Adria and Adriatica are parent Swiss watch brands manufacturing for Eastern European markets.
Origin
The name originates from the
Etruscan city of Atria (or
Adria) that also gave its name at a much earlier period to the
Adriatic Sea. It is believed that the name dates from 1931 or earlier.
History
The history of Adria and Adriatica as watch
trademarks is closely associated with the
Belle Époque
The Belle Époque or La Belle Époque (; French for "Beautiful Epoch") is a period of French and European history, usually considered to begin around 1871–1880 and to end with the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Occurring during the era ...
period through the
Montilier Watch Co
Muntelier (French name: Montilier; frp, Monteliér ) is a municipality in the district of See in the canton of Fribourg in Switzerland. It is one of the municipalities with a large majority of German speakers in the mostly French speaking Can ...
, established in 1852 in
Montilier
Muntelier (French language, French name: Montilier; frp, Monteliér ) is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of See (district of Fribourg), See in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Fribourg (canton), Fribourg in Swit ...
, close to Morat/
Murten, at the foot of the
Watch Valley, Switzerland. The brands were dormant from the start of
World War II until 1949.
From 1962 two associated watch companies, established in
Biel/Bienne and
Basel, took over the manufacturing and marketing of Adria and Adriatica watches in partnership, designing mainly classical round pink gold-plated ladies’ and some gentlemen's models, and a special model called "Adriatica World Champion".
Both brands, especially Adriatica, flourished in the
Scandinavian countries, and also, especially, in
Finland. Adriatica watches started being increasingly imported discreetly into
Poland by seafaring people and being distributed there and in many of the non-communist countries, becoming established in the Eastern part of Europe.
In 1989, foreseeing the opening of trade, a family which owned the company {{As of, 2013, lc=on—took over the brands and developed them as manufacturers and distributors.
Adriatica watches have always been
Swiss made
Swiss made is a label or marking used to indicate that a product was made on the territory of Switzerland. It is also a geographical indication protected under different Swiss and international laws and treaties. According to the Swiss Federal Ac ...
. Since 1998 they were manufactured by their own company, PR & A Watch Sagl, in
Dongio, in the watchmaking area of
Ticino, the Italian-speaking part of
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
.
Adriatica is a full member of the
Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry FH.
External links
Adriatica Swiss Watches Official WebsiteLuxury Watch Reviews, News, Blogs & GuidesКаталог наручных часов Adriatica
Manufacturing companies established in 1852
Swiss companies established in 1852
Swiss watch brands
Belle Époque