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Economic Swiss Time Holding
Economic Swiss Time Holding (ESTH) was a federation of Swiss Roskopf watch manufacturers created in 1967 and merged with SSIH in 1971.
History
Economic Swiss Time Holding was a consolidated organization of Roskopf watch makers. Included in this group were Agon, Basis, Buler, and Ferex. The company was headquartered in Basel and directed by Max Thommen of Basis and Walter Rüfli of Buler. This was a defensive move, as Roskopf watches were losing ground to cheaper Asian alternatives. The company set up a new factory at Reinfelden and workshops at Arzo to reduce Swiss labor costs. By 1969, the Continental brand was also part of ESTH.
ESTH was merged with SSIH, part of the giant Swiss concern, ASUAG, in 1971 as budget and mainstream priced Swiss watches continued losing ground to Asian competition and the quartz crisis loomed.