he story of Ronda began long before the company’s foundation in 1946. William Mosset was born in 1909 in Hölstein. Passionate about mechanics, he trained as a precision mechanic before joining Oris, where he acquired extensive expertise in watch manufacturing.

While working there, he developed the “Carousel” in his spare time, a milling and drilling machine capable of performing 20 operations consecutively in a circular process. Fiercely independent, he eventually decided to establish his own company.

A brief history

In 1946, he founded Ronda in Lausen, where the company’s headquarters remain to this day. Initially, Ronda focused on manufacturing balance staffs, stems and pivots for lever movements. Following the acquisition of a patent, assortments for pin-pallet and Roskopf movements from other manufacturers were added to the production programme.

In 1952, the company produced its first ébauches, and regulated balances were added in 1958. By the end of the 1950s, Ronda employed 220 people. As the company expanded and legislation became less restrictive (at the time, only a handful of companies were authorised to manufacture complete movements), Ronda obtained the right to produce its own pallet and Roskopf blank movements.

With its workforce now numbering 520 employees, the company continued to grow, notably through the acquisition of a watch assembly business in the Canton of Ticino. Then came the quartz revolution. Ever committed to innovation, Ronda developed its first quartz movement by 1974 and opened a branch in Hong Kong to expand its market presence. This period also saw the emergence of the first “Swiss Parts” movements (assembled outside Switzerland, as opposed to Swiss Made movements assembled in Switzerland).

When founder William Mosset passed away in 1985, the second generation immediately took over, with his daughter Elisabeth at the helm, followed a few years later by his son Erich. By 1989, Ronda had transferred part of its production capacity from Hong Kong and China to Thailand, opening a second factory there in 1990 to manufacture individual components and assemble Swiss Parts movements.

By the end of the 1990s, Ronda employed around 1,000 people and was producing between 15 and 20 million modular, high-quality quartz movements annually. Expansion continued, and in 2007 Ronda acquired its long-standing partner Zwahlen, establishing a profile-turning company in Court, Jura.

Fresh impetus

When Fabien Schirmer, son of Elisabeth Schirmer-Mosset and grandson of the founder, took over the company in 2017, Ronda employed more than 1,000 people, operated a major production site in Thailand, maintained a sales office in Hong Kong, and ran three sites in Switzerland: the headquarters in Lausen, the profile-turning unit in Court, Jura, and the assembly facility in Ticino.

As mechanical watchmaking regained momentum in the 2000s, the board decided in 2011 to relaunch a mechanical movement. The R150 was unveiled at Baselworld in 2016. It was conceived as an alternative to ETA movements, whose availability to third parties outside the Swatch Group was expected to decrease, while also competing with Sellita’s growing offering.

Fabien Schirmer recalls: “The strategy was to rebuild the third pillar on which Ronda had been built – mechanical movements – to complement our quartz movement and component production activities.”

However, as the 40-year-old CEO candidly acknowledges, “It did not meet our expectations.” Why? “I think we fell short of our objectives in terms of volume and cost. Moreover, market demand was not as strong as we had expected.”

He adds: “We decided to phase out the movement during the Covid period and rethink our approach, with the goal of developing a movement better suited to evolving market conditions and customer requirements.”

A new mechanical calibre

The decision was made to develop an entirely new mechanical movement – and indeed a new mechanical platform for future developments. The timing could hardly be better, as Ronda launches the new R01 in two versions to celebrate the company’s 80th anniversary this June.

The founder’s grandson explains: “We wanted to differentiate ourselves and develop a calibre with a number of distinct advantages. We increased the size from 11.5 to 12.5 lignes, providing greater legibility and more room to showcase the finishing that consumers – and brands – expect today.”

Significant efforts have also been made to improve chronometric performance through the use of a silicon hairspring and silicon escapement. The calibre is available in four certification levels: Élaboré (accuracy of ±7 seconds per day), Top (±4 seconds per day), COSC-Certified (-4/+6 seconds per day), and COSC Excellence (-2/+4 seconds per day) under the newly introduced COSC Excellence certification.

“We also focused on reducing thickness, which now stands at 4.2mm (9% thinner than competing movements), while offering a date window that is 22% larger than those of competing calibres and an 80-hour power reserve,” adds the CEO.

He continues: “Most importantly, we wanted to offer our customers maximum flexibility. We are launching with two versions: the R01-01, featuring central seconds and date, and the R01-02, with small seconds and date. What truly sets the platform apart is its modular architecture, which eliminates the need for customers to redesign a case every time they wish to introduce a new function.”

Ronda offers three levels of finishing – matte, brushed or Geneva stripes – along with extensive customisation options. “All parts are produced in Lausen, except for the silicon components, which are sourced from an independent European manufacturer.”

As the CEO notes: “We learned from our mistakes. We wanted to bring the same level of excellence to our mechanical pillar that we have achieved with quartz in terms of customer service, quality and flexibility. We are building an entirely new platform that will incorporate additional complications in the future.”

Given the growing demand for advanced movements, including from small and micro-brands, Ronda appears poised to make a genuine return to the Swiss Made mechanical calibre market. Prices start at CHF 139, which may seem high for smaller brands compared with certain competitors. However, these movements offer a distinctly different value proposition and would fit naturally into watches retailing between CHF 1,000 and CHF 5,000.

Does Ronda also intend to compete with movement manufacturers outside Switzerland? The CEO answers unequivocally: “Our goal is to offer outstanding value for money across a range of Swiss Made movements engineered in Switzerland.”

Independence as a North Star

With this clear strategy, Ronda aims to reclaim its place in the mechanical movement market. And independence plays a central role in that ambition. Independent companies that endure across generations are a rare breed. Passing a company from one generation to the next is often a defining moment. Family businesses come with both advantages and disadvantages.

When asked about the downsides, Fabien Schirmer pauses before answering. His response reflects the very essence of a family business: “The only drawback I see is that I find it difficult to draw a clear line between my personal and professional life.”

The advantages, however, are clear in his eyes: “Independence gives us the freedom to make decisions quickly. It gives us the agility that is more important than ever today. It also prevents political agendas from taking hold. Ultimately, it creates added value for our customers.”

So what is his vision for Ronda’s future?

“We want to remain independent and continue growing our customer base for our mechanical division. We will further develop the R01 family and introduce new variations and complications.”

A new contender has entered the arena. Ronda is back in mechanical movements. Will it reclaim its place among the leading suppliers to third-party brands? Only time will tell. What is certain, however, is that the company has given itself the means to pursue its ambitions.