Innocente Binda’s intuition had
already alerted him to the potential of a creative approach to publicity, way
back in the Thirties. He had several watches with Incaflex movement thrown from
the top of the Eiffel Tower, in order to demonstrate the reliability and
resistance of the Wyler Vetta products. The movement worked perfectly after
being dropped three hundred metres and this became the first publicity stunt in
the history of the Company. This was how Binda associated its products with the
value of excellent design, the use of high quality materials, and also with the
actual idea of modernity that was evoked by the Parisian tower. This
sensitivity with regard to communication, which is fundamental for anyone
operating in the world of style, has characterised all the publicity choices
made by the Group. The strongly innovative capacity of the approach and the
message marked the relationship between brand, sector and the media. For
decades, watch producers had been investing only in the medium of print; Binda
chose television and undermined traditional models, thus surprising the market
and
encountering success amongst
consumers. The Binda brands’ methods of communication, with their strongly
emotional impact, forged ahead into new territories of expression, creating
phenomenal new trends. A publicity campaign that was at the centre of the
re-launch of the Breil brand in 1994 has entered into the history of
communication. A claim that was inspired by sensuality and dynamism,
«Toglietemi tutto ma non il mio Breil», had a decidedly strong impact on
Italians. It then became associated with actresses and top models such as
Monica Bellucci, Shana, Carré Otis and Jane Campbell, and helped make the brand
the leader of its market. When the claim went international with «Don’t Touch
my Breil» in 2002, it helped the brand’s fame to spread on an international
level. 2007 sees Charlize Theron as new ambassadress for the Breil Milano brand
worldwide, not only on account of her natural beauty but above all her modern
personality. She has been assigned the important role of following the brand in
its international expansion and in the development of the high-end segment of
Breil Milano. 2008 sees Charlize Theron again with Breil Milano. In these
coming campaign she will show not only Breil Milano watches and jewels but also
the new lifestyle extensions of the brand, like leather bags and eyewear
glasses. Breil Milano has also the male face of famous actor Edward Norton,
featuring Breil Milano watches and jewels. 2009 saw an actual return to the
natural origins of the Breil brand and, at the same time, the claim ”Take
everything, but not my Breil” which has made it so famous over the years. The
new campaign, targeting a public with a strong personality, strongly reiterates
the original values which made it an iconic brand.
Binda’s three main business units
are watches, jewelry and leather. It produces and distributes its own brands,
including Breil Milano, Breil Tribe, Wyler Genève and Details.
The company also licenses watch and
jewelry brands from Dolce & Gabbana (D&G Time and Jewels), Moschino
CheapAndChic, Ducati and Nike. In 1997
1906
Innocente Binda opens a watchmaker’s
shop in a small town on Lake Maggiore; this is just the beginning of an
enterprise that would, in future, make his company the most important of its
kind in Italy.
1932
The sale of watches by Wyler Vetta
begins; the brand which marks a pivotal milestone in the history of watches
thanks to Incaflex, a revolutionary system with a double-armed balance wheel that
makes it shockproof, finally allowing watches to be worn in a relaxed and
functional way.
1934
Italy are the World Champions for
the first time ever and Wyler Vetta is on the wrist of most of the champions in
the National squad: Meazza the captain, Pozzo the trainer and Combi the
goalkeeper all praise the watches for their reliability, infrangibility and
resistance to shocks.
1935
This is the year in which the first
automatically self-winding Wyler Vetta watch is made, one of the first
completely automatic models to be created with a patented movement.
1939
The beginning of a great success:
this is the year that saw the release of the first watch by Breil; already the
first watches were distinguished by their feeling for the aesthetic trends of
the moment and by the careful design research involved.
1939
The beginning of a great success:
this is the year that saw the release of the first watch by Breil; already the
first watches were distinguished by their feeling for the aesthetic trends of
the moment and by the careful design research
involved.
1956
In Paris a great public show of the
resilience of Wyler Vetta watches takes place; a number of watches are thrown
from the Eiffel Tower, a drop of 302 metres, and found to be still intact and
in perfect working order.
