Known for its exquisite high-end jewellery, gemstone expertise, and as purveyors of some of today’s most sought-after luxury watch brands the Swiss, family-owned House of Gübelin’s story began in 1854. With the opening of a small watchmaker’s shop in the Swiss city of Lucerne, the business grew over time, moving to ever-larger locations in the city until finally settling on the Schwanenplatz.
In 1854, Mauritz Breitschmid opened a watchmaker's shop on the Pfistergasse in Lucerne. A few years later, in 1861, Eduard Jakob Gübelin was born in Eastern Switzerland. He subsequently moved to Lucerne and was apprenticed to the watchmaker Mauritz Breitschmid. 1886 marked a special occasion in the young watchmaker's life as Eduard Jakob Gübelin married Bertha Sophia Breitschmid, the daughter of his old master. In the same year, the two men became business partners, managing the growing company together.
It all started with a small watchmaker's shop in Lucerne...
In the 1920s Gübelin opened its own jewellery atelier and at the same time set up a small gemmological laboratory so that it could test – and be sure of the authenticity – of the stones its jewellers used. It also continued making and repairing fine watches for a discerning clientele, developing a reputation that soon reached throughout Europe and overseas.
The beginnings of the gemmological laboratory and the Gübelin Ateliers...
After opening seven boutiques in Switzerland over the years, Gübelin opened its first Hong Kong branch of the Gübelin Gem Lab in 2010, the new management reacted to the rising demand for gemmological services and expertise in Asia, a trend that has grown even stronger in the years since.
The introduction of a private salon in Hong Kong and the foundation of the Gübelin Academy followed in 2013, additions that were welcomed enthusiastically by local customers and gemstone enthusiasts alike.
In 2015, Gübelin introduced its Deeply Inspired philosophy and the following year Gübelin launches the first e-boutique in Switzerland for high-quality watches and divine jewellery.
In 2017 the Gübelin Gem Lab opens a branch in New York. In the same year, Gübelin launches Provenance Proof - an initiative that uses new technologies to promote and advance transparency in the coloured gemstone industry.
Inspired by the fascinating inner world of the padparadscha sapphire, the House of Gübelin inspires its customers in 2019 with new jewellery collections and starts offering personal delivery via its e-boutique.
Since 1854, the House of Gübelin has always been in the hands of the family and led by a family member.
Throughout time the Gübelin family carefully nurtured its traditions. It kept the company’s core values alive and passed them on to the next generation which contributed to the success and growth of the Swiss House.
After Thomas Gübelin handed over the management of the company to the sixth generation, his son Raphael Gübelin, he and his wife Wilvy Sy Gübelin continue the legacy and family tradition.
In all its activities, the House of Gübelin is guided by the values of authenticity, expertise and inspiration. Graceful jewellery creations and extensive horological and gemmological expertise are the result of skill and inspiration refined over more than 165 years.
