jewelrypassion

Charriol is a Swiss manufacturer of jewellery, watches, and other accessories. Charriol is one of the largest makers of wristwatches in the world. The company was founded in Geneva by Philippe Charriol, a French entrepreneur. It later relocated its headquarters to Geneva. The company competes with the likes of Rolex, Chopard, Cartier, and David Yurman.

Charriol was founded in 1983, when Philippe Charriol decided to launch the company all across the America, Asia, and Europe. His signature style, introduced first in watches and then in other jewelry items, is based on a twisted cable design used by the ancient Celts. Headquartered inGeneva, the brand has expanded throughout Asia, theUnited StatesandEurope. By mid-2009, the Charriol line could be found in 3,200 retailers, 485 upscale “Charriol Corners” stores, and 71 Charriol boutiques.

In 1989, he would go on to later open the first Charriol boutique in Geneva, followed by three others in Hong Kong.Following the success of his initial Celtic Collection, Charriol introduced a line of writing instruments and leather goods in 1989.

Charriol continued to expand throughout the decade, opening the company’s first U.S. boutique in 1994 and its first boutique in China in 1995. In 1999, the brand changed its name from Philippe Charriol to simply Charriol.

The Brand

• According to Luxury Bazaar, “The ‘Celtic’ concept and the brand owner’s philosophy toward life, ‘L’art de vivre la différence‘  translated as ‘the art of living the difference,’ were embraced by people who wanted to share the same experience and philosophy of life.”

“To create my special style, I work like an alchemist,” he says, “mingling seriousness with exuberance, I never tire in my insistence on the proper function and superb quality of all I create.”

• With a combination of personal charisma, design talent, and generous support of other artists, Philippe Charriol has gained great renown. Advocating a positive attitude towards life, he embraces each day with an optimistic state of mind, and is eager to share this belief with those around him.

In the first five years of the brand’s history, Phillipe Charriol had achieved a phenomenal growth. The brand has been growing on a heatlhy double-digit scale scale ever since.

TrademarkBattle

• Charriol has aggressively fought to protect his brand and threatened to sue anyone who used the Celtic twisted cable in their jewelry designs for trademark infringement. In June 2001, a federal judge in the Southern District of New York ruled that the cable design was ineligible for trademark protection. “That a ‘metallic nautical rope design as an integral feature of the goods’ could be a trademark to identify the source of bracelets, earrings and the like staggers the imagination,” wrote Judge Charles L. Brieant as he ruled in favor of plaintiffs Paul Morelli Design, Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus. The plaintiffs had filed the suit in 1999 after receiving “cease and desist” letters from Charriol.

Expansion

• Even though he lost the trademark lawsuit, Charriol continued to expand his line. In 2002, Charriol celebrated the brand’s 20th anniversary by launching three new collections. In 2007, Charriol expanded his market again by debuting the Celtic Classique collection, a less expensive line that ranges in price from $295 to $795.

Today, the brand has blossomed into an international luxury brand with multi-product collections that range from fine watches, jewelry, and leather goods to writing instruments and eyewear. It has strong market positioning in the Far East region, U.S.A., and Europe. The brand has penetrated into over 2,500 outlets and built up over 40 freestanding boutiques, known as Phillipe Charriol Boutiques.

These achievements are quite impressive for a brand with such a short history. The great success of the brand had been attributed to the suitable pricing, the impeccable “Celtic” design concept, the reliable quality and its coherent, consistent marketing communication program on a worldwide scale.