The History of the Borgel Watch
Although best known in the form of the Borgel Officer's watch or Borgel Trench watch, so called because they came
into popular use during the First World War (WW1), were bought by Officers and used in the trenches, Borgel watches
have a history that stretches back into the nineteenth century when in Geneva, Switzerland, François Borgel
started a business making watch cases. Borgel patented the eponymous Borgel watch case in 1891, making at first pocket
watch cases, and then later wrist watch cases as the fashion changed from carrying a watch in a pocket to wearing it
on the wrist.
François Borgel was a talented inventor and successful businessman, and the business he created was to growinto one of the most
important Swiss watch case manufacturers. Early adopters of the Borgel screw case included Longines and The International Watch Co. (IWC).
After François Borgel’s death in 1912, the business was carried on by his daughter Louisa Borgel. Louisa Borgel sold the business
in 1924 to the Taubert family of Le Locle, who carried it on until the 1970s, supplying many watch manufacturers including the illustrious
Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin.
There is a great deal of misinformation concerning the history of Borgel watches and the development of the waterproof
watch case, such as the suggestion that one Francis Baumgartner made cases based on the Borgel patent, and was involved
in the design and development of waterproof cases culminating in the Rolex Oyster. Francis Baumgartner is in fact a
chimera: no watch case maker of this name ever existed. The name seems to have arisen because of the similarity of the
initials of two real Geneva case makers, François Borgel (FB) and Frédéric Baumgartner (also FB)
and the two identities became conflated, in the process turning "François" into the Anglicised
"Francis".
Here I am going to try to set the history of the Borgel and Taubert companies straight, based on factual evidence.
I am sure that in the attempt I will get some things wrong, so please forgive me and point out my mistakes as gently
as possible. If you have any comments, corrections, requests or suggestions, then please feel free to email them to me at
.
You shouldn't need to copy the email address, just click on it. I answer all emails I receive, so if you do write to me and
don't get an answer in a few days, please check your junk and spam folders. Even better, when you write, add my email address
to your contacts and my emails will not be filtered out. Oh, and if you have a Borgel cased watch, or any watch with an
unusual case an FB-key mark in it, I would love to see a picture of it. I look forward to hearing from you! Regards - David
I have started a project to record and try to identify patterns in the case numbers of Borgel screw watch cases, so if you
own a watch with a Borgel case and are interested in this or would like to contribute to my Borgel case number project, then
please click on this link: Borgel Case Number Project
This page is getting a bit long now, so I have put some place markers in the box on the left to help you jump straight to
sections. You can always do Ctrl-Home to get back to here (Hold down the Ctrl key, and briefly press the Home key).
A note to eBayers etc. I don't mind if you want to copy bits of my information for your advert or listing. I am
sure you will get a better price for your Borgel watch if you provide some detail about it, so go ahead, please feel free.
It would be nice to be acknowledged if you do - you can't put a link to my web site into your listing because eBay doesn't
allow external links, but you could put something like "Thanks to David Boettcher for the information on Borgel history.
Google his name together with ‘Borgel watches’ to find out more." Thanks!
François Borgel, Louisa Borgel, the Taubert family
Watch Case Makers of Geneva
François Borgel
Towards the end of the nineteenth century in Geneva, Switzerland, François Borgel set up in business
making watch cases. Not content with making ordinary watch cases, he soon developed a technique for making a steel case
appear to be encrusted with gold, a process he patented in 1888. In 1891 Borgel patented the screw watch case design
that most often bears his name today, the Borgel Case. This Borgel screw case was used for Borgel pocket watches before
achieving wide use during the First World War for Borgel wrist watches, often purchased by Officers to wear in the
cramped conditions of the trenches in place of the standard issue pocket watches of the day, hence the terms Borgel
Officer's watch, or Borgel trench watch.
Pronunciation: M. Borgel was a Swiss-French and therefore would not sound the "g" in Borgel as a hard sound,
rather it would be a soft sound, and so it would sound something like "Borzshel".
François Borgel - Early Life
François Borgel was born on Friday the 22nd of August 1856, the son of Laurent Borgel and Marie Besson.
He started in business under his own name in 1880 at age 14. In local records he is described as a "watch case fitter".
An advert in the 1888 edition of the Indicateur Davoine records his workshop address as 17 Place Cornavin,
Geneva, and states that he makes watch cases by mechanical methods.
Jaquet and Chapuis illustrate the workshop of a Geneva chamber worker, or cabinotier, in the St-Gervais
quarter of Geneva at 16 Rue de Cornavin. The subject of the illustration is an "emboîteur" or boxer-in, one of the
principal case making trades of the boxer-in or springer, the joint finisher and the polisher. Cabinotiers Geneva was
the name given to the 4,000 watchmakers of the city during the second half of the 18th century. These watchmakers
working in "cabins", sometimes tiny, under the roofs of houses. The English term is "garrets". So it seems that
François Borgel started his business as a watch case maker or fitter in a garret workshop in the watchmaking district
of Geneva, surrounded by other workers in the watchmaking trade.
Borgel's registration of his trademark
Archives de l'Horlogerie
Swiss patent specifications do not carry the address of the patentee, but the British version of
Borgel's patent for the screw in watch case, No. 20,422 dated 1891, gives his address at the time as 1 Place
Cornevin, Geneva. This address contains a spelling mistake and must refer to the Place Cornavin. I am not sure whether
Borgel has moved from 17 Place Cornavin or whether this is simply another mistake.
Coat of Arms of Geneva
Borgel registered his "marque de fabrique", or makers mark (trademark), in Geneva on 17th
March 1887 as shown in the registration published in the official Swiss trademarks register, the "Archives de
l'Horlogerie. Marques de fabrique et de commerce Suisse. Enregistrés par le Bureau fédéral à Berne." The
registration shows that François Borgel was a manufacturer (fabricant),
an important distinction from a mere reseller of others items, and his registered (déposée) trademark
proudly bears his initials FB and the Clé de Genève (Key of Geneva), a symbol from the coat of arms of the town of
Geneva, which was well known as an important centre of watch making. It also shows he was making "Boîtes de montres"
literally boxes for watches, or watch cases, in gold (or) silver (argent) and steel (acier), and also other
horological items.
Borgel's First Patent
On the 3rd of December 1888 Borgel was granted Swiss patent number 16 (yes, this was
only the sixteenth Swiss patent, they only introduced patent law in 1888) on a new process for making metallic plates for
watch cases, medallions and other jewellery. (Brevet No 16. Nouvelle composition des plaques métalliques servant à
la fabrication des boîtes de montres, médaillons et autres bijoux.)
Borgel's process was to apply a layer of gold onto an iron or steel plate, then remove some of the gold with a
graver (an engraving tool) to expose the iron or steel below. Depending on the amount of gold removed, this could
give the appearance of a gold item with the contrasting base metal showing though, or a steel item with pieces of
gold attached to it. An addition to this patent was granted on 28th March 1889, Brevet Additionnel No 9, for applying
several layers of different colours of gold (green gold, red gold, etc.) so that these different colours could be
revealed by selective use of the graver, creating the effect of a rainbow of colours.
Borgel evidently used this process with success for his own watch cases. A report by Mr Tripplin on the French
International Watch and Clock Making Exhibition of 1889 recorded that "A Geneva exhibitor, M. Borgel, shows
artistic case making, a steel case with encrustations of gold struck us favourably..."
Having established his own business, and now attracting favourable comment with this eye catching patented technique,
Borgel was starting to forge his own way in the world and make a name for himself.
Borgel Patent CH4001
Borgel's One Piece Screw Watch Case
A Borgel Cased Pocket Watch
Borgel's famous patent for the one piece screw in watch case design that now most often bears his
name was published on 28th October 1891 with the Swiss "Brevet" or Patent, number 4001. (CH4001, François
Borgel à Genève. Nouvelle boîte de montre.) This patent was also registered in the UK on 24th November 1891
with British Patent number 20,422, and in America with US patent number 478,734 dated July 12th, 1892.
The Borgel screw watch case was an early attempt to make wrist watches resistant to dust and
moisture. The case back and middle part are in one piece, so there is no opening at the back. The front opening of the
case is thickened and threaded internally with a fine thread. The movement, complete with dial and hands, is
mounted in an externally threaded carrier ring, and the bezel carrying the crystal is mounted onto the end of this
ring. The whole assembly of carrier ring with movement, dial, hands, bezel and crystal is then screwed into the case
from the front.
At the time, the major concern of watch manufacturers was dust entering the case and contaminating
the lubricating oil on the movement, causing it to thicken and become abrasive, slowing the action and wearing the
pivots. The single front case joint and fine thread of the Borgel case reduces the opportunity for dust to enter the
case, so the Borgel case was more dust resistant than a normal case with hinged snap on covers.
The Borgel case was certainly dust resistant, but it was not water tight: the need for the
movement to stop rotating when the 12 on the dial was exactly at the 12 o'clock position meant that careful
adjustment of the bezel was necessary to get the bezel to screw down tightly onto the case, which was difficult to
achieve. The tightness of this joint also relaxes with wear and tear as the watch is serviced over the years. However,
the narrow passage presented by the screw thread does provide some resistance to the ingress of dust and moisture,
probably rather more than one might think at first glance, as is evidenced by the very good state of preservation of
many movements found in Borgel cases.
By eliminating the back case joint and improving the sealing of the front case joint, Borgel
produced a watch case that was considerably better sealed than the typical case of the time, with its hinged and leaky
front and rear joints. But the winding stem and pin-set mechanism were still obvious points for dust and water to
get in.
The picture above right shows a Borgel
cased pocket watch, and the picture to the left shows a
Borgel cased wristwatch, with the movement unscrewed from
the case. On the wristwatch you can see the screw thread on
the carrier ring, which carries the movement, dial, bezel
and crystal. The two holes visible in the carrier ring are
where the winding stem and hand setting device mounted on
the case engage with the movement.
Another feature of the wristwatch is that
it has a tube projecting from the case with the winding
crown mounted on the end of it. This is a carry over from
the pocket watch, where the tube is called the pendant. On a
pocket watch the pendant carries the bow or ring to which is
attached a chain or leather fob, and the watch hangs from
this, hence the name pendant. Most wristwatches do not have
a pendant, the winding stem simply projecting straight
through the wall of the case, with the crown mounted
directly onto the end it. But in a Borgel watch, the pendant
tube is required to enable part of the stem to be withdrawn
so that the movement can be screwed in and out of the case.
