded by Carl F. Bucherer in 1888, was acquired by its long-time supplier, Rolex, and there was no place for two brands in the same ultra-luxury segment. So there you have it. Bucherer was a costly hobby for the Bucherer family, and they decided to sell it to get the cash.
It’s a shame because Carl F. Bucherer made beautiful watches. And they were watches with a pedigree. John Wick, the hitman played by Keanu Reeves, wore a Carl F. Bucherer Manero AutoDate in Chapter 1 and Chapter 4 of the hit movie franchise. In the movies, John Wick wears the watch with the dial on the inside of his wrist. That’s because he always wears a watch on each wrist. That’s how he knows what time it is.
Jean-Frédéric Dufour, former CEO of Bucherer, told Robb Report that the double watch look was inspired by the classic film, The Virgin Spring. In the film, the actor playing the lead role wears two watches. "The double watch look is an eccentric way to wear a watch, but it has a tradition and there are people who like it," Dufour said.
I don’t know about you, but I think wearing two watches looks silly. I mean, if you’re wearing two watches, and you want people to know that you’re wearing two watches, then fair enough. But if you’re just casually wearing two watches, and you don’t want people to think that you’re casually wearing two watches, then don’t wear two watches.
It’s fine to wear two watches if you want to wear two watches. There’s no right or wrong when it comes to fashion. But I think it’s a bit off-putting to wear two watches at the same time.
After Bucherer was acquired by Rolex, the watch brand was discontinued. That’s not to say Bucherer watches are no longer available. You can still buy them on the secondary market. And there’s always a chance Rolex could bring back Bucherer. It has happened before. When Rolex acquired Tudor in 1969, it discontinued the Tudor Prince line. But in 2019, Rolex brought back the Tudor Prince for Tudor’s 50th anniversary. So there’s always hope.
In the meantime, we’ll just have to wait and see what Rolex does next. The watch giant has been on a bit of an acquisition streak lately. In addition to Bucherer, Rolex has acquired brands like Tiffany & Co. and Brooks Brothers. So there are bound to be some big changes in the ultra-luxury segment in the near future. And there’s no better place to stay up to date on those changes than Robb Report. We’ll keep you posted on all the latest news in the ultra-luxury segment. The watch enthusiast community was shocked when Swiss luxury watch brand Bucherer was sold to its long-time supplier, Rolex, in July 2024. LVMH, the owner of several watch brands including TAG Heuer, Bvlgari, and Hublot, was also reportedly interested in acquiring Bucherer. Bucherer was eventually sold to Rolex for an undisclosed sum.
Rolex is a supplier of movements for Bucherer since 2009. Movements are the internal mechanics of a watch. The ultra-luxury segment, where Bucherer competes, has seen its sales drop amid a broader downturn in the watch industry. Bucherer has been unable to turn a profit since 2017.
Bucherer watches are worn by celebrities such as Pirates of the Caribbean star Johnny Depp, tennis player Roger Federer, and actor Kevin Spacey. Federer has his own personal limited edition watch with Bucherer called the Patra HT Flying Tourbillon. The watch retails for $470,000. Celebrity endorsers often charge millions to use their image for advertisements.
Bucherer was a family-owned business until its sale to Rolex. Company founder Joerg Bucherer died in November 2023 at the age of 83. Bucherer had been suffering from a serious illness for some time. Before he started running the watch business, Joerg Bucherer was CEO of the watch retail business. The watch retail business was sold to the US private equity fund Warburg Pincus.
