Guess
Brand History
Guess was founded in 1981 in Los Angeles by the Marciano brothers — Georges, Paul, Armand and Maurice, immigrants from France — as a denim and jeans label. Success came quickly thanks to highly recognizable advertising, built on black-and-white campaigns with strong glamour and erotic appeal, and the "Guess Girl" imagery launched in the following years, which helped make the brand an icon of Californian fashion between the 1980s and 1990s.
Like many fashion houses, Guess does not manufacture watches directly: the first collection of Guess-branded watches was introduced in 1984 through a licensing agreement, becoming part of the brand's strategy of extending into accessories such as eyewear, fragrances, bags and, indeed, watches. After more than two decades of partnership with Callanen International — a subsidiary of Timex Corporation — in September 2005 the two companies signed a new ten-year worldwide licensing agreement, effective from January 2007, confirming Callanen (today part of the "Sequel" division of Timex Group) as the exclusive licensee for the production and distribution of Guess and Gc Guess Collection watches.
In 1997 the brand launched Gc (Guess Collection), a distinct line conceived by Paul Marciano for a more demanding audience, with a more European positioning and a higher price tier than the main line. Over the decades the Guess watch catalog has expanded following the brand's major fashion themes — denim, animal print, glamour and logo — while maintaining an accessible fashion positioning, aimed at a young audience focused on trends more than on watch collecting.
