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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Geneva, Switzerland

De Grisogono

Partially verified

Maker of catalogued self-winding wristwatch, two-time zone wristwatch

History

De Grisogono was founded in Geneva in 1993 by the Lebanese-Italian black diamond specialist Fawaz Gruosi.

The company name is derived from the Greek term meaning 'begotten of gold'. In 2012, the majority shareholder sold a stake to SODIAM, the trading arm of the Angolan state diamond company, leading to a long-term investment by the dos Santos family. The firm reached international prominence for high-value auctions, including the sale of a record-breaking 163.41-carat D Flawless diamond designed by Gruosi.

The extended history summarises the open references listed under Sources; each statement was checked against the cited passage. Confirm key dates in period documents before relying on them.

Current watchmaking & later fate

  • Since 2022, the brand has been owned by the Damac Group of Dubai following the company's bankruptcy.

As stated in the references listed under Sources, retrieved 2026-11-03. Ownership and collections change; check the maker's own announcements for the latest position.

Major innovations

  • The firm is recognized for the creation of the Spirit of de Grisogono, which is noted as the world's third-largest cut black diamond.

Known markings

  • The firm operates under the name De Grisogono.

Serial numbers

No serial-number system for this maker is recorded in the cited references.

Collecting significance

The catalogued pieces listed on this page show the kinds of objects auction houses, dealers and museums attribute to this maker; each attribution is the source's own.

In the object catalogue

2 catalogued objects are recorded under De Grisogono. Attributions are as given by each source and are not independent authentication.

Diagram

crownsliding clutchsetting wheelswinding pinion and ratchet
Schematic: keyless winding and hand setting. An outline schematic drawn to show the arrangement of the parts discussed here. It is not a dimensioned working drawing and does not depict a particular maker's calibre.

Sources & references

  1. De Grisogono, Wikipedia (English), retrieved 2026-11-03 (text CC BY-SA 4.0)
  2. Spirit of de Grisogono Diamond, Wikipedia (English), retrieved 2026-11-03 (text CC BY-SA 4.0)
  3. Hussain Sajwani, Wikipedia (German), retrieved 2026-11-03 (text CC BY-SA 4.0)

Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.