Even for wristwatches without any trace of
a pendant, the term pendant is sometimes used instead of
crown, causing great confusion for those not familiar with
pocket watches. For instance timing trials of early
wristwatches often referred to positions such as "pendant
up" and "pendant down" as a carry over from timing pocket
watches.
At the time Borgel invented this case the
wrist watch was only a novelty item for ladies to wear, and
real men carried pocket watches. The working environment for
a pocket watch is relatively benign, tucked away in a warm
dry pocket, only pulled into the outside world occasionally
when its owner wants to know the time. For this environment,
the Borgel case was a good solution. A good compromise
between a case that provided additional protection for the
movement, but didn't inconvenience its owner when he needed
to wind the watch or set the time.
In order to get the movement in and out of
a Borgel watch case the winding stem is split, that is, it
is made in two pieces. In the original 1891 patent
specification Borgel shows a split winding stem with part of
the stem D in the movement, and the other part of the stem
D' in the pendant tube E, attached to the crown. The part in
the pendant tube is held in place with screw e through the
wall of the pendant tube, which engages with a groove around
the stem.
To insert or withdraw the movement, it
would have been necessary to undo screw e and withdraw part
D' of the stem from the pendant, leaving the movement free
to rotate as it was unscrewed. However, if this design was
ever used, it must have been for only a short time because
all of the Borgel watches that I have seen have the part of
the stem in the pendant spring loaded, so that they can be
held out of the way of the movement by simply pulling on the
crown.
The usual arrangement of the split stem in
a Borgel watch is that one piece of the stem is in the
movement with a square section on its outer end. The other
piece of the stem, with the winding crown, is spring mounted
in the pendant on the side of the case. This part of the
stem has a hollow square in its end, which engages with the
square end of the piece of the stem in the movement. To
insert or remove the movement, the crown and part stem are
pulled out against a spring, so that the piece of the
winding stem in the pendant disengages from the piece in the
movement, and is pulled clear of the movement. Then the
bezel with the crystal and the attached movement can be
unscrewed out of the front of the case in one piece.
The bezel in a Borgel watch is a friction
fit over the outer edge of the carrier ring. If you wish to
remove the movement from the carrier ring, and you have the
right tools, technique and experience, then this is how you
do it. You should see a joint between the bezel and the
carrier ring just above the beginning of the threads. Insert
a case knife into this joint and gently pry the bezel off
the ring. Work around the ring to avoid the risk of twisting
the bezel, and be careful not to slip and chip the dial.
Once the bezel and crystal are removed, the
movement can be removed from the threaded carrier ring by
finding and removing (or loosening, if they are half headed)
the case screws. These are sometimes on the top plate, but
are sometimes on the bottom (pillar) plate down in one of
the channels between the bridges, engaging slots cut into
the side of the ring. Once these screws are removed or
loosened, you can push the movement from the back out of the
carrier ring.
Because of the split winding stem, the
method of setting the hands of a Borgel watch is unusual.
The crown in its normal position winds the spring as usual,
but obviously the pulled-out position is now used to release
the movement and so cannot be used to set the time. To allow
setting of the hands, a pin just below the crown on the side
of the case is pressed in, and the crown then moves the
hands instead of winding the movement. This is called "pin
set" or sometimes "nail set" because one has to use a finger
nail to press in the pin. This method of hand setting is
unusual, but not was not unique to Borgel watches and was
found on other types of watch before the current stem set
mechanism was widely adopted.
Pritchard records that Borgel exhibited watches at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago,
1893. Named after Christopher Columbus, the Fair was a celebration of the 400th anniversary of Columbus' discovery
of the New World.
The World's Columbian Committee on Awards recorded the following comments about Borgel's exhibition:
F. Borgel, Geneva, had something new in his waterproof cases made in a single piece without
hinges; many of them were made of oxidized steel inlaid with gold. A number of the smallest watches made,
beautifully decorated with diamonds and enamels, in small globes, bracelets, and chatelaines were very attractive
and showed great skill in this most delicate department of watchmaking.
The advert reproduced here was published in the trade journal "La Fédération Horlgère Suiss" in 1894.
After advertising that his "new economical and impermeable watch case" is "patented in all countries"
(Brevetée dans tous les pays) and "counterfeiters will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law" (Les
contrefacteurs seront poursuivis avec tout les rigueurs de la loi) and that the case is "made in all sizes and for all
kinds of movements" (Fabrication en toutes grandeurs et pour tous genres de mouvements), Borgel records a "Great
success" at the Chicago exhibition. He was awarded a medal and diploma for his exhibit, recognising the impermeability,
elegance, strength and economy of his watch cases.
The two notices at the bottom of the advert advise watch manufacturers that Borgel has signed-up Dubail,
Monnin, Frossard & Co. of Porrentruy, and Fabrique de Fontainemelon, a very large maker of mass-produced ebauches
(bare movements), to make movements specially designed to fit into Borgel screw cases. This means they would supply their
movements with the short split winding stem and pin-set hand setting mechanism, ready to drop straight into the carrier
ring of a Borgel case. All the "manufacturer" would need to source in addition would be the dial and hands, and he could
then assemble complete watches!
Dubail, Monnin, Frossard & Cie was founded in Porrentruy in 1873. It it was the first Swiss
watch company to register the design of a movement calibre. The company registered a trademark of a phoenix rising from
a fire, first spelt "Phönix" then "Phenix" from 1887. On February 3rd 1900, Dubail, Monnin, Frossard & Cie and
Société d'horlogerie de Bassecourt merged as 'Société Horlogère de Porrentruy. The new firm inherited the
trademarks of the Phenix from Dubail, Monnin, Frossard & Cie and Rooster with Chickens from Société d'horlogerie de
Bassecourt, which had been registered in 1883. The new firm won a gold medal at the Paris Exposition in 1900. The
Société Horlogère de Porrentruy changed its name to the Phenix Watch Co. in the 1920s.
Fabrique d'Horlogerie Fontainemelon (FHF)
was established in 1793 by Isaac and David
Benguerel-dit-Perrenoud, with Julien and François
Humbert-Droz, to supply Swiss manufacturers with the large
volumes of ebauches they required. It was the first step
towards large scale mechanised manufacture of watch
movements. In 1879 the Journal Suisse d'Horlogerie said in a
report L'Industrie Horlogère Suisse that in the preceding 40
years the Fontainemelon factory, along with Japy Freres in
Beaucort, France, had supplied nearly all the ebauches used
in the cantons of Neuchatel and Berne. In 1880 the company
employed 400 workers and produced 240,000 ebauches a year.
In 1926 FHF merged with AD Michel SA of Grenchen and A
Schild SA, also of Grenchen, to form Ebauches SA. At the
time these three factories manufactured more than 75% of all
Swiss ebauches. Ebauches SA eventually became ETA, the
movement maker now part of Swatch Group SA.
In 1903 François Borgel patented a three
piece screw watch case. The Swiss patent number CH 28389 was
registered on 12 June 1903. The movement was carried in an
externally threaded dust ring very similar to the movement
ring in his earlier two piece case. Onto this dust ring was
screwed the middle part of the case, and then the bezel and
case back or bottom were screwed onto the parts of the dust
ring that protrude from the screwed on middle part.
This advert appeared in 1905 in the La
Chaux-de-Fonds trade journal "La Fédération Horlogère
Suisse". You can see that it is quite different to the usual
Borgel two piece case design, and I have never seen an
actual watch with one of these screw together cases, If you
have one, I would be really grateful if you would get in
touch. Any information or pictures would be gratefully
received and acknowledged.
The text is in watch industry jargon of the
time, which would presumably be well understood by readers
of La Fédération Horlogère Suisse, but doesn't make for easy
translation. Here is an approximate translation:
New Borgel Screw Case
Hermetic in Three Pieces
Patented
This new hermetic screw case is formed of
three parts: the bezel, the bottom and the middle, all
three are screwed on the dust ring in which is fitted the
movement. The closures are hermetic and the case is very
strong, due to the fact that the dust ring supports on
each side the bottom and the bezel, once they are screwed
on. These cases are made in all shapes and sizes, of
ultra-thin cases very elegant. The casing is simplified,
the winding stem fixes the middle part, which can be
hollowed out internally as those for ordinary gold cases
to be economical of material. Craftsmanship meticulous and
faithful. Advantageous prices for large series. No case,
to date, has been more practical, solid and elegant; they
are made in gold of all grades, silver and gold plated
steel and galonne.
The screw case of one piece, watertight,
is also produced for movements with negative time set. New
simplified casing.
No other house is authorized to make
these various kinds of patented screw cases.
All counterfeiters will be pursued
rigorously.
Insist that the trademark and patent
numbers are stamped in the bottom of each case.
Factory and office in Saint-Jean, 6 -
GENEVA.
Thanks to Joel Pynson for correcting my
initial translation in several places! Joel has a specific
interest in chronographs from 1860 to 2000, and you can find
some of his articles on his website www.invenitetfecit.com.
The garde-poussiere, or dust ring, in which the movement is
mounted will be very familiar to anyone who has examined a two
piece Borgel case, as in that design it is the ring which
carries the movement and is attached to the bezel. It would
have been fairly easy for the Borgel factory to start
producing these cases as they already had the tooling and
techniques for the very similar two piece design.
Note the address: Factory and office in Saint-Jean, 6 -
GENEVA. This is number 6, Rue de Saint-Jean in Geneva. Borgel
has moved from the Place de Cornavin, presumably to larger
premises where he can have an office and workshop.
1912 Borgel Advert
Borgel Produces Wrist Watch Cases
This advert appeared in a 1912 issue of Revue Internationale
de l'Horlogerie. Borgel is still promoting his "new" three
piece screw together case. In fact, this is the most prominent
item at the top of the advert, which I would normally be
inclined to think meant that it was the company's best selling
product, which would make it all the more curious that they
appear to be so rare now. Perhaps the prominent position is
actually an attempt to increase sales?
The 1912 advert is very similar to one published in 1908, but
in the 1912 advert there is a new twist. Below the three piece
case is the familiar one piece screw in pocket watch case, but
to the right of this is shown an example of "Boîtes pour
Bracelets" - a watch case which has been adapted with wire
lugs to take a "bracelet" and be worn as a wrist watch!
