====== MSR ======

{{wst>author|[[Foskett, Stephen|Stephen Foskett]] ([[https://grail-watch.com/|Grail Watch]])}}

**Manufactures d'Horlogerie Suisses Réunies SA** (**MSR** or **United Swiss Watch Manufacturing Companies, Ltd.**) was a federation of Swiss watch manufacturers active between [[1961]] and [[1999]].

===== History =====
MSR was founded in [[1961]] in [[Bienne]]. The organization was headed by Roland Straumann of [[Revue Thommen]] in [[Waldenburg]] and included [[Vulcain]] of [[La Chaux-de-Fonds]], [[Buser]] of [[Niederdorf]], and [[Phenix]] of [[Porrentruy]]. The goal of the group was to "rationalize" production, as all four founding members produced their own [[ebauche]]s as well as complete watches. The combined firm produced over 600,000 watches per year, making it one of the largest in the Swiss industry.

MSR launched a new ladies caliber in [[1963]]. In [[1967]], MSR introduced their jointly-developed [[Exactomatic]] movement. A modern automatic movement, it included steel ball bearings under the rotor and extra-thick plates for durability. This movement entered production the next year and was a key component of [[Revue Thommen]] and [[Vulcain]] watches in [[1969]].

MSR developed a high-frequency quartz movement in the early 1970s. In production by [[1974]], this movement operated at an impressive 1.5 MHz with a digital divider. MSR was also active in the development of [[LED]] [[digital watch]]es in the 1970s. The [[Marvin]] brand was added by [[1976]] as well.

Revue Thommen and Vulcain emerged from the [[quartz crisis]] with barely 25,000 watches produced per year in [[1980]]. This rebounded in the 1990s, but the firm became increasingly focused on the Asian market and still managed to produce just 40,000 watches annually by the end of the decade. Thus, they were hit hard by the Asian financial crisis of the 1990s. In [[1999]], MSR management divested of their [[La Chaux-de-Fonds]] operation and focused production in [[Waldenburg]].

The Revue Thommen company had a near-monopoly in production of altimeters and other aircraft instruments, so the watchmaking operation was no longer emphasized. The watchmaking entity was bankrupt by July [[2000]], marking the end of MSR.

In [[2001]], the [[Vulcain]] brand was sold to [[PMH]], which re-launched it shortly after with new interpretations of the historic [[Vulcain Cricket|Cricket]] model. [[Marvin]] was acquired in [[2002]] by [[Time Avenue]] and re-launched in [[2007]]. The Revue Thommen brand was licensed to [[Grovana]] in [[2004]] and re-launched.

===== Membership =====
  * [[Buser|Buser Frères & Cie SA]], [[Niederdorf]] ([[1961]]-1970s)
    * Buser, Nidor
  * [[Revue Thommen|Revue Thommen SA]], [[Waldenburg]] ([[1961]]-[[2004]])
  * [[Phenix|Phenix Watch Co SA]], [[Porrentruy]] ([[1961]]-1970s)
    * Phenix, Eros, Argus
  * [[Vulcain|Vulcain & Studio SA]], [[La Chaux-de-Fonds]] ([[1961]]-[[2001]])
    * Vulcain, Cricket
  * [[Marvin]], [[Saint-Imier]] ([[1976]]-[[2002]])
    * Marvin


{{tag>MSR Biel-Bienne Defunct_watch_and_luxury_trusts}}