Solid and substantial gold plated Speidel unisex cuff bracelet with replica of the face of a nickle embedded in cuff.

Will not bend or break, very sturdy.

Friedrich Speidel founded the Speidel Company in 1867, 

 in the basement of his home in Pforzheim, Germany.

He has been credited with developing the gold-over-metal method of manufacturing called "bi-metal" (also incorrectly known as gold "plating") which proved successful. In 1896 he built the company’s first factory, and installed state-of-the-art machines for the production of gold chain, previously manufactured entirely by hand.

 The Speidel Chain Company was officially founded in the United States in 1904.

By 1912 the Speidel brothers hired the architectural firm Monks and Johnson to design the company’s first headquarters.

In 1912 Edwin Speidel went on to found the Automatic Chain Company, which produced neck chain, chain-by-the-foot, and watch bracelets, most of their output being sold to watch manufacturers such as Bulova.

During the 1920s, costume jewelry and watchbands were added to the line. Men’s watchbands surged in popularity due to their introduction and use in the military during World War I. In the early 1920s Albert Speidel formed Speidel Brothers, producing watch bracelets that were manufactured and sold primarily to wholesalers.[1]

In 1928 the Speidel family in Germany and the brothers who lived in the United States, decided to merge all of the businesses into the Speidel Corporation in order to strengthen their position. 

In 1937 Albert Speidel died at an early age from pneumonia. His brother Edwin, the founder of the Automatic Chain Company who had not been active in the Speidel Corporation up to this time became president of Speidel Corporation and Paul Levinger was made vice-president. At that time, the majority control of the business was held by the German family. However, in 1939, all of the shares held by the German stockholders were purchased by Edwin Speidel and Paul Levinger.

Watchband production was cut back during World War II when Speidel converted most of its facilities and started manufacturing cathode ray tubes for radar and other electronic applications. However Speidel came back strong in watchbands as soon as peace returned. In 1947 Speidel brought out its first modernized version of the scissor-type expansion band called the Golden Knight. It proved to be a tremendous success in the men’s watch bracelet field. The company also introduced elaborate packaging for its line of watch bracelets.

A planned reduction of costume jewelry production was soon instituted, leading to the discontinuation of costume jewelry in the early 50’s. National advertising for watch bracelets under the name Speidel and the building of a brand name began after the end of World War II, first in magazines and then in radio with a program called “Stop the Music.” This proved to be an outstanding success and helped make the name of Speidel nationally known. 

In 1951 with the advent of the Korean War, Speidel began manufacturing identification bracelets. The first product in this category was the Photo Ident, a combination ident bracelet with photo and an expandable wristband, which was advertised on television. It was an immediate success – of major proportions.

In 1956 Speidel started manufacturing men’s jewelry. 

By 1964 the company, now owned by Paul Levinger, had grown significantly both in size and importance to the jewelry industry. Levinger sold the company to Textron, Inc. in May of that year.

The company began to expand its marketing reach internationally in the 1970s, beginning with Canada in 1971. The company furthered its sales market by branching out to Australia and New Zealand in 1972. Great Britain and Ireland in 1973; and Germany, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland in 1974.

In 1997 Textron sold Speidel to the Austrian-based Hirsch Armbaender AG, the leading manufacturer of leather watchbands in Europe. The new company was Hirsch Speidel Inc.  A portion of the production continued in Rhode Island with local manufacturing companies, and the balance moved overseas.

In 2002 the company’s ownership had once again returned to the United States, when JRM holdings bought Speidel from Hirshc Armbaender. Five years later Fred Levinger acquired Speidel. In 2009 Cerce Capital LLC, purchased Speidel, once again making it a family owned and operated company. The Cerce family is dedicated to revitalizing the brand with a keen focus on design, innovation and superlative customer service.