Raymond Weil CEO Elie Bernheim reflects on 50 years of the brand and the watch he created for the milestone
Russell Sheldrake50 years is a long time to be doing anything, but to be making watches independently for this long is extremely impressive. So I knew I had to sit down with the Raymond Weil CEO, Elie Bernheim, and discuss this momentous occasion and how he plans to celebrate it properly. I met up with him in the brand’s first standalone boutique in the heart of Geneva Old Town, with a plan of talking about exactly how you take a brand through its 50th anniversary. But instead, we got sidetracked as we went down the rabbit hole of his unique position in this company as the third generation of his family to run it. Raymond Weil was originally founded by his grandfather, and now Elie has been at the helm for 12 years.
Watchmaking and Raymond Weil run through Elie’s blood as his passion is clear, even if he remains confidently softly spoken. Having now been able to spend time with him, I am left with a man who sweats the details as he feels the responsibility of running this generational business and ensuring that he leaves it in a better position than he found it in. He has lived and breathed this company his whole life, and while his Dad, the ex-CEO, is still around and there to give counsel, the final call is very much in Elie’s hands.
Winning their first GPHG award just a couple of years ago, it feels like 2026 may be an even bigger year for them as they plan out 12 months of celebrations that kicked off with The Fifty, a special chronograph that harnesses a vintage Valjoux movement from the 70s, along with the award-winning design of the Millesime.
This interview takes place very much at the start of what promises to be a big year for this brand, and so it will be fun for us all to follow the progress of Raymond Weil as we move through 2026. You don’t often get a courtside seat to a brand celebrating in this way when they are entirely independent, so grab your popcorn and pull up a chair, as this is going to be good.