Fragrance house

Speidel

Founded in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1904 as a jewelry-chain manufacturer, Speidel later evolved into watchbands and identification bracelets, introducing ratchet-buckle bands in 1920 and scissors-action expansion bands in 1936. Its 1959 Twist-O-Flex watchband, created after licensing technology from German inventor Karl E. Stiegele, is identified as the company’s best-known product. Speidel was sold to Textron in 1964 and acquired by Hirsch Armbänder AG in 1997. In 2002, Jeffrey R. Massotti bought Speidel and its trademarks through JRM Holding, returning control to the United States; after Speidel entered receivership, Cerce Capital acquired the company’s tangible and intangible personal property in 2009. By 2013, the Cerce-owned business was repositioning Speidel as a vintage-oriented watchband and watch brand while extending it into men’s jewelry and accessories. Speidel’s fragrance legacy is tied to British Sterling, introduced in 1965 and initially distributed through exclusive jewelry stores. Its flask-style bottle design was retained for more than five decades before the fragrance was relaunched within Dana’s fragrance business.