CVSTOS celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Sassoon Sirmakes has been at the helm since the company was founded. We spoke to the brand's co-founder and CEO about the challenges CVSTOS has faced.
Photograph by Mika Hashimoto
Interview and writing by Hosoda Yuto (this magazine)
Text by Yuto Hosoda (Chronos-Japan)
Edited by Yukiya Suzuki (Chronos-Japan)
[Article published in the July 2025 issue of Kronos Japan]
We have grown into a small but highly independent company.
Co-founder and CEO of CVSTOS. Born in Switzerland in 1984. After graduating from high school, he joined the jewellery setting workshop run by his father, Vartan Sirmakes, CEO of the Franck Muller Watchland Group. He then worked in accounting at the Franck Muller Watchland Group. In 2004, he met Antonio Terranova and co-founded CVSTOS in 05.
"Ever since we launched CVSTOS 20 years ago, our goal has always been to become an independent watch brand. As part of that goal, we rented an office in the center of Geneva shortly after our founding, and shortly thereafter we installed various machines and established our infrastructure. Of course, at first we produced watches in cooperation with external suppliers, but we are now proud to say that, although we may be small, we have become a highly independent company."
Although he is modest about calling it a small company, CVSTOS currently has a workshop in the surrounding area in addition to its headquarters in Geneva, where design and final assembly are carried out, and these two locations alone employ around 50 people. The latter, in particular, where the company began investing in facilities seven or eight years ago, currently handles everything from movement parts to case manufacturing. With a solid production system in place, CVSTOS can be said to have grown into one of Switzerland's leading manufactures. What is the secret behind the company's success in growing so large in less than 20 years?
"Over the past 20 years, we have expanded our market share around the world and have been able to introduce machinery to establish a manufacturing structure. Another major factor is the influence of our co-founder, Antonio Terranova. He is a designer, but he has also studied movement engineering, so he is able to improve and even design new ébauches. Even now, he continues to create new watches that embody the values of high-tech, sporty, and technological.
This model was created in collaboration with tennis player Karen Khachanov. Sassoon Sirmakes directly listened to Khachanov's requests via a messaging app and collaborated with him to create this watch. Manual winding. 21,600 vph. Aluminum alloy case (53.7mm x 41mm). Water resistant to 100m. Limited to 55 pieces worldwide. Price: 2,970,000 yen (tax included).
Sirmakes has continued to invest proactively in equipment without becoming complacent, while Terranova is able to design watches as a package, from the mechanism to the exterior. CVSTOS has undoubtedly achieved such success in such a short period of time thanks to the two co-founders running both the management and the production side of things.
Having been at the forefront of the brand he founded for 20 years, promoting a "spirit of challenge," we finally asked Sirmakes what challenges he plans to take on in the next 20 years. "Opening a flagship boutique and developing our own in-house balance wheels, including the hairspring, will be my two immediate challenges. In fact, we recently collaborated with a tennis player to develop a limited edition model to commemorate our 20th anniversary. It weighs just 55g. This watch is also a truly challenging model, and it seems he wears it while playing."
