Cyma Watches combine more than 160 years of Swiss watchmaking heritage with modern automatic and quartz movements, sapphire crystals, elegant design, chronographs, and collections for both men and women.
Cyma is a historic Swiss watch brand whose roots date to 1862, when brothers Joseph and Theodore Schwob established a watchmaking business in Switzerland. The brand later became closely associated with the Tavannes Watch Company, founded by master watchmaker Henri-Frederic Sandoz, and the Cyma name was registered as a Tavannes trademark in 1904. During the twentieth century, Cyma became known for precision movements, early automatic watches, military timepieces, water-resistant designs, and its participation in the famous British military "Dirty Dozen" program during World War II. Today Cyma remains an active Swiss watch brand owned by Stelux International. Its current collections combine Swiss automatic and quartz movements with 316L stainless steel cases, sapphire crystals, classic styling, chronographs, and contemporary dress-watch designs.
Cyma is one of the historic names of Swiss watchmaking, with roots extending back to the nineteenth century and a history closely linked to the industrial rise of the Tavannes Watch Company.
The origins of the brand are generally traced to 1862, when brothers Joseph and Theodore Schwob established a watch business in Switzerland. A major turning point came after master watchmaker Henri-Frederic Sandoz founded the Tavannes Watch Company in the Jura village of Tavannes in 1891 and began working with the Schwob family.
The Cyma Tavannes Watch Co. trademark was officially registered in 1904. The relationship between Cyma and Tavannes became so close that vintage watches and movements may appear under Cyma, Tavannes, Cyma-Tavannes, or related branding.
By the early twentieth century, Tavannes-Cyma had developed into a major industrial watch manufacturer. The company produced watches on a large scale while also pursuing technical innovations in movements, thin construction, water resistance, and automatic winding.
One of Cyma’s most important historical achievements came in 1943 with the introduction of Caliber 420, an early automatic movement using a unidirectional winding system. Later automatic movements such as the Cyma Autorotor helped establish the brand’s reputation during the post-war era.
Cyma also holds an important place in military-watch history.
During World War II, Cyma was one of twelve Swiss manufacturers selected to produce watches for the British Ministry of Defence. These watches were built to the W.W.W. specification – commonly interpreted as “Watch, Wrist, Waterproof” – and are now collectively known by collectors as the Dirty Dozen.
Cyma’s military watch used a black dial, highly legible Arabic numerals, luminous markings, small seconds, a robust manually wound movement, and military markings including the British Broad Arrow. Original examples remain sought-after vintage military watches today.
Modern Cyma is considerably more dress-oriented than its wartime history might suggest.
The current catalog is divided into several families covering automatic dress watches, quartz chronographs, elegant everyday watches, and women’s collections.
Grand Maestro represents the upper end of the modern Cyma lineup.
The Grand Maestro “The Chess” collection includes sophisticated Swiss automatic chronographs. Current Moon Phase versions use the ETA 7751 automatic movement, combining chronograph functions with day, date, month, 24-hour indication, and moonphase display. The movement operates at 28,800 vibrations per hour and provides approximately 48 hours of power reserve.
Grand Maestro models use premium materials and finishing compared with the brand’s simpler collections, including sapphire crystals, stainless steel cases, detailed dials, and Swiss automatic movements.
The Heritage family includes Charisma, Europa, and Grace.
Charisma is one of Cyma’s principal automatic collections. Current men’s and women’s models use Swiss-made SW200 automatic movements with approximately 41 hours of power reserve. Depending on the reference, cases are produced from 316L stainless steel with steel or gold-tone detailing, while sapphire crystals and display casebacks reinforce the traditional Swiss dress-watch character.
Europa continues this classic approach with automatic designs aimed at buyers looking for understated Swiss styling rather than sport-watch aesthetics.
Grace is oriented primarily toward women’s watches and combines smaller proportions with elegant dial and bracelet designs.
Cyma also offers its Signature collection, focused on traditional Swiss craftsmanship and versatile dress-watch styling.
The more accessible Excellence group includes Champion, Intelligentsia, and Belle.
Champion is the sportiest of these collections. Current models include Swiss quartz chronographs powered by the Ronda 5030D caliber, with central chronograph seconds, 30-minute and 12-hour counters, date displays, sapphire crystals, Super-LumiNova, and 316L stainless steel cases.
