Backes and Strauss - Watchmakers

In 1976 Vartkess Knadjan joined the world’s oldest diamond company Backes & Strauss, based in Antwerp, Belgium and six years later was put in charge of the Antwerp office. Since 1982 he has taken the company from a small buying office to that of a major player in the international diamond world. He became Group Managing Director in July 2001. After successfully leading a management buyout in 2003, he has concentrated his efforts on creating a luxury product leveraging on the history and tradition of Backes & Strauss.

Backes & Strauss joined forces with the Franck Muller Group to launch the Backes & Strauss collection of luxury diamond watches in November 2006. The watches with a London provenance are all crafted in the Franck Muller Watchland workshops in Genthod, Switzerland. The collection is now available in over 20 countries in 50 high end retail outlets.

Since 2007 he has served as Vice President of Antwerp’s BGVD (Belgian Association of dealers, importers and exporters of polished diamonds) and in March 2009 was elected President of the Armenian Jewellers Association (AJA) formed in 1997 with the object of creating a global network of Armenian jewellers to facilitate the growth of the industry in Armenia. AJA has representatives throughout the world.

At the end of 2009 Backes & Strauss will launch an exceptional range of jewellery, made in Europe by the best craftsmen using the finest materials. There will be three main collections; one will draw on certain aspects of the Backes & Strauss watches; another is a contemporary range inspired by the company’s rich heritage, in particular its 19th Century jewellery catalogue and; the third will feature luxurious and unique couture and bespoke pieces.

Find out more at www.backesandstrauss.com