====== UMES ======
**Union pour des Montres Ancre Économiques** (**UMES**) was a federation of Swiss watch manufacturers active in the 1960s and 1970s.

===== History =====
UMES was founded in [[1966]] in [[Neuchâtel]] with 7 companies as members. This was the same year as the establishment of similar groups, [[SAGITER]] and [[SOPROD]]. Unlike SATIGER (which was for "leading companies") and SOPROD (which was for smaller manufacturers), UMES was aimed at factories producing watches on a very large scale for mass market consumption. These products would be deeply impacted by the financial and [[quartz crisis]] of the 1970s.

Member companies continued exhibiting together at the [[Basel Fair]] from [[1970]] through [[1983]]. In the 1980s, UMES was active in the [[Swiss Mechanical Watch Study and Promotion Group]] but was unable to adapt as mechanical watches resurged later in the decade. Most UMES members were forced to adapt to the changing market with some ceasing operations and others changing focus. For example, [[Sellita]] focused on movement production and is now a leading producer rivaling [[ETA]] in volume, while [[Mondaine]] became a consumer brand for clocks and watches.

===== Membership =====
  * [[Cauny|Cauny Watch SA]], [[Mireille Grebier]], [[La Chaux-de-Fonds]]
  * [[Mondaine|Mondaine Watch Ltd]], [[Zurich]]
  * [[Semag|Semag SA]], [[Berne]] (founded [[1960]], spun out by [[1978]])
    * [[Claro|Claro Watch SA]], [[Bienne]] (founded [[1961]])
  * [[Catena|Catena Watch SA]], [[Bulle]] (founded [[1908]], spun out by [[1978]])
    * [[Spaceman]]
  * [[Impérial|Impérial Watch Co SA]], [[La Chaux-de-Fonds]]
  * [[Sellita|Sellita Watch Co SA]], [[La Chaux-de-Fonds]]
  * [[Guda|SA des Montres Guda]], [[Bienne]]


{{tag>UMES Neuchâtel Defunct_watch_and_luxury_trusts}}