1978
The arrival of Radius. A young
eclectic brand that, with its excellent quality and eye-catching appearance,
carves out a large share of the lower price range of the market.
1979
Beabourg is the watch of the year; a
watch that brings back the elegance and uninhibited style of the Thirties.
Beabourg launches the button strap fashion and establishes itself as a watch of
sober style and refined design.
1980
Pareo is born: the colourful dials
and energetic young design make it the summer phenomenon for this year.
1985
Hip Hop is the new watch with both
bracelet and case in coloured rubber. Designed to express young people’s
vitality and character. Hip Hop establishes itself with vivacious
chromatisms, novel materials and a distinctive fragrance.
1993
This is the year that re-launched
Breil with the famous publicity campaign and the claim ”Take everything, but
not my Breil” which achieved an unprecedented success and indelibly fixed the
company brand in the mind of the consumer.
1997
Binda acquires the distribution
rights to Seiko and Lorus for the Italian market; two of the most well-known
brands in the world thanks to their synthesis of technology and aesthetics.
2000
This is the year that the D&G
fashion house make their entrance into the world of watchmaking with Binda.
2001
An important stage for Binda: the
first collection of “Breil Stones” jewels.
2002
2002 is a fundamental year for Binda
which, amongst other things, registers market leadership with the Breil brand.
The Binda Retail channel is launched: a vital framework that helps to make the
world of Breil even stronger and more visible through a successful and dynamic
image. In December the first monobrand shop was opened: the Breil Shop is based
in Milan on Corso Vercelli. In September the Wyler Vetta brand was
re-launched. The programme is aimed at underlining the tradition and the
prestige which have made these watches famous all over the world. New
functional and versatile collections, characteristically elegant lines with
maximum attention paid to technical and design detail. With Wyler Vetta newly
positioned on the market Binda releases its Luxury Range Division. In the same
year the Breil claim was also changed becoming ”Don’t Touch my Breil”: a
strategic
evolution, a move made to support
brand internationalisation politics. The new claim had an instant impact and
was met by the firm approval of the consumers. An important milestone for
Binda: the first collection of jewellery under the name of Breil Stones is
released.
2005
2005 marked a year of international
success for Binda: Binda Iberia opened in January with its head offices
in Barcelona; in February, the American subsidiary opened in Miami, and in
September it was the turn of the German headquarters in Monaco. In September
two new jewellery brands were also launched: the D&G Jewels and Trudi
Jewels collections made their debut on the market. In addition, the licence for
the production and distribution of D&G watches was also renewed.
2006
One century after it’s foundation,
the Binda Group is celebrating it’s Centenary by looking to the future, and to
the challenges and the goals for the next 100 years. From 1st January 2006
Binda will have a new company structure with the objective of enhancing its
principle company assets. This structure consists of a holding company, Binda
Spa and two specialised companies: Binda Italia Srl and Binda Retail Srl. The
opening of Binda Asia, the China branch, is also geared towards the same goal.
2007
Binda launched the first Breil
Milano eyewear line and obtained distribution rights for Italy of the Paris
Hilton Watches brand and of the Glam Rock watches brand for Italy, the US and
Canada. This is in addition to world
licensing agreements for the
Moschino CheapAndChic, Ducati and Ducati Corse watch and jewellery brands. The
Binda Group now distributes products in over 60 countries. At the end of 2007
Binda UK opened, joining those in the USA, Spain and Portugal, Germany and
China. The B-Hip! distribution project is launched. Stores that sell all the
Group’s brands.
2008
Binda launches a new jewellery brand
– Details – on the market. Breil Milano Leather launches N° Zero, the new
women’s bag for day and evening. A new concept is introduced for the Breil
shops and the first stores to be restyled are those in Florence and Barcelona.
New monobrand stores opened in Berlin, New York and Roma. Binda do Brazil opens
in São Paulo. The Binda Group acquires US Geneva Watch Group.
From BindaGroup website.
Please remember that this is an unofficial account of the history of this
company, Should you happen to find any mistakes with our information then
please let us know at
