CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF DELMA
From powerful sports watches that inspire to classic chronographs with steadfast style, DELMA has proudly produced Swiss Made timepieces to perform for 100 years.
A century in business is always a significant achievement. Reaching this milestone as a continuously family owned and operated company incites us to celebrate our accomplishments while we embrace the future. Our history provides us with an invaluable archive of experiences and serves as a distinguished foundation for our constantly evolving collection.
In tune with the times
Established in 1924, DELMA has witnessed many changes over the last 100 years with the advent of new technologies and the impact of various economic and political events. And yet, throughout its uninterrupted history, DELMA has prevailed.
One reason for the company’s success can be attributed to the growing interest in leisure pursuits. DELMA, always attentive to the needs and wants of consumers, has satisfied the desires of active souls by releasing a selection of sports models. In particular, we have gained an enviable reputation for manufacturing divers’ watches, a horological genre where robustness and reliability are of paramount importance.
All DELMA timepieces are imbued with quality, refinement, and a near-obsessive attention to detail. Our product portfolio includes both classical and contemporary models that have been designed to confer lasting appeal. These characteristics were much in evidence back in 1924, and they remain inherent in today’s watches.
Always family-owned. Always made in Lengnau.
Founded by two brothers, Adolf and Albert Gilomen, the ownership of the company passed from one family to another in 1966. At this time, Ulrich Wüthrich assumed control of the company and renamed it DELMA after one of its initial brands. Thirty years later, in 1996, he handed the reins to his son-in-law, Fred Leibundgut, the present-day Chairman and CEO. DELMA remains a family-run company, with Fred at the helm and his son, Andreas, working by his side. While the company has witnessed change over the years, it has always enjoyed the creative freedom of being family-owned. Moreover, it has always been located in Lengnau, where the brand began life 100 years ago.
In 1924, our earliest watches were relied upon for punctuality and stature by those who had the privilege of owning a fine Swiss Made timepiece. As demand has evolved and expanded, so has the range of our audience and the vigor of our collection. With our first divers’ watches of the 1960s we joined the explorers who were enamored by the sea and created timepieces to discover life below the surface. By the mid-1970s DELMA’s Shell Star, the brand’s first professional divers’ watch, was issued with great acclaim. In the years that followed, DELMA was determined to push the boundaries of water resistance as well as durability and design.
The Blue Shark collection, now in its fourth edition, is built for extreme underwater adventures and embraces the power of the ocean with a water resistance of 5000 meters. The Oceanmaster is enlightened by sailing experts and charts crucial information at the surface with bespoke tactical planning features. The Heritage Chronograph LE represents the longevity of classic style with sophisticated details to be admired for generations.
A centenary celebration. A high-complication.
DELMA developed the 1924 Tourbillion, a timepiece that signifies longevity, quality and progress to mark this historic moment. As was the longtime vision of CEO Fred Leibundgut, it is fitted with a custom developed, 100% Swiss tourbillon. Likewise, the case radiates quality and pays tribute to the brand’s design aesthetic. Intricate details on the dial, complete the elegant horological ensemble and ode to 100 years of DELMA.
The Caliber DT100.01 may be the company’s first proprietary movement, but it certainly won’t be its last. In fact, it provides a foretaste of what’s to come - a move towards making additional proprietary movements, continuously embracing innovation and independence.