The Time is Right to Re-Introduce Newly Named Company
Geneva Watch Group
New Corporate Indentity for Advance Group, Inc.

Image is everything, and the trendsetters in the world of watches and timepiece accessories can certainly attest to that age-old adage. So when an established design and licensing company decides to make a bold move and change its name and established image, it only underscores the firm’s commitment to world class quality, not only in its products but in its choice of business partners.

Mark E. Lucas, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Advance Group, Inc, announced today that the company has changed it’s name, logo, and website. The new moniker is Geneva Watch Group, which reflects both the historical background of their signature products as well as their rising prominence in the industry.

Enjoying significant momentum in the fashion/status watch business, the company has decided to better reflect the high quality of its design capability by leveraging the Geneva Company name and heritage through the change of its corporate name, corporate logo, and website. These changes will help globalize the company's international outreach, which includes a major presence in 48 countries.

The company is a leading designer, manufacturer and distributor of watches and clocks, including in-house brand Freestyle. Known for its high quality standards of sport and action time wear, Freestyle is a leading brand sold in sporting goods and sport specialty stores throughout the United States.

The company has experienced significant growth through the ongoing development of new watch brands, the acquisition of successful licensing agreements, as well as the expansion of diverse channels of distribution, both domestically and internationally. Its two divisions have their own unique strengths in product and market positioning, and are structured to maximize sales potential by each brand category.

Their licensed brands represent fashion leaders including Kenneth Cole New York, Kenneth Cole Reaction, Tommy Bahama, BCBG Max Azria, Betsey Johnson, Mudd, and XGames, with more to be announced soon. Industry experts constantly look to the company to gauge current and future trends in timepieces, since they represent so many of the industry’s top fashion companies.

CEO Lucas -- recently named to the post after serving as the President and CEO of Altec Lansing, a leading provider of audio products -- feels the name change will help solidify the company’s image in the minds of its clients. “I believe that the identity change for Geneva Watch Group will mark a new era of growth for the company. The transition to a more familiar name will also broaden the awareness of our company’s impact on the international market. Our main objective now moving forward is to structure a global network for the distribution of Geneva Watch Group Brands in every major country around the world.”

Geneva Watch Group products are sold in department stores, mass-market retailers, and specialty shops throughout the world. More information and purchasing details can be found on the company’s new website: www.genevawatchgroup.com

About Heritage Partners
Heritage Partners, a Boston-based private equity firm, specializes in private equity for family-owned businesses and closely-held companies.  Through its unique Private IPO^® structure, Heritage enables the owners of successful middle-market companies to realize significant liquidity from their businesses while maintaining a large equity investment and ongoing control of their business.  Heritage serves as an experienced strategic partner for such businesses as they seek to grow through acquisitions, organic business and operational improvements.  For more information, please see: www.heritagepartnersinc.com.

About Geneva Watch Group
Formerly The Advance Group Inc., Geneva Watch Group is your partner in time. Founded in 1974, the company is a leading marketer of licensed brand watches, sport and action time wear, private label watches, as well as tabletop and wall clocks. Headquartered in New York, the Geneva Watch Group has offices in Michigan, California, Hong Kong, China, and Europe. Its wholly owned China factory is one of the premier manufacturers of digital and analog watches. The company’s showrooms are located in the heart of Manhattan’s fashion district at 390 Fifth Avenue, New York City.