Benrus
United States of America | |
Founder | Lazrus brothers |
---|---|
Headquarters | United States of America |
Area served | Worldwide |
Website | benrus.com |
Benrus is an American
History
The name "Benrus" is a
In the 1920s the company transitioned from watch repair to the manufacture of watchcases and assembly of completed watches using imported internal components from
In the early 1950s, Benrus failed in a
In the 1960s, the company introduced
In the early 1960s, the Federal Trade Commission determined that Benrus' marketing practices—specifically, its published list prices—were misleading for a substantial minority (about 14%) of potential customers at the time.[1][7]
The company was sold to
The Benrus brand was acquired from the Wells-Benrus company by Clinton Watch Company of Chicago in 1981, which renamed the business Benrus Watch Company.
Notable campaigns
- In 1926, the company's marketing campaign revolved around Charles Lindbergh who, at the time, was one of the world's biggest celebrities[3]
- Benrus developed the "sports aviation" watch model promoted by Babe Ruth[3]
- In 2015, Benrus hired Camille Kostek to become its brand ambassador in their transition into becoming a full-fledged lifestyle company[11]
Legal
Trademark
According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Benrus is owned by Benrus Holdings, LLC [12] A luxury wristwatch company, released two watches, N°1 and Philo.[1] In 2014, Giovanni Feroce acquired the license and trademarks for Benrus with the intention of transforming Benrus into a lifestyle brand with wristwatches as the core element.[13] In 2017, Feroce lost control of the trademarks when he failed to make payments to the previous owners.[14] The new ownership group of the Benrus trademarks was granted a temporary restraining order by Superior Court Judge Michael Silverstein barring any interference with the brand from Feroce's former company. According to court documents, Feroce and his entity are "temporarily restrained from utilizing, advertising, selling, marketing, disposing, transferring and encumbering any goods bearing the Mark (Benrus) and/or related Intellectual Property." Feroce and his entity are blocked from the usage of the benrus.com URL.[14] A receiver was appointed by the court to liquidate the assets of the former business with numerous creditors seeking payment.[15] In 2018, the Buffalo Bills sued Benrus and Feroce for breach of contract, alleging nonpayment of $1M from a sponsorship agreement.[16]
References
- ^ Collectors Weekly. Retrieved 2016-12-26.
- OCLC 751133291.
- ^ a b c "HISTORY". Benrus. Archived from the original on 2021-04-09. Retrieved 2019-03-12.
- ^ "Defense Essentiality and Foreign Economic Policy (Case Study: The Watch Industry and Precision Skills)". United States Congress, Subcommittee on Foreign Economic Policy. 1956. p. 158. Retrieved 2016-12-26 – via Google Books.
- ^ "2-P: Hamilton Watch Co. v. Benrus Watch Co. (D. Conn.)". Merger Case Digest 1982. American Bar Association. 1984. p. 464 – via Google Books.
- ^ Antitrust Division (April 2015). "Chapter IV - Litigation (Part B.2.a)". Division Manual (PDF). United States Department of Justice. p. IV-15. Retrieved 2016-12-24.
- OCLC 42578744– via Google Books.
- ^ a b c Babitt, Roy (19 August 1981). "MATTER OF BENRUS WATCH CO., INC". United States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. New York. Retrieved 2016-12-26 – via Leagle.
- ^ a b "The financially ailing Wells-Benrus Corp., which owes $12 million..." United Press International. 6 March 1985. Retrieved 2016-12-26.
- ^ a b "Clinton & Hampden". Hampden Watches (in Czech). Retrieved 2023-12-08.
- ^ "BENRUS Announces Camille Kostek as Brand Ambassador". finance.yahoo.com. 27 April 2015. Retrieved 2020-10-26.
- ^ http://tmsearch.uspto.gov
- The New York Times. Retrieved 2016-12-26.
- ^ a b Fenton, Josh. "New BENRUS Owners Are Granted Restraining Order Against Feroce". GoLocalProv. Retrieved 2018-04-03.
- ^ Milkovits, Amanda. "Creditors swarm over Feroce's financials, as former Benrus CEO still plans run for governor". providencejournal.com. Retrieved 2018-04-03.
- ^ "Bills sue sponsor of huge New Era Field clocks, alleging nonpayment of $1M". The Buffalo News. 2018-04-03. Retrieved 2018-04-03.
Notes
- ^ There is an 8-K filing related to the bankruptcy filing, as noted at https://www.sec.gov/news/digest/1977/dig091977.pdf (top of page 4)