The advert goes on to say that this wrist watch case design
has been "specifically requested by motorists and members of
the English and colonial army." From this difference between
the 1908 and 1912 adverts we can infer that sometime between
1908 and 1912 Borgel had started producing wrist watch cases.
At the bottom of the advert is stated "Aucune boîte, à ce
jour, n'a été plus pratique, solide et élégante; se fait en
or, tour titres, argent, acier, plaqué or et galonné." which
translates as "No case, to date, has been more practical,
strong and elegant; it is made in gold, all grades, silver,
steel, gold plate and galonné." (Galonne is a term meaning
mechanically gold plated silver, as opposed to electroplated.
It apparently wore off very easily.)
This reference to materials is interesting, because Borgel
cases made of metals other than gold and silver are extremely
rare. I have seen a pocket watch with a nickel Borgel case,
and Cary Hurt has a Borgel made semi-hermtic wrist watch with
the case back stamped "Pure White Metal" which must be some
sort of steel alloy aimed at a white colour. But plain steel I
have never seen, nor gold plate or galonne. If you have, then
please let me know.
Note also the address towards the top of the advert, Usine et
Bureau à St-Jean 78 (Factory and Office 78 Rue de St-Jean).
The business has relocated again farther out, from number 6
Rue de St-Jean to number 78, presumably due to further
expansion.
Thanks again to Joel Pynson for supplying me with the scan of
this advert.
International Watch Co. (IWC) and Borgel
From 1894 the London branch of Stauffer, Son & Co., a firm named Stauffer & Co., was supplied with watches by
IWC, and from 1898 the movements of these bore the mark "S&Co." under a crown inside an oval, together with
the words "Peerless" and Swiss made. These were both Stauffer trademarks, the S & Co. mark with a crown inside
an oval was registered by Stauffer Son & Co. in 1880, and Peerless was a trademark registered by Stauffer, Son & Co.
in 1896.
Both bare (uncased) movements and complete watches were supplied by IWC to Stauffer & Co. Some of the complete watches
were supplied in Borgel cases, and many of the bare movements supplied by IWC were put into Borgel cases. Whether this was
done by Stauffer & Co. in London, or in Switzerland before export to the UK, is not known.
1909 IWC Borgel
The Earliest Known Borgel Wrist Watch?
The earliest known Borgel wrist watch, that is the earliest Borgel wrist watch which I have seen to date, is this 1909/10
Borgel cased IWC. The movement has been identified as an IWC calibre 64 by comparing it to IWC factory movement diagrams, and
IWC have confirmed this. The movement has the trademark S & Co beneath a crown in an oval cartouche and is also marked "Peerless". It
has the serial number 432913, which IWC serial number records indicate dates it between 1905 to 1910.
1909 IWC Borgel hallmarks
The case has the François Borgel FB-key and the sponsor's
mark CN for Charles Nicolet. Charles Nicolet was a partner of
Stauffer & Co., the London firm which imported IWC watches
between 1894 and the 1930s. The serial number of the case is
460795 which, again according to IWC records, dates the case
to between 1907 and 1913. The hallmarks are the Sterling
silver purity mark, the London import mark, and the date
letter o for 1909/10.
All three dates, hallmark, movement and case, appear to tie
up very well, and I am confident that this Borgel wrist watch
case can be dated to 1909/10. This is the earliest Borgel
wrist watch that I have seen. If you have an earlier Borgel
wristwatch, please get in touch.
The pictures and details of this watch were kindly supplied
to me by Lorraine Whiteside of The Vintage Wrist Watch Company
in Pershore. Lorraine doesn't have a web site at the moment,
but does trade on eBay as lorraine690. You can find her
listings by doing an advanced search (click the advanced
option next to the normal big green search button) for seller
lorraine690; she usually has some nice watches and other items
for sale.
François Borgel Patents
François Borgel was obviously an inventive man, and he went
on to patent numerous further ideas as shown in the following
table.
| Date |
Number |
Title |
Translation |
| 8 October 1891 |
CH 4041 |
Montre avec boîte à fond fixe et raquette renversée |
Watch case with fixed back and reversed regulator |
| 12 November 1891 |
CH 4145 |
Boîte de montre perfectionnée |
Improved watch case |
| 20 April 1894 |
CH 8232 |
Montre perfectionnée à boîte vissée et tige brisée |
Improved screwed watch case with split stem |
| 25 June 1895 |
CH 10412 |
Moteur à ressort pour vélocipèdes |
Spring engine for bicycles |
| 12 June 1903 |
CH 28389 |
Boîte de montre perfectionnée |
Improved watch case |
| 23 July 1910 |
CH 53105 |
Dispositif de fixation de pendant aux boîtes de
montres-calottes |
Method of fixing pendants to watch cases |
Louisa Borgel takes over
Louisa Beauverd-Borgel Registration
Archives de l'Horlogerie
Manufacture of Borgel cases continued after the death of François Borgel in his 56th year on 7th March 1912.
The business was taken over by his daughter Louisa Borgel.
The "Journal de Genève" of 2nd October 1884 records the birth
of Louisa-Henriette Borgel at some time between 28th September and 1st October. When taking over the business in March 1912, Louisa would
have been 27 years old. Louisa had a sister called Blanche but I have never seen her name mentioned in connection with the Borgel company.
To the right is a notice from "La Federation Horlogere Suisse", a trade paper for the watch making industries of La Chaux-de-Fonds. It
shows that on 8th June 1912 the company of F. (François) Borgel was struck off, and the assets and liabilities were taken over by
L. (Louisa) Borgel, identified as a manufacturer of waterproof Borgel screw watch cases.
On 25th October 1917 Louisa renewed the registration of the FB marque. She had evidently married a
M. Beauverd, but retained her maiden name as was common custom at the time.
In the 1920 edition of the Indicateur
Davoine we find the advertisement shown to the right,
promoting the business of Louisa Beauverd-Borgel as the
successor of Louisa Borgel. The text roughly translated says
"L. Beauverd ~ Borgel, successor of Borgel L. (Impermeable
Borgel screw cases. - Case caps of one piece with screw-on
dust guard. New Type. - Cases of 3 pieces with screwed on
dust guard. - In gold of all purities, silver, steel, gold
plate). - Factory and Office rue des Pecheries 10, Geneva."
Note another new address; 10 Rue des
Pecheries (The Street to the Fisheries, or to the fishing
wharfs on the banks of the river Rhone). The business has
moved again, from the Rue de St-Jean to the Rue des
Pecheries. Again, this was presumably due to the expansion
of trade requiring larger workshops, but I don't yet know
when this occurred. The Rue des Pecheries is even further
from the centre of Geneva, on the opposite bank of the river
Rhone, and therefore presumably a more commercial/industrial
district.
Louisa registered at least 3 patents. It
was from the first of these that I discovered her first
name. The patents are shown in the table, the first under
her own name only, the second and third with Charles Rothen
and Achille Faivre. Charles Rothen's name occurs again
later, but this is Achille Faivre's only appearance in the
story.
Note that the Swiss patent office was now
showing both the original registration date and the
publication date on patents: previously only the publication
date was shown. I have used the original registration date
in the table, which is usually over a year earlier than the
publication date, but is the priority date from which the
invention is protected, when and if the patent is finally
approved and published.
| Date |
Number |
Title |
Inventor |
| 24 November 1916 |
CH75467 |
Dispositif de fixation d'un fond de boîte de montre à
la carrure de celle-ci |
Louisa Beauverd-Borgel |
| 19 October 1917 |
CH78295 |
Boîte de montre |
Louisa Beauverd-Borgel, Charles Rothen and Achille
Faivre |
| 12 July 1919 |
CH84785 |
Dispositif de fixation d'une couronne à la tige de remontoir d'une montre |
Louisa Beauverd-Borgel, Charles Rothen and Achille Faivre |
Charles Rothen went on to publish at least
four patents under his own name alone. The first one, CH
88223, a figure from which is shown here, was registered 5th
March 1920 and published 16th February 1921. The
case back and middle part are made in one piece like the
original Borgel case. The movement is carried in a ring d
which either hinged to or dropped loosely into the case, the
tube for the winding stem e passing through a slot
cut into the side of the case. The uppper part of this slot
is closed by a tongue of metal f soldered to the
stem tube. For clarity I have coloured the ring d,
winding stem tube e and tongue of metal f,
which are all soldered together to form one part, in red.
The bezel c carrying the crystal
screws onto the case from the front, in a similar way to the
original Borgel case, but in this design by Rothen the
movement does not rotate. This design provided an
alternative to the original Borgel case which was possibly
easier to manufacture, and which because the movement does
not need to rotate to be screwed into or out of the case,
did not need the split stem arrangement of the original
Borgel case and therefore could accommodate stem set
movements. It seems that this design was not very successful
because examples occur much less frequently than the
original type Borgel case.
The picture of one of these cases shown the
slot in the side of the case and the tongue of metal
soldered to the stem tube to close the slot. The movement
simply drops into the case and is positioned and secured by
the screw on bezel, unlike the semi-hermetic case described
next where the movement is hinged to the case.
Because Charles Rothen's name appears along
with Louisa Beauverd-Borgel on two of the patents mentioned
above, he was presumably at the time an employee of the
Borgel Company. But the four patents listed below are
registered in his name alone. The first patent, CH 88223,
which I discussed above, plays a part later in the story
when the rights to it are purchased from Rothen by Louisa
Borgel.
| Date |
Number |
Title |
Inventor |
| 1921 |
CH88223 |
Boîte de montre. |
Charles Rothen |
| 1923 |
CH102074 |
Dispositif de fixation d'une anse à une boîte de
montre, de boussole, de médaillon etc. |
Charles Rothen |
| 1923 |
CH105158 |
Brevet additionnel subordonné au brevet principal nº
102074 Dispositif de fixation...etc. |
Charles Rothen |
| 1928 |
CH124164 |
Boîte de montre hermétique. |
Charles Rothen |
An alternative design to the Rothen case
discussed above is often referred to as the "Semi Hermetic".
This had a similar one piece case back and middle with screw
on bezel, but in this design the bezel was carried down much
closer to the tube for the winding stem so that the tongue
of metal, item f in Rothen's design, was not needed.
The picture to the left shows one of these Semi Hermetic
cases manufactured by the Borgel company with the FB-and-key
trademark. The case back is hallmarked with the London
inport mark and the letter i for 1924.
