Taylor Swift’s Neck Adorned with a Swiss Watch
The Concord watch brand from Biel is typically known for its solid middle-class appeal. So, when Taylor Swift wore a vintage Concord watch as a necklace at this year’s Grammy Awards, it added a touch of glamour to the event.
The annual Grammy Awards attract the musically talented and the rich and beautiful. Taylor Swift’s appearance on the red carpet this year sparked a lot of discussion.
The American singer, known for hits like “Anti-Hero,” “Shake It Off,” and “You Belong With Me,” paired a very special accessory with her cream-colored Schiaparelli dress – a Swiss watch worn as a necklace.
Happy Bielers
Closer inspection revealed that the classic model was from the Biel-based watchmaker Concord, which was transformed into a watch necklace by the US jeweler Lorraine Schwartz. The vintage Concord’s hands were set to midnight for the event, possibly in reference to the album “Midnights,” for which Swift won the “Best-Pop-Vocal-Album-Award.”
Biel is thrilled by 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 also expressed his happiness to see the company’s work “be part of such a significant cultural moment.”
Part of Movado
The Concord brand was founded in Biel in 1908. In 1979, the company achieved 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 wristwatch ever made. Today, Concord mainly produces 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.