As one of the world’s renowned top jewelry trading and appraisal families, the Gübelin family has been passed down to the sixth generation.
Currently, Gübelin’s business encompasses jewelry and watch retail stores, Gübelin Jewelry Studio, Gübelin Watch Studio, Gübelin Gem Lab, Gübelin Academy, and subsidiaries for buying, selling, and valuing gems and antique jewelry, among others.
The Gübelin family, while upholding tradition, dares to innovate, continuously infusing their own ingenious ideas to further develop their craftsmanship. Adhering to knowledge accumulation and craftsmanship spirit, shouldering family responsibilities, and constantly pioneering innovation are the keys to the Gübelin family’s enduring legacy.
Born in Switzerland, the family-owned Gübelin is world-famous for its exquisite high-end jewelry and profound gemological expertise. The Gübelin family has always adhered to tradition while continuously injecting fresh vitality.
Today, Gübelin has become an international luxury jewelry brand and watch retailer that integrates jewelry, gemstones, and watches. Although the Gübelin family is now in its sixth generation, they still maintain 100% ownership of the company.
The Origin and Inheritance of the Gübelin Family Fortune
In 1854, shortly after the establishment of the Swiss Confederation, 22-year-old Jakob Josef Mauritz Breitschmid, the founder of the Gübelin brand, opened a watch workshop in Lucerne, Switzerland, after years of learning watchmaking. Later, he married his daughter to Eduard Jakob Gübelin, an apprentice who worked for him, laying the foundation for the future birth of the Gübelin brand.
In 1899, Eduard began managing his father-in-law’s watch business and officially renamed the store Gübelin. With his father-in-law’s support, Eduard moved the shop to the Gotthard Building on Alpenstrasse by Lake Lucerne, a consumption hotspot for nobles and wealthy individuals in Lucerne, initiating the brand’s tradition of serving high society and emphasizing consumer experience.
Subsequently, as Gübelin’s watch trading business flourished, the family began to venture into the jewelry business during World War I, expanding jewelry as an auxiliary business to watches.
In 1919, Eduard Moritz Gübelin, the third-generation leader of the Gübelin brand and the only son in the family, took over the family business from his father. As the store’s jewelry business matured, Moritz noticed that many pieces of jewelry could no longer meet customers’ psychological expectations.
Under his advocacy, Gübelin began designing jewelry and engaging in gemstone trading. In 1923, they expanded into gemstone identification and development, establishing their own jewelry factory and gemstone laboratory at the headquarters.
Indeed, the Gübelin Gem Lab, initially established to monitor the family’s own jewelry, began with the third generation but gained global authority under the fourth generation’s leadership. Eduard Josef Gübelin, the fourth-generation member passionate about mineral collection and well-versed in classical literature, joined the family business in 1939. Specializing in gemology, he eventually became a master in gemology and origin determination, marking a significant turning point for the family enterprise.
In 1945, Eduard Moritz Gübelin passed away, and his two sons jointly led Gübelin’s further development. Eduard Josef Gübelin ultimately became a pioneer in modern gemology, while Walter Gübelin became a renowned watchmaker in the industry. Josef regularly inspected gemstone mines and sources worldwide, even venturing into the most rugged and remote areas on Earth.
Over decades of exploration, Josef’s collected gemstone samples, of exceptional quality, greatly advanced the research of gemologists worldwide, earning him high esteem in the industry and becoming a reference collection for the Gübelin family today.
In 1988, Walter Gübelin’s second son, Thomas Gübelin, became the fifth-generation leader. He perfected the sales network, distributing nearly 30 watch brands and Gübelin brand jewelry in seven important Swiss towns. Gübelin provided agency services for many coveted famous watchmakers, including Patek Philippe, Jaeger-LeCoultre, and Cartier, while also being Patek Philippe’s most important distributor in Switzerland.
In 2000, Sara Gübelin, one of the sixth-generation Gübelin family members, joined the family business, primarily managing the Gübelin Gem Lab and serving as a group director. In 2007, another sixth-generation family member, Raphael Gübelin, joined the family business and became the president of the Gübelin Group in 2011. Thus, the Gübelin family enterprise embarked on a new journey.
The Path of Family Business Succession
Today, the Gübelin family business has been passed down to the sixth generation and has remained 100% wholly-owned for over 160 years. As Raphael Gübelin, the sixth-generation heir and president of the Gübelin Group, puts it: “The company was founded as a family business and still maintains the purity of family ownership, which is also important to customers who believe that a company with family elements is more trustworthy.”
Indeed, regardless of its achievements, Gübelin has never gone public, with the family retaining full ownership of all shares. Therefore, even during the 1929 economic crisis, the Gübelin family had the courage to expand, a move that later proved to be farsighted. This might be one of the reasons why the Gübelin family has remained wealthy for six generations.
The inheritance and continuation of values is another key to the Gübelin family’s century-long legacy. The Gübelin family’s knowledge and craftsmanship spirit have orderly passed down and carried forward the values, business philosophy, and excellent traditions of each generation of leaders and the brand. Throughout its history, Gübelin has consistently emphasized three qualities it considers key to success: authenticity, expertise, and inspiration.