The movement is by Fabriques d'Horlogerie de
Fontainemelon (FHF). The Fontainemelon watch factory was was
established in 1793 by Isaac and David
Benguerel-dit-Perenoud together with François and Julien
Humbert-Droz in the small town of Fontainemelon near
Neuchatel, Switzerland. From the beginning the factory was
intended to mass produce ebauches for supply to Swiss watch
manufacturers, and it was the first step towards mechanised
watch manufacture in Switzerland. In 1891 the company
registered a trade mark of an arrow through an apple, a
reference to William Tell, the folk hero whose defiance of
the established order led to a rebellion and the formation
of the Swiss Confederation. In 1926 FHF was one of the three
companies that establised Ebauches S.A., which later evolved
into ETA.
I have found no evidence that the semi
hermetic design was patented, and one sees lots of these
type of cases without the FB-and-key trademark. Presumably
the originator of this design failed to protect it with a
patent, and cases to this design were manufactured freely by
both Borgel and other watch case companies.
I have seen mention of gaskets being used
with this design to seal around the winding stem tube where
it passes through the case side. Examining the watch in the
picture under a glass reveals no sign of any gasket, or any
possibility of one because there is no continuous groove
where the stem tube passes through the case wall or any
other feature which could carry a gasket. If you have seen a
case with such gaskets, and even better still can send me
some pictures of one, then please get in touch.
In 1924 the Borgel watch case making
business was acquired by Taubert & Fils (Taubert and
Sons). In the extracts from the Fédération Horlogère Suisse
reproduced here, we can see that Louisa Beauverd-Borgel
first bought the rights to the Charles Rothen patent CH
88223 in February 1924, still giving her address as 10 Rue
des Pecheries. Then in March, Louisa transferred the rights
to the patent to Taubert et Fils, whose address is also give
as 10 Rue des Pecheries.
I do not know why Louisa or her family
decided to sell the business to Taubert & Fils. From the
record of the transfer of patent CH 88223, first to Louisa
and then from her the Tauberts, we can see that she was
alive and involved at the time of the sale, so it seems
likely that the family decided to cash in and retire by
selling the business. Perhaps Louisa's husband was
successful in his own right and wanted his wife to give up
her involvement in the business. Louisa had after all
carried the business along for exactly 12 years since her
father's death in March 1912.
To the right we have the official
announcements from La Fédération Horlogère Suisse of the
registration of "Taubert et Fils, Manufacture de boîtes
Borgel", and the striking off (radiation) of Louisa Beauverd
Borgel. Both announcements are dated 28 April 1924, so this
was the official date of the end of the Borgel family in
watch case making. But it was not the end of the association
of the Borgel name and the famous FB-key trademark with
watch case making.
The names of the Taubert partners are given
as Paul-Arthur Taubert, father, and Marcel, Paul-Emile and
Bernard Taubert, sons, originally from Le Locle. Their
business is given as manufacturing waterproof Borgel screw
watch cases, and their address is 10, Rue des Pêcheries,
Plainpalais, Geneva.
On 25 January 1925 the new firm registered
patent CH 112153, the heading of which is shown to the left,
proudly declaring "Manufacture Des Boîts Borgel, Taubert
& Fils". This patent is noted as an additional patent,
subordinate to the main patent Ch 88223 which they had
acquired from Charles Rothen. The patent CH 112153 does not
introduce any revolutionary invention, being confined to the
addition of a screw cap over the winding crown to seal the
crown and stem. It was perhaps more of a place marker to
show that Taubert & Fils were serious about pushing
forward the business of making waterproof watch cases.
In their first advertisement in the Journal
Suisse d'Horlogerie in April 1925, shown here, Taubert &
Fils describe themselves as "Manufacturers of Borgel cases"
and "Successors of Louisa Beauverd-Borgel, a house founded
in 1880."
Taubert & Fils make a big play of the
Borgel name and trade mark in their advert - it appears no
fewer than five times - so this business must have
represented an important acquisition to them. Perhaps it
transformed the fortunes of a small, previously relatively
unknown case maker. The advert says they make "Borgel screw
watch cases and all other screw systems".
Around
the FB trademark the advertisement says "Ouvrage soigné et
garanti exigez notre marque de fabrique" (Properly finished
and guaranteed products require our trademark).
The Taubert family certainly carried on
using the FB trade mark into at least the late 1960s, and
don't seem to have developed any other trade mark of their
own. The advertisement finishes with "Seule la boîte de
montre à vis Borgel protège hermétiquement le mouvement de
votre montre" (Only the Borgel screw case hermetically
protects the movement of your watch).
Taubert & Fils re-registered the
FB-with-a-key trademark on 23rd January 1926 as
shown in the picture on the left.
The firm of Taubert & Fils became known
as one of the finest Geneva-based case makers, specialising
in water-resistant cases and working for many firms,
including Mido, Movado, The West End Watch Co., Ulysse
Nardin, Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin and many,
many others.
The firm was renamed in 1938 as Societe
Anonyme Tabert Frères or Taubert Frères SA, after the death
of the father Paul Taubert.
Taubert screw in back
Early Taubert Developments
In the mid 1920s, probably as soon as they had taken over the company, the Tauberts started experimenting with new case designs.
They were still manufacturing the Borgel one piece screw case, but as that design was over 30 years old when they bought the company,
the time was clearly ripe for a new design to carry the firm forward for the next 30 years.
Movement & carrier ring
The case shown in the figures is hallmarked with the London import mark giving a date of 1927. It has a screw in back, with coin
edge milling around the periphery to give a grip for unscrewing. The middle part of the case has some details which are similar to
those illustrated in a later patent, registered by the Tauberts in 1928. The back of the case has an external screw thread with an
extended flange. The case middle has a channel outside the screw thread which the back screws into, to take a gasket which would
form a seal against the extended flange, although there is no trace of the gasket left. The stem tube is internally flanged at
each end as if to take a seal or gasket of some sort for sealing the stem.
This was an advanced waterproof case for the time. As this one is hallmarked 1927, the Tauberts must have been developing it almost
in tandem with Rolex developing the Oyster. How different the world of wrist watches might have been if the Tauberts had beaten the Rolex
Oyster to market with their own waterproof watch!
The way the movement is held in the case is unusual. The movement sits in a carrier ring, very much like the carrier ring in the original
Borgel screw case, but this carrier ring is not threaded, it just sits in the case and is held in place by the case back. There is a slot in
the carrier ring that engages with a key inside the middle part of the case to prevent the movement rotating.
In the late 1920s, the Tauberts must have
realised that time was running out for the watch case
designs that they had acquired with their take over of the
Borgel company. In 1928 and 1931 they registered two patents
that would renew and reinforce their prominent place in the
lead of waterproof watch case design, and carry the firm
forward for the next 30 or more years. For the future of the
firm, these were very important patents. The first was a
cork seal that sealed the winding stem, the second was a
screw back case with a very distinctive ten sided decagonal
design that enabled the Tauberts to fight off counterfeiters
for the duration of the patent.
These new patent designs were very
successful, and the Tauberts supplied them to many watch
manufacturers. Almost unbelievably, both of these designs
are still in use today!. Mido are still using the cork stem
seal, referring to it as "Aquadura", and the decagonal case
back design is still used by the West End Watch Co.
On 18 January 1928 Taubert & Fils
registered Swiss patent number 130942. The patent was
principally concerned with making waterproof watch cases
slimmer, but also introduced a feature that would become
very important to Taubert watch cases in the future: a cork
seal around the winding stem. In the figure from the patent
reproduced here, the cork seal 13 is held in a cup shaped
socket 10 which is soldered to the case, a bit like a pocket
watch pendant. The cork is held in place in the pendant by a
retaining disc 14 that clips into the end of the socket.
In actual manufacture the stem tube
was made slightly differently to the illustration in the
patent. The intention of the patent is clearly that the cork
seal is inserted into the socket and then the retaining disc
14 is put in place to retain it. In actual manufacture, a
tube with a reduced opening at its outer end was welded to
the watch case forming the housing for the seal. The cork
seal was introduced into this housing by compressing it
using a tapered tube so that it would pass through the
opening at the outer end and then expand into the housing.
The type of tool used is shown in the figure below.
This was very different to the screw
down waterproof crown that Rolex had introduced in 1926. The
cork seal prevented water passing through the opening for
the winding stem without the need to unscrew the crown
before winding or setting the watch. Although not ultimately
as water tight as the screw down crown, it was the perfect
solution for the person who wanted a waterproof watch
without the additional complication of unscrewing the crown
every day - remember that very few watches were self winding
or automatic at the time.
There is a bit of a mystery
surrounding this patent because the British version of it,
GB 304291 Fluid Tight Watch Case was taken out by Hans
Wilsdorf, Managing Director of Rolex, describing himself as
"assignee of Taubert & Fils". Why and how this came
about I don't yet know, but Wilsdorf must have allowed The
Taubert's to continue producing watch cases with the cork
seal, because they carried on using this design for many
years. Perhaps it was another aspect of the patent that
Wilsdorf was interested in.
One of the manufacturers who bought
cork stem sealed watch cases from Taubert was the firm Mido.
They are still using this detail in some of their watches,
calling it the Aquadura stem sealing system, a name they
gave to the system in 1959 after the Taubert patent had
expired. The picture to the right shows a tool supplied by
Mido for inserting cork seals into the stem tube.
As watch case technology developed
towards a fully water tight case, case backs with screw
threads that screwed into the case middle part replaced
snap-close backs. At first these threaded case backs were
milled like the edge of coins to provide a grip to tighten
and release them by hand. To get a tighter seal than
possible by hand tightening for the Rolex Oyster, in 1926
Wilsdorf designed a tool that engaged with the millings and
enabled greater torque to be applied than by hand. On
October 3rd 1929 Wilsdorf applied for a patent
for this tool, which was published on January 16th
1931 under N° CH 143449.
These milled edges were not ideal, and
other designs were soon developed for tightening case backs,
such as notches cut into the circumference of the case back,
or a transverse slit, similar to the groove in a screw head.
These systems used special keys which engaged with the
notches or slots, and are still familiar today. Rather than
use slots or notches in the case back, the Tauberts designed
a watch case that had flats around the circumference of the
back, rather like the flats on a nut. By using 10 flats they
could make each one quite small, making a very neat and
attractive alternative to slots or notches.