Intelligentsia emphasizes slim, minimalist styling. Current examples use Swiss Ronda quartz movements, sapphire crystals, stainless steel cases, and approximately 5 ATM water resistance. Case thickness can be close to 7mm, making the collection particularly suitable for formal or everyday dress use.
Belle concentrates on women’s watches with smaller cases and more decorative styling.
Across the current catalog, Swiss Made remains an important part of Cyma’s identity.
Modern watches use established Swiss movement suppliers rather than proprietary in-house calibers. Depending on the collection, these include Sellita SW200 automatic movements, Ronda quartz calibers, and ETA automatic chronograph movements such as the 7751.
This distinguishes modern Cyma from the historic company, which once developed and manufactured a significant number of its own movements.
Materials are generally strong for the price segment. Sapphire crystal is widely used throughout the current range, while cases and bracelets typically use 316L stainless steel. Selected watches feature yellow-gold or rose-gold plating, mother-of-pearl dials, luminous elements, and exhibition casebacks.
Most current models offer approximately 5 ATM / 50 meters of water resistance. This is appropriate for normal everyday use but reflects the dress-oriented nature of the modern collection rather than professional diving capability.
Cyma is currently owned by Stelux International, the Hong Kong-based watch group behind City Chain and several other watch brands. The company has a particularly strong retail presence in Hong Kong and other Asian markets, where current Cyma collections are widely available.
Official pricing spans a fairly broad range. Entry-level quartz models begin around the equivalent of $550, automatic dress watches commonly move into the $1,000-plus range, while Grand Maestro automatic chronographs can exceed $4,000.
That places Cyma in an interesting position. It is more expensive and historically significant than many entry-level fashion or quartz brands, but it generally remains below the pricing of major Swiss luxury houses such as Omega, Breitling, or Rolex.
Its closest appeal is therefore to buyers looking for an established Swiss name, genuine historical significance, Swiss movements, sapphire crystals, and traditional design without moving into the highest luxury price brackets.
Positioned within the Mid-Range segment, Cyma Watches offer an unusual combination of nineteenth-century Swiss heritage, collectible military history, modern Swiss-made automatic and quartz movements, and pricing that remains relatively accessible by traditional Swiss-watch standards.
Price Range: $550 - $4,400
Positioning: Mid-Range
Yes. Cyma is a historic Swiss watch brand with more than 160 years of heritage. Modern models use established Swiss automatic and quartz movements, sapphire crystals, stainless steel cases, and Swiss-made construction. The brand is particularly attractive to buyers who value traditional Swiss watchmaking history without entering the highest luxury price segment.
Yes. Cyma is a Swiss watch brand whose origins date to the nineteenth century. Current Cyma watches are Swiss made and use Swiss movements from suppliers such as Sellita, Ronda, and ETA.
Cyma traces its origins to 1862, when Joseph and Theodore Schwob established their watch business in Switzerland. The brand later became closely associated with the Tavannes Watch Company. The Cyma Tavannes Watch Co. trademark was registered in 1904, while a separate Cyma Watch Company was formally established in 1930.
Cyma and Tavannes have a closely connected history. The Schwob family worked with Henri-Frederic Sandoz and the Tavannes Watch Company, which became a major manufacturer behind Cyma watches. Vintage pieces may therefore carry Cyma, Tavannes, Cyma-Tavannes, or related branding.
Yes. Cyma was one of twelve Swiss manufacturers that supplied military wristwatches to the British Ministry of Defence during World War II. These W.W.W. watches are now known collectively as the Dirty Dozen and are highly collectible among military-watch enthusiasts.
Current Cyma watches use Swiss movements. Depending on the model, these include Sellita SW200 automatic calibers, Ronda quartz movements, and ETA automatic chronograph movements such as the ETA 7751 used in selected Grand Maestro models.
Yes. Cyma offers several automatic collections, including Grand Maestro and Charisma. Current automatic models use Swiss movements such as the Sellita SW200 and ETA 7751, depending on the watch.
Cyma is currently owned by Stelux International, a Hong Kong-based watch and jewelry group that also operates the City Chain retail network and owns several other watch brands.
Yes. Vintage Cyma watches have a strong collector following, particularly military Dirty Dozen models, early automatic watches, Autorotor models, Cymaflex watches, and other historically significant mechanical references. Value depends heavily on originality, condition, rarity, and provenance.
Current Cyma watches generally range from approximately $550 to more than $4,000. Quartz collections occupy the lower part of the range, automatic dress watches typically cost more, and Grand Maestro automatic chronographs sit at the upper end.
