Marvin quickly understood the interest of publicity such as advertising campaigns, sponsoring, partnerships etc.
The brand has always combined passion and economic necessity, enthusiasm and reason. Below are a few examples…
Although the first advertisements date from 1905, the brand was already advertising in specialised horological publications such as the Indicateur Davoine.
The multilingualism of the texts – French, English, Spanish and German – confirms the international character of the Manufacture.
After the Second World War, Marvin began to use sponsorship for publicity.
Pierre Didisheim was a car-racing enthusiast, and took part in a number of road and circuit races at the wheel of a car sponsored by Marvin. He met Fangio by chance at the 1950 Swiss Grand Prix in Berne. Their friendship was based on more than a shared passion for the automobile and the Italian pilot visited the Manufacture in 1954, wearing a Marvin. Another major Swiss pilot, Tulo de Graffenried, became the Marvin ambassador.
1955 was a great year for the HCC, - Hockey Club of La Chaux-de-Fonds - chaired by Pierre Didisheim. He took the club up to League A.
Determined to develop his club still further, the President created the MARVIN Cup in this same year, entirely sponsored by the Manufacture. Three teams from Italy, the Federal Republic of Germany and Holland were invited. Each player of the winning team would receive a Marvin watch. The Marvin Cup lasted four years.
In 1955, Marvin signed a partnership with the airline KLM. On the lapel of their uniform, hostesses wore a clip watch, a variation of the famous Tyre watch.
Advertising spoke of a ‘conversation piece, the perfect pretext for a little friendly chitchat’. Pilots flew with the Flying Dutchman on their wrist.
The charm of Swiss Marvin watches was once favored by many celebrities. Historical Marvin materials connect the brand with figures from motorsport, cinema and twentieth-century culture.
Marvin has always believed that true watchmaking is not only about precision, but also about the stories, the people and the passions that drive us forward.
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