The patent was deposited on May 8th
1931 and published on August 31st 1932 under N°
CH 156807. This patent was also registered in the UK under
N° GB 385509 which was applied for on May 9th
1932 and published as complete accepted on Dec 29th
1932. The distinctive decagonal (10 sided) case back was to
become an instantly recognisable feature of cases that the
Tauberts supplied to many watch manufacturers for many
years. This watch case was also the subject of a court case
in which many interesting facts were brought to light.
The diagram from the patent also shows a
screw bezel. I don't believe Taubert made any decagonal back
cases with the screw bezel shown in the patent, at least I
have not seen one yet!
The picture to the left shows the inside
of one of these case backs from a silver cushion case watch
retailed by JW Benson of London. It is clearly stamped with
the FB trademark, and it has the polygonal external
circumference. Underneath the FB mark on the left is stamped
BRIT. PAT. for British patent and the number 385 509, and to
the right the Swiss cross and the word BREVET, which is
Swiss for patent, and this refers to the Taubert's Swiss
patent 156807. Beneath these marks are the two reclining
opposed Fs of the import hallmark for Glasgow, the date
letter "o" for 1937 / 38 and the .925 indicating sterling
silver. Beneath this is the sponsors mark SFC of Schwob
Freres & Co. Ltd.
The picture to the right shows a West End
Watch Co. watch with a decagonal back case supplied by
Taubert. You can see that where the polygonal flats meet the
flat part of the case back that carries the external screw
thread, this is flush with the case making a very neat joint
that no one would think of trying to get a knife into to
lever the case back off with.
The picture to the left shows a number of
keys for opening these cases. They are very light and
compact, and make the job of opening a decagonal back case
very easy compared to one with peripheral slots, where the
tool always seems to want to jump out and scratch the case
back.
These cases also often have an inner
cover, shown in the picture below. This is often described
as a dust cover, or an “anti-magnetic shield”. It is neither
of these. The screw back forms an excellent seal on its own,
so a dust cover is hardly needed, and the cover is not
ferromagnetic, so could not protect the movement against a
magnetic field. The cover is in fact used to hold the
movement in place. The movement is mounted in a carrier
ring, rather like the carrier ring of the original Borgel
screw case. This ring is a snug but not tight fit into the
case. The cover fits onto the end of the carrier ring and
the small nub in the centre of the cover enables the case
back to hold the cover, and hence the movement ring, in
place. The use of this arrangement was probably to enable
slightly different sized movements to be fitted to a
standard case size, by machining the carrier rings
internally to fit the movement whilst keeping their outside
dimensions the same to fit the standard case. The carrier
ring is made of brass which is much easier to machine
accurately than the hard stainless steel of the case.
The effectiveness of the Taubert case is
shown by the fact that although this watch has had a fairly
tough life, probably in India, the movement is as clean and
crisp and bright as when it left the factory.
The picture to the left shows the case back of a Patek-Philippe ref 1463J, the first water-resistant
chronograph to be produced by Patek Philippe, and the case for this watch was supplied by Taubert. The polygonal facets of
the Taubert patent case back are clearly visible. The image of the Patek Philippe was kindly granted to me by Robert Maron of
Thousand Oaks, California who sells very fine watches. If you browse his web site you can see lots of very fine Patek
Philippe watches with Taubert cases.
These two patents, CH 130942 for the cork stem seal, and CH 156807 for the decagonal back case, were the foundation for
the Taubert's success, and their main production over decades to come. They supplied many watch manufacturers with these
cases. For the man in the street who wanted a watch that he didn't need to worry about if it got wet, they were the
perfect answer: not as watertight as a "dive" watch, but perfectly satisfactory for everyday use, and without the extra
cost and complication of the screw down crown. They are very distinctive and easy to spot, even in a fuzzy eBay photograph,
and I am amazed at how often they appear.
Patek Philippe
Patek Philippe is one of the most illustrious watch makers in the world, tracing its roots back to Geneva in 1839. As makers
of the finest watch movements, they naturally looked for watch case makers who could supply cases to match. Of course they had
well established relationships with many case makers, but when they wanted in the 1930s to introduce watches with the latest
features such stainless steel cases, waterproof screw backs, waterproof crowns, and waterproof pushers for chronographs, they
started talking to Taubert & Fils, also in Geneva.
In 1934 Patek Philippe approached the Tauberts for their expertise in working with stainless steel, and the Tauberts made the
first stainless steel pocket watch, wrist watch and desk clock cases for Patek Philippe. Thanks to
John Goldberger for this information.
The reference 96 Calatrava was launched by Patek in 1932 in 18k gold with a snap back case made by others. The Tauberts made
the snap back cases for the first reference 96 manufactured in “Staybrite” stainless steel, launched in 1934.
In 1935 Patek Philippe’s first waterproof watch, the reference 438 Calatrava was introduced using the Taubert decagonal screw
back case.
The reference 1463 was Patek Philippe’s first waterproof chronograph and is one of the most coveted of all Patek Philippe
chronograph references because of its waterproof Taubert decagonal case with waterproof crown and pushers. It was launched in 1941
and continued until mid of '60s, and was available in steel or gold.
The Tauberts also made cases for Patek Philippe Calatrava reference 565 (decagonal case in steel or gold), Calatrava 2508
(decagonal case in steel or gold), 2509 and 1485.
The case for the Patek Philippe Reference 1485 was the same unusual Taubert patent clip together waterproof rectangular case
as that of the Alpina watch I describe in a later section.
The Tauberts continued to supply cases to Patek Philippe until the 1960s.
West End Watch Co. watch inner cuvette
Taubert Frères SA
La Fédération Horlogère Suisse, 2 August 1939
Taubert & Fils was renamed in 1938 as Societe Anonyme
Tabert Frères (Taubert Brothers) or Taubert Frères SA, after
the death of the father Paul Taubert. Here we have the
announcement in La Fédération Horlogère Suisse of the change
from Taubert & Fils to Taubert Frères. Note that this is
not simply a change of name: the old company is officially
struck off and a new company formed. The announcement says:
Trade Register
Social reasons: Changes:
28/1/39. - The company named Taubert & Sons,
Manufacturer of Borgel Cases, manufacturer waterproof Borgel
screw watch cases, in Geneva, was declared dissolved on 31
May 1938, its assets and liabilities assumed by the company
Taubert Freres S.A. The reason is it was struck off.
On the date 24/12/38 was formed under the name Taubert
Brothers S.A. a company with headquarters in Geneva, taking
over the assets and liabilities of the company by the name
of Taubert et Fils, Manufacturer of Borgel Cases. The object
of the new company is the manufacture and sale of watch
cases in various metals and all items related to this
industry. Were elected directors: Marcel Taubert, president,
Petit-Lancy, Paul and Bernhard Taubert Taubert, in Geneva,
all three of Le Locle, with individual signatures. 10
Fisheries Street, Geneva.
It is interesting to note that the three brothers are listed
as all being of Le Locle, an important centre of the Swiss
watchmaking industry in the Jura mountains. The 1945 Directory
of Swiss Manufacturers and Producers records Taubert Frères
SA, Watch case factory, 10 Rue des Pêcheries, Geneva
Two Important Court Cases
Taubert versus Piquerez-Frésard
In 1940 the Taubert firm instituted proceedings before the
Commercial Court of Bern against a watch case manufacturer of
Bassecourt named Piquerez-Frésard, which was in the opinion of
the Tauberts, imitating their decagonal back watch cases.
Piquerez then challenged the validity of the patent.
During the trial, expert opinion was sought from M. Berner,
director of the School of Horology in Bienne. M. Berner
concluded that some claims in the patent were not new.
However, he allowed the claims on the polygonal periphery of
the screwed case back, considering that they met the required
characteristics of "an invention, idea, or even daring,
technical progress, etc.." M. Berner maintained his view after
having heard conflicting legal opinions from Blum & Co.,
Matter, and others.
Following the expert's report, the parties agreed on November
12, 1941, a court settlement under which the Taubert patent
was limited to the following claim: "Hermetic watch case
comprising a middle, and a portion (bottom or bezel) screwed
therein, characterized in that the outer periphery of this
section is in cross section, polygonal." So the Taubert claim
to a patent on the decagonal case back was upheld.
1939 Taubert Advertisement
Bréguet-Bréting versus Taubert Frères S.A.
The information about the court case in the following was
extracted from the judgment of the Swiss civil Court of
September 14, 1948 in the case of Bréguet-Bréting versus
Taubert Frères S.A.
The court noted that Taubert Frères had secured patent CH
156807 entitled "Boîte de montre hermétique" (Hermetic Watch
Case) in 1931. As you can see from two of the figures
reproduced from the patent specification above, the bezel and
case back both screwed into the case. The case back was
designed to screw in to, rather than on to,
the middle part of the case. This gave a neater appearance,
with no join visible on the side of the case, and also
prevented the problem of repairers, who wouldn't have
encountered many screw back cases at the time, from trying to
lever off the back as if it were a snap on back.
Part of the patent specification was that the external
circumference of the case back was made polygonal, with flats
on it like a nut, instead of round. This allowed the use of an
adjustable wrench, a vice, or a similar instrument for
tightening and releasing the case back.
The splendid advertisement reproduced here from La
Classification Horlogere des Calibres de Montres et des
Fournitures d'Horlogerie Suisse - 1939 Edition shows one of
these Taubert cased watches strapped to a submarine with the
headline "The waterproof watch par excellence".
The court noted that this design of threaded or screwed
polygonal case back was immediately very successful, and that
Taubert Frères either supplied or licensed cases featuring it
to a great number of of watch manufacturers, including Mido,
Movado and West End. Taubert also supplied a polygonal wrench
or key that fitted the polygonal form of the case back,
allowing easy screwing and unscrewing.
In January 1941, the partnership of the sons of J.
Bréguet-Bréting, Bienne, manufacturers of watch cases, asked
Taubert Frères S.A. for a supply of polygonal keys. As a
result of this Taubert Frères realised that Bréguet-Bréting
were making watch cases with screwed polygonal case backs the
same as theirs, and pointed out the existence of their patent.
Bréguet-Bréting were dismissive of Taubert's patent, so
Taubert sued in the Bankruptcy court of Bern for
Bréguet-Bréting to cease manufacture of watch cases with
polygonal case backs, for any existing counterfeited or
imitated products to be destroyed, damages of 8,000 Swiss
francs, publication of the judgement in newspapers to be
indicated by the court, and legal expenses.
