Mr Raymond Weil and his wife, Éliane Weil, set up their folding table at the Basel fair.
In their suitcase were the first creations of the company Dinita, a name derived from their daughters’ first names, Diane and Anita. They were taking a gamble.

After more than twenty years in the watchmaking industry, Mr Weil had
launched his own business. He was fifty years old, without a penny to his name, but he was a natural salesman, a creative man with a passion for art in all its forms and, above all, a man of rare kindness and loyalty who inspired those around him.

Mr Raymond Weil travelled the world, pursuing his vision with unwavering determination. He was curious about people and cultures alike, explored continents and forged decisive connections that would later allow him to expand his network in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Middle East – markets that remain key to the company’s activity today.

It was a time of trust, where a promise carried weight. Mr Weil’s word was gold, and his suppliers, partners, and distributors recognised that fact.

Between flights, this doting father and grandfather would check on his grandchildren.

Were they reading enough? Keeping up with their music lessons? He was also an aviation enthusiast, and at the age of fifty-six, earned his pilot’s licence – proof that it’s never too late to follow one’s passions.

In 1982, Mr Raymond Weil invited his son-in-law, Olivier Bernheim, to join him at the helm of the family business. For fourteen years, the two men ran the company side by side before the baton was passed. This formative experience became one that Olivier Bernheim would later replicate with his own son, Elie Bernheim.

Olivier Bernheim would go on to strengthen the foundations of the company, firmly embedding Mr Weil’s values and equipping the brand with the technical capabilities needed to look towards new horizons and global markets.

In 1983, the Amadeus watch was unveiled. Named in homage to the eponymous play the family had enjoyed in Paris, this collection would propel the company into a new dimension. Milos Forman’s film, adapted from Peter Shaffer’s celebrated play, began its promotional journey with a screening in Zurich.

The film team spotted the Amadeus watch in Europa Star magazine and reached out to Olivier Bernheim. In this perfect alignment of art and time, RAYMOND WEIL watches would soon circumnavigate the globe on the wrists of the cast and crew.

As a citizen of the world, Mr Raymond Weil had begun distributing his watches during his travels. Then, following in his father-in-law’s footsteps, Olivier Bernheim journeyed across the globe to build a tightly-knit distribution network.

While many other houses turned their attention towards China, RAYMOND WEIL invested in India and strengthened its presence in the United States, Australia, the Middle East, and the United Kingdom.

“Employee No. 17,” Eric Yersin, who joined RAYMOND WEIL on 1 March 1988, has been the cornerstone of the industrialisation of the company’s manufacturing processes. Still heading production today, he recalls the creation of each collection and revisits the Maison’s archives as one might leaf through a family album.

As a specialist in shaped watches, RAYMOND WEIL offered its collections in round, square, and rectangular cases. “Within our price range, design-wise, we were a little bit crazy!” recalls Eric Yersin.

Olivier Bernheim, a visionary in marketing, launched a landmark advertising campaign in 1993, which was photographed by Loïs Greenfield and awarded four prizes.

The “Precision Movements” campaign depicted dancers as the hands of a watch. The campaign, pioneering in its artistic vision, positioned the RAYMOND WEIL brand above the product itself, uniting audiences worldwide through a shared love of art.

Elie Bernheim interprets the score composed by Mr Raymond Weil in his own way – distinctly contemporary, yet always firmly rooted in the family’s values. In 2007, just a year after joining the company, RAYMOND WEIL unveiled a new collection: Freelancer.

The first line developed under Elie Bernheim’s leadership was modern, urban and sporty. Notably, it was also the first not to bear a name inspired by the musical world. Freelancer marked a bold new direction – a statement of
independence, audacity, and the freedom that is implicit in its name.

Elie Bernheim believes that staying anchored is what allows a legacy to endure.

A streamlined decision-making process, an in-house technical office, a production network of longstanding partners, and the assembly workshop in Grand-Lancy enable the brand to react swiftly… frequently staying one step ahead of the curve.

With over fifty years of design, the Maison has created pieces of timeless precision. The toccata heritage, unveiled at Watches & Wonders in 2025, was met with unanimous acclaim. This elegant watch, available with either a manual-wind or quartz movement, is a faithful re-creation of a vintage collection model once worn by Mr Raymond Weil in the 1990s.

The RAYMOND WEIL archives are a treasure trove. They contain watches that captivate collectors with their boldness and horological finesse, whilst also appealing to a wider audience of enthusiasts seeking exquisite yet accessible Swiss timepieces.

In 2015, Elie Bernheim launched an ambitious programme of collaborations, beginning with the maestro Frank Sinatra Limited Edition and a partnership with the guitar brand Gibson. The following year, the maestro The Beatles Limited Edition marked the first in a series of four watches celebrating the Fab Four. Subsequent limited editions paid tribute to AC/DC, Marshall Amplification, Gibson Les Paul, David Bowie, and Jimi Hendrix.

In 2023, with the freelancer Basquiat Special Edition, RAYMOND WEIL expanded its collaborations into contemporary art, before venturing into the world of graphic novels with a
piece dedicated to Largo Winch in 2024.