In 1921, by the river of Mörrum in Svängsta, Sweden, Carl August Borgström founded AB Urfabriken. The company manufactured pocket watches, telephone timers and taxi meters. Borgström was a brilliant craftsman with a talent for light precision engineering; skills he had acquired during his years in the Halda watchmaking factory.
Unfortunately, World War II caused a sharp decline in the demand for taxi meters. Undaunted, ABU redirected its skills toward the development of precision fishing reels used by anglers the world over. That’s why Abu Garcia later received the honor of being chosen “Purveyor To The Royal Swedish Court,” a distinction bestowed upon a select group of manufacturers for consistently exceeding its highest standards of quality and craftsmanship.
Abu Garcia’s influence on the sportfishing community is unmatched. The company remains firmly committed to maintaining its industry leadership position by providing anglers everywhere with the highest quality, most innovative products.
Significant Dates in Abu Garcia History
AB Urfabriken is founded as a watch factory in Svängsta, Sweden
The first Abu Garcia fishing reel, the ABU Record® is introduced
The world famous Ambassadeur® reel is introduced
Abu Garcia® unveils the Ambassadeur® 5000 at the New York World’s Fair
The ABU 444, the company’s first spinning reel is produced
The ABUMatic® is introduced
The Cardinal® spinning reel makes its debut
The ABU museum is opened in Svangsta, Sweden
The company name is changed from ABU to Abu Garcia when a company distributor in the US called Garcia was combined with ABU
The Revo® low profile baitcast reel takes the angling community by storm
Abu Garcia releases the V-Series of rods with the Vendetta® and Vengeance®
The first Revo spinning reel is introduced with Revo Premier
The Revo Low Profile Family is completely redesigned to be lighter, more compact and more powerful
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