The court case continued on for a number of years, during
which the patent expired due to the passage of time, and in
June 1945 Bréguet-Bréting went into liquidation. The lawsuit
was continued against the two former associates and on
November 28, 1947, the Bankruptcy court found in favour of
Taubert Frères and ordered the defendants jointly to pay
Taubert Frères the sum of 45,000 Swiss francs as damage
interests. During the court case, industry experts appointed
by the court were asked to comment on the Taubert design, and
they remarked that it was "superior to the Wilsdorf design and
other designs using notches or slots cut into the case back,
both technically and aesthetically."
In the next sections we will go on to look at the three watch
manufacturers specifically mentioned in the court judgment as
shown in the extract reproduced here, which says "The
polygonal form of screwed case back was an immediate success,
and quite a number of manufacturers used it, among other
manufacturers of watches brands like Mido, Movado, West End,
etc." Mido, Movado and West End were three of the early
adopters of the decagonal back case with the cork seals in the
winding stems, and all played heavily on the waterproof nature
of their watches in advertising at the time. We will now look
at each one in turn.
The name "Mido" comes from the Spanish "to
measure". It's pronounced "Me-doe" not "My-doe".
Kathleen Pritchard in "Swiss Timepiece Makers
1775 — 1975" states that the company was founded in 1886. In
their book "Technique and History of the Swiss Watch" Jaquet
and Chapuis illustrate in Plate No. 148 a pocket watch,
presumably an anniversary model, marked around the bezel
"Henry Schaeren" and signed on the dial "Melik Mido
1886-1936". Thanks to Bruce Shawkey for drawing this latter
item to my attention. Both items concur on the date 1886,
but there is no more information about the company in either
book until the early part of the 20th century.
Mido are now part of the Swatch group of
companies, and state that the modern company, "Mido G.
Schaeren & Cie SA", was founded by Georges Schaeren in
Solothurn, Bienne, on 11 November 1918. This is not
necessarily a discrepancy with the information given by
Pritchard, and Jaquet and Chapuis; the inclusion of "G.
Schaeren" in the name being to distinguish the new company
from any other company employing the name Mido, much like
companies are often renamed after an event, e.g. Rolls-Royce
Limited became "Rolls-Royce (1971) Limited" after problems
with the RB211 jet engine. Similar name, legally different
company.
The Mido founded in 1918 started out as a sort
of novelty or designer brand, making art-deco styled watches
with coloured enamelled shaped cases, departing from the
strictly functional appearance of a watch, making watches
that could be worn as much as accessories as timepieces. In
the 1930s they made some watches in the shape of radiator
grills of well know brands of motor cars such as Bugatti,
Buick, Excelsior, Peugeot, and Chevrolet.
Mido Multifort watch
Mido significantly changed direction in 1934
when they introduced the Mido Multifort watch. This watch was
waterproof, antimagnetic and impact resistant, and provided
the Mido brand with a totally new image of serious
watchmaker, not just a "fun" brand. In 1935 the Mido
Multifort Automatic was introduced, bringing together for
the first time the four features of self winding,
watertight, antimagnetic and impact resistant. The Multifort
became the best selling Mido watch until the 1950s.
To prove that the Multifort functioned under
extreme conditions, Mido had it tested by the New York
Electrical Testing Laboratories Inc. Tests were conducted in
freshwater and saltwater for over a thousand hours. The
watches were then subjected to ten cycles of 15 minutes at
50°C followed by 15 minutes at -40°C. The winding crown was
subjected to a test representing 34 years of use. Simulated
tests of immersion to 13atm (120 m) and ascending to
altitudes of 6,600, 13,300 and 16,600 metres were performed.
One of the 6 watches tested ceased operating at 13,300
metres, but apart from that the watches seem to have passed
the tests with flying colours.
Part of the success in the tests was due to
the use of specially treated natural cork to seal the
winding stem. In their official history Mido don't exactly
claim to have invented this sealing method themselves, but
they do say "Because it formed such a perfect join with
the winding shaft, Mido was able to guarantee absolute
watertightness even when the crown is pulled out" and
"In 1959, this cork system was named ‘Aquadura’".
Saying that Mido was able to guarantee
absolute watertightness is not the same as saying that they
designed or invented the system. Mido were the company with
their name on the dial and so had to take responsibility for
their products. However, the way it is said implies
that Mido invented the cork stem seal, and the current Mido
management seem to believe this because they have refused to
discuss it with me, although they have told me that they
don't have any records from the time.
The cases Mido used for the Multifort were without doubt the Taubert patented decagonal backed cases,
with the patented cork seals around the winding stem, that Taubert also supplied to the West End Watch Co., also in
1934, which Taubert guaranteed as 100% waterproof (see below). It seems likely that the testing that Mido had
carried out was to substantiate Taubert's claims as to 100% watertightness before they started using the cases, and
staking the Mido name on their watertightness. Perhaps this was why Bernard Taubert was able to go to the West End Watch
Co. and guarantee his cases as 100% waterproof without it being questioned - if he had the results of the New York
tests already to hand. Perhaps this was why the Taubert decagonal case back was adopted by both Mido and West End in
the same year 1934, although the patent for the cork stem seal had existed since 1928, and that for the decagonal case
back from 1931.
Although the case backs of these Mido Multifort watches do not bear the FB-key mark, they were
stamped "BRIT PAT 385509". British patent 385509 was of course the British version of the Swiss patent for Taubert's
decagonal case. Presumably Mido didn't want to reveal where they were sourcing their cases from. Perhaps because Mido
were an early adopter of the decagonal case back, or in some sort of quid-pro-quo for the New York tests, they were able
to wring this concession from Taubert, who usually insisted on stamping all cases with the FB-key mark, such as those
supplied to Movado and West End.
Mido Vacuum
In later Mido watches, the word "Vacuum" is stamped in the watch case back, a trademark the Tauberts adopted in the mid-1950s. See the
section below Taubert, Manufacture Vacuum for more details.
Later Mido case backs didn't even have this explicit
reference to Taubert, simply referring to "Modele Depose"
(Registered Design) and "Brevet Depose" (Registered Patent) -
which must be a reference to the Taubert patent, because they
still had the distinctive 10 flats of the Taubert decagonal
case back.
Mido Ocean Star Vacuum
Mido Ocean Star wrist watch
The relationship between Taubert and Mido lasted at least into the 1960s. Evidence for this can be seen in a range of
waterproof cases supplied by Taubert to Mido stamped "Vacuum"
with the number "+346175". This number refers to a patent for a "Montre étanche" (waterproof watch) registered by Bernard Taubert on 16 April
1958 and published on 30 April 1960. These Taubert Vacuum cases were used in the Ocean Star range of watches by Mido, including a dive
watch that was stamped on the outside case back with an image of a Scuba diver and the words "Guaranteed 300m / 1000 ft".
The picture here is from the case back of one of these Mido
Ocean Star watches. The word Vacuum is clearly seen above a
plus sign, the sign of the Swiss flag which in this case
indicates a Swiss patent, followed by the number 346175.
Patent CH 346175 "Montre étanche" was registered by Bernard
Taubert on 16 April 1958 and published on 15 june 1960.
The salient features of this patent were that the case was
made in one piece with no separate back, very much like the
original Borgel one piece screw in case. For this new design,
Bernard Taubert conceived a winding stem that was in two
parts, one part fixed in the movement and one part fixed to
the case. A joint allowed to two parts of the stem to separate
when the movement was removed from the case, but coupled them
axially and rotationally so that the watch could be wound and
set as normal. The movement and dial were held in the case by
the crystal, supported by a tension ring. The winding stem
was, of course sealed by the tried and trusted cork seal,
which is not mentioned in the patent but can be clearly seen
in the accompanying diagram.
In 2008 on the 90th anniversary of the founding of Mido,
director Franz Linder introduced a new watch at Baselworld,
the Mido Jubilee. This watch used the Aquadura cork stem
sealing system, and so far as I am aware, Mido are still using
these cork seals in watches today. Not bad for a design
conceived by the Tauberts in the late 1920s!
The press report of this event said:
MIDO: Cork makes waterproof watches
Mido compete with the winemakers for cork to make
waterproof watches. The system, patented in 1934, has never
been matched by synthetic seals. Franz Linder, director of
the Bienne brand, presents its latest creation, Jubilee,
sealed with cork.
Using cork to make a waterproof watch: this invention
patented in 1934 has never been matched by synthetic seals
called "o-ring". The Bienne watchmaker Mido thought of using
cork to seal the crown, the weak point of all dive watches.
In the Aquadura system, the stem of the crown passes through
a tiny cork gasket compressed in a housing, which ensures a
seal even if the crown is not fully pushed-in. "Like a
bottle of wine that remains sealed even if the cork is
half-drawn," compares Franz Linder, Director of Mido.
Attention to defects
Compared to the vintners, the Bienne watchmaker is not a
big consumer of Portuguese cork. But as its seals are tiny,
they cannot bear the slightest defect of a poor quality
cork. "Two thirds of the handpicked seals go in the
garbage," says the director of Mido. Natural cork is heated
and greased to ensure its moisture, but the real difficulty
lies in the cutting of the brittle material: a small piece
of cork falling into the case would be enough to stop the
movement. The assembly is more difficult and more expensive
than plastic seals."
Hardly anyone goes under water to a depth of 50 m. But this
system, "simple but brilliant" according to Franz Linder,
assured the success of Mido in Brazil, Thailand or
Indonesia, wherever humidity attack the movement. And,
curiously, doctors around the world are happy to wear a
Mido: "Simply because they often wash their hands ..."
smiles the director.
The use of cork in the watch is so efficient that Mido
applied the "Aquadura" system in the chronometer "Jubilee"
presented at Baselworld for the 90th anniversary of the
brand. "With an automatic watch, the cork wears only during
setting the time or date ..." notes Franz Linz.
Note that Mido claim to have invented the cork sealing
system, and patented it in 1934. In fact, although there are a
number of patents registered to Mido, I have found none dated
between 1930 and 1940.
Movado 1940 Advert
Movado was founded in 1881 by Achilles
Ditesheim, a 19-year old entrepreneur who hired six
watchmakers and opened a small workshop in La
Chaux-de-Fonds. In 1905 the company name was changed to
Movado; a word meaning always in motion international
language of Esperanto.
