The story
Nautilus, Inc. originated in 1986 with the sale of most of the company by the inventor of Nautilus machines, Arthur Jones. Jones created the Nautilus machine, then called the Blue Monster, in the late 1960s, with the purpose of developing a fitness machine that accommodates human movement. The company's name was changed to Nautilus because the logarithmic-spiral cam, which made the machine a success, resembled a nautilus.
BowFlex acquired Nautilus, Inc. and specialized in designing, developing and marketing strength and cardio fitness products. In 1998, the company changed its name to Direct Focus and acquired the Nautilus, Schwinn and StairMaster brands between 1999 and 2002, before eventually changing its name to Nautilus, Inc. in 2005. Nautilus became a publicly traded company on the U.S. stock exchange in May 1999.
The company stopped selling exercise equipment to gyms in 2011 and shifted its focus to home-use equipment. The same year, Nautilus. licensed its brand name and technology to other manufacturers.
In 2004, Nautilus was sued by Biosig Instruments for allegedly infringing its design for heart-rate monitors. The case eventually reached the United States Supreme Court, who used it to establish reasonable certainty as the standard for judging whether or not a patent claim was indefinite.
Nautilus acquired Octane Fitness, LLC from private equity firm North Castle Partners on December 31, 2015.
The company was recognized by The Oregonian as one of the top places to work, as well as the company with the healthiest employees of Oregon by the Portland Business Journal, in its 100-499 employee category.
Nautilus has been awarded as an American Heart Association Fit-Friendly company.
On November 1, 2023, Nautilus, Inc. changed its name to BowFlex, Inc.
Read the full text
On March 5, 2024, BowFlex filed for bankruptcy. The bankruptcy resulted in Johnson Health Tech acquiring the BowFlex, Schwinn, and JRNY brands.
From Wikipedia’s article on BowFlex, Inc., shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.7