Between 1945 and 1960, Swiss watchmaking enjoyed fifteen years of almost continuous growth. Annual production of watches and movements more than doubled, from 18.8 to 41 million units. Protective measures prohibiting the creation of new ébauches factories were extended in the early 1950s, and subsequently relaxed. But what had probably saved the watchmaking industry in the crisis years was to turn against it: the ébauches manufacturers who remained independent had the greatest difficulty fighting against the power of the Ebauches S.A. trust. They gradually disappeared, and this was the end of the Angélus, Excelsior, Universal and Movado ébauches...
In the early 1960s, Switzerland was faced with a strong surge in foreign competition. The watchmaking industry was rebuilding in most of the countries where it had suffered so badly during the Second World War. France and Germany now have strong positions at home, while the United States and Japan are approaching their foreign markets with increasing success, thanks to large companies (Timex, Seiko) producing inexpensive watches in their millions. In Switzerland, the industrial fabric is highly fragmented: there are over 3,000 watchmaking companies, 80% of which have fewer than 20 employees.
To cut costs and bring companies up to the size needed to compete on equal terms with foreign groups, ASUAG, with the help of the banks, once again embarked on a vast concentration campaign.