In "The Movado History" Fritz von
Osterhausen writes "The year 1935 saw the introduction of
the first Movado water-resistant wrist watch, the ‘Acvatic’.
This unusual spelling of the word is derived from the Latin
word ‘aqua’ (water) and was first registered as a trademark
on 13th February 1936. Produced in various sizes the Acvatic
had a screwed back with a lead gasket and a cork seal for
the winding crown. It was developed by the case-making firm
of François Borgel of Geneva, which was owned by three
brothers called Tauber[sic]. They developed many other
variously shaped water-resistant cases for Movado during the
subsequent decades. Later a two-button chronograph called
"Cronacvatic" was developed."
The screwed back case was of course the
decagonal back Taubert case, complete with cork seal for the
winding stem. Von Osterhausen gives the year of introduction
of the Acvatic as 1935, a year later than the waterproof
models using the decagonal case back introduced by Mido and
West End. So the wording of the 1940 Movado advert shown
here is a little misleading, because the wording in the
advert says "with the pre-tested waterproofing pioneered
by Movado". It also says "Dustproof, airtight, unbreakable
crystal ..." - how advertising standards have changed since
1940!
Movado became a big customer of the
Taubert's and one sees many Movado watches from the 1930s to
the 1960s in the distinctive decagonal back case, but unlike
the Mido cases these are proudly stamped with the FB-key
Borgel / Taubert trademark. Some of these marks are also
understamped "Vacuum" as discussed in the section below Taubert, Manufacture Vacuum.
The early history of the West End Watch Co.
is rather difficult to piece together, so don't be surprised
if the next few paragraphs are subject to change! In
compiling the following history I have drawn on Kathleen
Pritchard's "Swiss Timepiece Makers 1775 - 1975", Karl
Kochmann's "Clock and Watch Trademark Index of European
Origin" and the judgement of the Mumbai High Court in the
case of The West End Watch Co. vs The Berna Watch Co. on 22
November, 1910.
In 1864, Alcide Constant Droz and Henry
Perret of St. Imier in the Swiss Canton of Berne founded the
watchmaking company Droz and Perret. This company
subsequently went through many changes of name and
registration, and registered many trade marks.
In 1883 the company changed its registered
name to Alcide Droz & Fils (Alcide Droz and Sons). Two
of the sons were the brothers Louis, the elder, and
Constant. The firm was recorded as makers of watches,
specialising in waterproof (imperméable) watches.
They registered a trademark of a flying eagle carrying a
watch in its beak, surrounded by the words "Imperméable
Brevete Dans Tous Pays" (Waterproof Patented in All
Countries). On 16 October 1885 they registered a trademark
of an eagle carrying a watch in its beak with above it the
name "West End Watch".
In 1884 a watch business was started in
Bombay by Alcide Droz & Fils and Arnold Charpie. Some
reports say that Charpie was the Indian representaive of
Droz, but I haven't found anything to substantiate this. The
firm was evidently a joint venture between Charpie and
Alcide Droz & Fils, with the intention of mainly, but
not exclusively, importing watches manufactured at the St
Imier factory.
In 1887 Alcide Droz & Fils underwent
another change of name, becoming Droz & Cie (Droz and
Co.). Also in 1887, Arnold Charpie retired from the Bombay
firm, and it became wholly owned by Droz & Cie. And also
in the same year of 1887, the Bombay firm was renamed the
West End Watch Co. And finally, also in 1887, Alcide Droz
& Fils patented a trademark of a bear and flag with the
word Berna, and also registered "West End Watch Co." on a
movement. I think these events, all taking place in the same
year, were all connected. The name of the Bombay company
before the retirement of Arnold Charpie is not known, but it
was evidently not The West End Watch Co. It appears likely
that when Charpie retired in 1887 and Droz & Cie took
over completely, they took the opportunity to rebrand the
company The West End Watch Company, using the trademark name
that they had already registered in 1885.
There is a story that after the creation of
the United International Bureaux for the Protection of
Intellectual Property, Arnold Charpie decided to add a
Helvetia figure, as appeared on Swiss coins, as a trademark,
but that this caused a problem because Muslims reject
representations of the human form. The story goes that
Charpie ordered replacement dials bearing the name West End
Watch Company. It is said that this was because he always
stayed in and enjoyed the West End on his visits to London.
However, as the United International Bureaux for the
Protection of Intellectual Property was not created until
1893, some aix years after Charpie had retired and eight
years after Alcide Droz & Fils had registered the West
End Watch trademark, this part of the story at least is
apocryphal.
The West End Watch Co. remained a wholly
owned subsidiary of Droz & Cie until 1891, when Arnold
Amstutz became a partner. In 1893, The West End Watch Cie.
was listed as a brand of Droz & Amstutz, St Imier; a
branch of a Bombay firm of the same name. In 1895 the Indian
branch was named West End Watch Co., Droz & Amstutz, and
in 1898 this was changed to West End Watch Co., Droz,
Amstutz & Cie.
It seems that at some stage in the early
1890s the two Droz brothers separated their business
interests. Constant Droz joined up with Arnold Amstutz in
India, forming a company called Droz and Amstutz, and Louis
Droz remained at the factory in St Imier with the company
Droz & Cie.
In 1904 Droz & Cie, the exclusive
owners of the St. Imier Factory, got into financial
difficulties and converted their manufacturing business into
a Joint Stock Company under the name of the Fabrique
d'Horlogerie Berna. The West End Watch Co. supported the
flotation by taking up a large number of shares in the new
Company. At the same time, Droz & Cie sold their
interest in the West End Watch Co. to Arnold Amstutz and
Constant Droz.
By virtue of their large shareholding in
the new company, Constant Droz and Arnold Amstutz were able
to insist on a monopoly of all the products the joint stock
company Fabrique d'Horlogerie Berna sent to India for a
period of ten years. But by 1907 the joint stock company
Berna was itself in trouble, and in December went into
liquidation. It seems that at least part of the reason for
this was a lack of orders from The West End Watch Co., who
had complained about the watches supplied by Berna and began
importing watches largely from other manufacturers, while
they ceased giving orders to the St. Imier factory. This was
almost certainly the beginning of the relationship between
the West End Watch Co. and Longines, who were also based in
St Imier since 1832 and who would have been well known to
Constant Droz.
The company sold West End Watch Co. branded
Longines watches until at least the 1940s.
More to follow...
The West End brand gave the Swiss made
watches a distinctly imperial feel, and the clever
juxtaposition of Swiss precision engineering and an Empire
brand name was a hit. By the mid-1930s, the company
estimated that 100,000 of its Queen Anne model alone were
being worn in India.
In 1934 two events occurred that had a
significant effect on the subsequent history of the company.
Georges Braunschweig of La Chaux-de-Fonds offered the
company the Incabloc shock resisting system for protecting
the balance staff from breakage, and Taubert offered them
the cases with decagonal screwed backs and cork sealing in
the winding stems, which "he" guaranteed 100% waterproof.
The extracts reproduced here are from the
memoirs of M. Foëx, who was the managing director of the
West End Watch company from 1916 to 1973, which were
supplied to me by M. Jérôme Monnat, the CEO of West End
Watch Co. These extracts discuss the development and
introduction of the Sowar Prima, shockproof thanks to the
Incabloc system and waterproof thanks to Taubert's cases.
Sowar means warrior in Hindustani, Afghan (Aziz) and Persian
(Sadeghi). The Sowar Prima became West End's most successful
model.
The West End Watch Co became thus the first
company to use the Incabloc shock resisting system in their
watches, and they used Taubert's waterproof watch case with
the cork stem sealing and decagonal back from 1934 until
1954, when Taubert were no longer able to keep up with West
End's demand, which by then had risen to more than 2,000
case per month. The Taubert patents for the cork seal and
decagonal screw back case having long since expired, West
End asked Donzé to copy Taubert's cases which, after some
hesitation, they manage to do, complete with cork sealing
and decagonal screwed case back. M. Foëx remarks "We are
saved."
The West End Watch co. is still flourishing
today, with 15 million watches having been sold throughout
the world during more than 120 years of uninterrupted
activity since its creation. West End is today one of the
most highly esteemed Swiss watch brand names in the world,
especially in India, the Middle East and China. And they are
still using cases with decagonal backs, which can trace a
line of descent back to the Taubert family of Geneva in the
1930s, and through them, back to François Borgel!
Collective Responsibilty Marks
Beginning some time in the mid 1920s, and centralised since July 11, 1934, all precious metal
(gold, platinum and palladium cases) watch cases made or imported into Switzerland must carry a poinçon de maître or
responsibility mark to identify who is responsible for guaranteeing the purity of the metal used to make the case.
These marks are recorded by the Swiss Federal Assay Office and are stamped only on the watch case, not on the bracelet.
Watch case makers who are or were members
of a collective, l'Union Suisse pour l'Habillage de la
Montre (USH), use one of the six poinçon de maître collectif
or collective responsibility marks shown in the picture.
From left to right they are:
- Hammer-head or hammer without handle
- Hammer with handle
- Marquee
- Crossbow
- Geneva Key
- Shield
The individual case makers are identified
by a two or three digit registration number which is stamped
where the xx is shown in the picture.
Manufacture Taubert were registered to use
both mark number 1, the hammer head, and mark number 5, the
Geneva key. Why did they have two registered marks? I have
no idea. In both cases their registration number was 11, so
if you ever see a case with either the hammer head mark or
the Geneva key mark stamped in it, and 11 where the xx are
in the picture, you know it was made by the Taubert company.
You can see the Manufacture Taubert registration for the
Geneva key symbol in the picture to the right.
CH 155519 Schwob Frères patent
1936 Cyma case marks
Pictured right are the case marks from an interesting watch and case. The movement is a 15 jewel Cyma,
and the case is a one piece design, without an opening back, made of 9 carat gold. The case has a screw bezel which, when
removed, allows the movement, in a ring and further protected by an inner dust cover, to swing out on a hinge.
The inner dust cover can then be removed to reveal the movement.
The case is marked inside at the top with the Borgel FB-with-a-key mark, and at the bottom with the
collective responsibility mark of the Geneva key with the number 11 on the lever, the mark for Manufacture Taubert. I
have highlighted this mark because it is not easy to see on the reduced size image.