Gübelin’s reputation is not built in a day but is the result of generations of dedication and effort over the years. Evidently, authenticity is the core principle in Gübelin’s business operations: when customers purchase a Gübelin jewelry piece or luxury watch, they want to know that all components are genuine and reliable. Additionally, the Gübelin Gem Lab helps authenticate gemstones, ensuring their genuineness.
Gübelin maintains a leading professional position in three areas: jewelry making, gemology, and watchmaking. All three fields have long-standing traditions requiring deep knowledge inheritance and extensive training to truly master. Gübelin not only sells beautiful jewelry pieces but also shares its passionate enthusiasm for gemstones, jewelry, and watches with the world. At the core of this passion lies the professional knowledge passed down through generations of Gübelins.
Through generations of inheritance, Gübelin’s rich gemstone knowledge has become an infinite source of creativity for the brand. The Gübelin family has always adhered to tradition while continuously injecting fresh vitality, establishing core values of natural aesthetics, craftsmanship, knowledge inheritance, and authenticity for Gübelin. The adherence to family values across generations has laid a solid foundation for the family’s orderly succession.
Lessons from the Gübelin Family’s Legacy
Reflecting on the Gübelin family’s century of glory, there are many inheritance codes worth learning:
First, adhere to knowledge accumulation and craftsmanship spirit. Whether in watchmaking, jewelry, or gemstones, each generation of the Gübelin family has maintained their initial passion, including certain requirements when training craftsmen. In this field, professional knowledge and skills are their greatest assets. Raphael, the sixth-generation leader, once said, “We don’t set ‘production’ targets; this is the value of ‘luxury goods’.
A simple ring might take 10 hours, but a complexly designed necklace could take 900 hours. Quality is more meaningful than quantity. We won’t expand quickly because the company’s knowledge wealth is the most important, and this knowledge can only be passed down through generations of technicians.”
Second, shoulder family responsibilities. Each generation of Gübelin leaders has been keen on cultivating children’s interest in the business, encouraging their early involvement in company affairs. According to Gübelin family tradition, any training received by the eldest son should serve the family business. The fourth-generation Eduard Josef Gübelin, who loved poetry, literature, and art, might have been an exception, but in fact, his academic pursuits ultimately became a family advantage.
Third, continuously pioneer and innovate. From a watch workshop to jewelry sales, from gemstone trading to gemstone authentication, Gübelin’s development from a watchmaking workshop to today’s international luxury jewelry brand and watch retailer is inseparable from the successive innovations of each generation of family leaders.
Integrating jewelry, gemstones, and watches not only allows Gübelin to leverage synergies in professional knowledge but also diversifies risks. During the Great Depression of 1929-1930, Gübelin was able to sustain itself due to its diversified profitability.
Gübelin’s Development Timeline
- 1854
Jakob Josef Mauritz Breitschmid, founder of the Gübelin brand, opened a watch shop in Lucerne, Switzerland. - 1899
Eduard Jakob Gübelin began managing his father-in-law’s watch business and officially renamed the store Gübelin. - 1919
Eduard Moritz Gübelin, the third-generation leader of the Gübelin brand, took over and established his own gemstone laboratory in 1923. - 1945
Eduard Moritz Gübelin passed away. His two sons jointly led Gübelin’s further development. Eduard Josef Gübelin ultimately became a pioneer in modern gemology, while Walter Gübelin became a renowned watchmaker in the industry. - 1988
Thomas Gübelin, Walter Gübelin’s second son, became the fifth-generation leader. He perfected the sales network, distributing nearly 30 watch brands and Gübelin brand jewelry in seven important Swiss towns. - 2000
Sara Gübelin, one of the sixth-generation Gübelin family members, joined the family business, primarily managing the Gübelin Gem Lab and serving as a group director. By 2007, another sixth-generation family member, Raphael Gübelin, joined the family business and became the president of the Gübelin Group in 2011.
In an interview, Gübelin President Raphael shared his understanding of the jewelry industry. With the influx of counterfeit jewelry in the market, gemology has gradually become a specialized discipline. Eduard Josef Gübelin, the fourth-generation heir, specialized in gemology, which laid the foundation for consolidating Gübelin’s market position.
Today, Gübelin’s gemstone authentication is world-renowned, known as the “Rolls-Royce of gemstone authentication institutions”. The Gübelin Gem Lab is one of the world’s most respected gemological laboratories and is famous for its professional authentication of colored gemstones.
To share professional knowledge about gemstones with a wider public, Gübelin opened the Gübelin Academy in Hong Kong in 2013. Specially designed for professionals, colored gemstone enthusiasts, and connoisseurs, the academy offers a series of modular courses. Through a summarized training model, it leads students into the wonderful world of colored gemstones.
The Gübelin Dynasty: Six Generations of Jewelry Mastery and Innovation
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