Harry Winston, Inc. is an American luxury jeweler and producer of Swiss timepieces.[2][3] The company was founded in 1932 as Harry H. Winston Jewels, Inc. and changed its name to Harry Winston Inc. in January 1936.[4][5] The company is named after its founder, Harry Winston, who was called by many as the "King of Diamonds".[2][6][7][8][9]
Harry Winston is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious jewelry manufacturers in the world.[10][11][12][13][14] The company has its headquarters in New York City, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Swiss Swatch Group, which acquired it from the Toronto-based Harry Winston Diamond Corporation (now known as ACDC) in January 2013.[3][5][15]
American jeweler Harry Winston opened his first store under name Harry H. Winston Jewels, Inc. in 1932.[3][4] In 1936, the company changed its name to Harry Winston Inc..[4][5]
Harry Winston was the first jeweler to loan diamonds to an actress for the Academy Awards, in 1943; after dressing Best Actress nominee Jennifer Jones in his signature diamonds, Winston became popular with Hollywood celebrities.[16]
After the death of the company's founder, Harry Winston, the company went to his two sons, Ronald and Bruce, who then entered into a decade-long battle over the control of the company.[17] In 2000, Ronald, along with new business partner, Fenway Partners, bought Bruce out from the company for $54.1 million.[18]
In 2010–2011, the company's sales were €246 million in total sales and €36 million in watches.[19] The company also hired a new CEO, Frederic de Narp, formerly of the Cartier North America. He succeeded Tom O'Neill.[20]
On January14, 2013, the company was acquired by Swatch Group.[3] The transaction included the brand and all the activities related to jewelry and watches, including the 535 employees worldwide and the production company in Geneva, Switzerland. It did not include the mining activities of parent company Harry Winston Diamond Corporation, which was renamed Dominion Diamond Corporation.[21]
Currently, there are Harry Winston retail stores in China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Macau, Monaco, Russia, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and United States.[22]
The company bought the flawless blue diamond The Winston Blue on 15May 2014.[23]
