The Concord watch brand from Biel normally stands for solid middle class. This fact made its presence at this year’s Grammy Awards all the more glamorous because Taylor Swift wore a vintage Concord watch – around her neck.
The annual Grammy Awards are a rendezvous for the musically talented and the rich and beautiful. This year, the appearance of Taylor Swift on the red carpet sparked lots of discussion.
The American singer («Anti-Hero», «Shake It Off», and «You Belong With Me») wore a very special accessory to complement her cream-colored Schiaparelli dress – a Swiss watch as her necklace.
Happy Bielers
A closer look revealed that it was a classic model from the Biel-based watchmaker Concord, which the US jeweler Lorraine Schwartz had transformed from a wrist watch to a watch necklace. The hands of the vintage Concord were set to midnight for the event, probably in reference to the album «Midnights» for which Swift won the «Best-Pop-Vocal-Album-Award.»
Biel appreciates the glamorous presence. Flavio Pellegrini, president of Concord said, «Taylor Swift’s innovative styling of the Concord watch as a necklace at this year’s Grammys has ushered in a new chapter in the story of luxury timepieces as important accessories of high fashion.» He went on to say that he was happy to see the company’s handiwork «be part of such a significant cultural moment.»
Part of Movado
The Concord brand was founded in Biel in 1908. In 1979, the company experienced a major highlight when the quartz-operated Delirium model set a world record that still holds today.
With a diameter of under one millimeter, it is the thinnest wrist watch ever made. Today, Concord mainly makes quartz watches that sell at price points between 1,500 and 5,000 Swiss francs ($5,670).
Cuban Watchmaker
In 1970, Gedalio Grinberg (1932-2009), a watchmaker from Cuba, bought the brand. Today, it is part of the Movado Group, which Grinberg built. It is listed on the stock exchange in the USA with a market capitalization of more than $400 million, and to this day, the Grinberg family still holds the majority of the voting rights.
The Movado Group designs and sells watches under the brands Movado, MVMT, Olivia Burton, Ebel, Concord, Calvin Klein, Coach, Tommy Hilfiger, Hugo Boss, and Lacoste.