Then, working down from the top, the other marks are:
- A Swiss patent, referred to in the case back by the word PATENT followed by a cross for Switzerland
and then the number 155 519. This patent for a for a "Boîte de montre" was deposited on 17th
March 1931 by Schwob Frères & Cie SA of La Chaux-de-Fonds and published on 30th June
1932. I have shown some figures from the patent in the picture on the left so you can see they match
the watch case.
- The Glasgow import mark of two facing Fs and the date letter n for 1936.
- The 9 and 375 purity indicators for 9 carat gold.
- The initials SFC in a fancy cartouche, which stand for Schwob Freres & Co. Ltd.
|
Schwob Frères owned the Tavannes / Cyma watch company, and were listed as their retailers in
Tavannes / Cyma adverts. So it looks like Schwob Freres designed and patented the case, and then had cases to this
patent design manufactured by Borgel / Taubert to take Cyma movements, and then Schwob Freres & Co. imported them
into Britain and retailed them.
The images of the watch and case were kindly supplied to me by Simon Collier, who usually has some
interesting watches for sale at All Time
Classics.
Taubert Patent CH 207378
In the 1920s and 1930s under the influence of the art deco movement, rectangular watches
became fashionable. To respond to this trend, the Tauberts designed a new rectangular watch case with a twist - of
course, it had to be waterproof! The patent for this new case was registered on 25th August 1938 as Swiss patent CH
207378, and published 31st October 1939.
The method of construction of this case is quite difficult to understand from the drawings in the
patent, so I have made this version which shows the cross sectional drawing from the patent, and also an exploded view. The
watch movement and dial, together with the winding stem (the stem opening sealed with Taubert's patent cork seal, which
isn't discussed in this patent) and crown, are mounted in a rectangular inner case called a báte. The báte
is open at the top and bottom.
The báte is encased in a two piece rectangular outer case. A rectangular gasket fits into a groove in the case
back where it is trapped between the bottom edge of the báte and the outer case back, sealing the open bottom of
the báte to the case back. Another rectangular gasket fits beneath the crystal where it is trapped between the top
edge of the báte and the crystal, which is itself held in place by the top part of the outer case. This seals the
open top of the báte to the crystal.
By carefully controlling the height of the báte and the dimensions of all the other components, the action of
pressing the two parts of the outer case together clamps the gaskets between the inner case and the back and crystal,
creating a watertight seal. The two pieces of the outer case are held together by clips which slide into grooves along
the case sides.
US3791135 reference to CH207378
The pictures below are of an Alpina watch in this rectangular Taubert case. In the middle picture you can see one of the
clips that holds the two parts of the outer case together slid to one side. The third picture shows all the various components,
including one gasket. This gasket is made of rather hard, incompressible material, which I would have thought was not ideal
for the intended use. I don't know whether it is original, but as it is the perfect size and shape it probably is original.
There definitely should be two gaskets, and the watch could not be watertight without both gaskets being in place.
These cases seem to have a reputation amongst some watchmakers for not being very watertight, but they must be at least as
capable of being watertight as the later 1939 Omega Marine Standard, which employs a very similar design of case with
rectangular gaskets, and doesn't have such a reputation. The design is sound and they would have been assembled correctly at
the factory, so there must be a problem with after sales servicing.
The problem is revealed in a later Taubert patent
for another waterproof rectangular case, Swiss patent CH566048 dated 19 June 1972 "boîte de montre étanche",
also registered in the USA as US 3,791,135 dated May 28, 1973, an extract from which is shown here. In this patent Bernard Taubert
writes that the earlier case has "the drawback of requiring special tools for performing the closing operation, i.e., for
strongly pressing together the two case parts to enable the slide devices to be placed in a working position.
Many watch makers would not have possessed the necessary special tool and so, having been able to get the case apart relatively
easily by sliding the clips out, they would have difficulty in properly pressing the two parts of the case together to establish
the watertight seal. Some watchmakers would have taken the time to make a jig and press the case together properly, but others
would have bodged the job and handed it back to the owner with the well known phrase "it can't be guaranteed to be watertight".
In my Alpina, it is evident that at some stage one gasket has been left out, most probably to enable the case to be assembled by hand.
I have recently acquired a Movado in one of these cases, very similar to the Alpina. Again, one of the gaskets is missing and I am
sure that this has been done to enable the case to be assembled by hand.
If you know of a source or old stock of these gaskets, please let me know.
In addition to Alpina, Taubert supplied this case to Movado, to Patek Philippe for the Reference 1485, and possibly to
other manufacturers as well. If you know of one I haven't listed, please let me know.
In "The Movado History" Fritz von Osterhausen writes "The year 1935 saw the introduction of the first Movado water-resistant
wrist watch, the ‘Acvatic’ . . . It was developed by the case-making firm of François Borgel of Geneva, which was owned by three
brothers called Tauber[sic]. They developed many other variously shaped water-resistant cases for Movado . . ." There is an
implication there that the Tauberts developed this case for Movado, one of their biggest customers at the time. Whether
this is true I don't know, but certainly the majority of the watches that I have seen in one of these cases are Movados.
The Alpina came from www.styleintime.com who always have an
interesting range of vintage watches for sale, and are nice people to deal with. If you are in the market for a vintage watch, I suggest you check
out the Style In Time web site, or give Jonathan a call.
Pritchard(2) records the
following information:
The date given by Pritchard of 1883
obviously predates the 1887 that I have above for Borgel
registering his mark, and indicates that Borgel first
registered his trademark in 1883. We know from the Taubert
& Fils advert that the Borgel company was actually
founded in 1880, so it is not surprising that Borgel would
have registered his trademark soon after that.
The reference to "Taubert, Manufacture
Vacuum" is intriguing - what does it mean? The image to the
right shows the Taubert FB-with-a-key mark with the word
VACUUM underneath in a Movado case back.
From the mid 1950s Taubert supplied cases marked with the
FB-key mark underwritten with "VACUUM"" to Movado, such as the
one shown in the picture to the right. They also supplied
cases without the FB-key mark but stamped "Vacuum" to
Mido for the Mido Multifort range of waterprood watches.
Reading the official history of Mido there is no reference to
Taubert, and Mido claim to have invented the cork sealing for
the winding stem themselves in 1934. However, the first Mido
Multifort cases have the very distinctive decagonal case back
of the Taubert patent case, and the cork sealing is the same
as in the cases supplied by Taubert to West End. Please refer
to the sections on Mido and West
End for futher details of these cases.
Other References To Taubert Frères
An entry in the Geneva Register of Commerce dated 15th
July 1950 refers to Taubert Frères, giving the management as
Marcel, Paul and Bernard Taubert of Neuchatel. After the
patent registered by the three brothers in 1940, Bernard
Taubert went on from 1947 to register at least 24 Swiss
patents under his own name, with no mention of his brothers,
so perhaps they took someting of a back seat.
The End Of The Line?
The Taubert company went into liquidation in 1974. The Swiss
register of collective responsibility marks shows that the
firm's registration was cancelled on 16 May 1974. The final
patent registered under the name Bernard Taubert, CH608322,
was published in 1979. The applicant for this patent was
Monique Bouchet, whereas previously Bernard had applied for
all his patents in his own name. Perhaps the absence of his
brothers from the patents after 1940 indicates that they had
left the company, and perhaps Bernard himself either died or
retired in 1974 leading to the liquidation of the company, and
patent CH608322 was applied for by Monique Bouchet after his
death as a mark or respect or memoriam.
The Line Continues!
The reason that I headed the previous section with "The End
Of The Line?" with a question mark is that the Taubert design
of case with the polygonal, or more correctly decagonal for 10
sides, screw back is still in use today by the West End Watch
Co.
Taubert Patents
The table below is an incomplete list of patents by Taubert.
I will expand it to cover more of their patents soon.
| Date |
Number |
Title |
Inventor(s) |
| 1925 |
CH 112153 |
Boîte de montre. |
Taubert Fils Manufacture Des Boites Borgel |
| 1927 |
CH 119762 |
Montre. |
Taubert Fils Manufacture Des Boites Borgel |
| 1929 |
CH 130942 |
Boîte de montre hermétique. |
Taubert Fils |
| 1932 |
CH 156807 |
Boîte de montre hermétique. |
Taubert Fils |
| 1939 |
CH 207232 |
Dispositif hermétique de poussoir au remontoir pour
chronographe. |
Taubert Freres |
| 1939 |
CH 206762 |
Dispositif de ressort antagoniste pour poussoir de
chronographe. |
Taubert Freres |
| 1939 |
CH 207378 |
Dispositif de montage hermétique pour montre à
mouvement de forme. |
Taubert Freres |
| 1941 |
CH 218691 |
Boîte de montre. |
Taubert Freres |
| 1941 |
CH 217009 |
Boîte de montre. |
Taubert Freres |
| 1942 |
CH 222297 |
Remontoir étanche. |
Taubert Freres |
| 1947 |
CH 248901 |
Lien extensible. |
Bernard Taubert |
| 1948 |
CH 257308 |
Lien extensible. |
Bernard Taubert |
| 1948 |
CH 257309 |
Lien extensible. |
Bernard Taubert |
| 1951 |
CH 273458 |
Boîte de montre. |
Bernard Taubert |
| 1951 |
CH 274905 |
Boîte de montre étanche. |
Bernard Taubert |
| 1951 |
CH 274906 |
Boîte étanche, notamment pour montre. |
Bernard Taubert |
| 1952 |
CH 281492 |
Boîte de montre à lunette rotative. |
Bernard Taubert |
| 1952 |
CH 287285 |
Montre-bracelet. |
Bernard Taubert |
| 1954 |
CH 304087 |
Remontoir étanche pour pièce d'horlogerie. |
Bernard Taubert |
While searching for records of cases made by Taubert &
Fils or Taubert Frères I investigated Sotheby's Auctions. I
found they had sold at least 13 watches between 2006 and 2009
where the case was attributed to Taubert. The Sotheby's watch
expert obviously knows his subject very well, which I suppose
is what you should expect! These were mainly watches by Patek
Philippe, but there was also one by Movado. Some interesting
extracts from two of the sales are noted below.
Patek Philippe 1952
Sotheby's Wed 13 Jun 2007 02:00 PM New York
A Fine and Rare Patek Philippe Gold Chronograph Wristwatch
with Register and Tachometer 1952, Movement No. 868505, Case
No. 679108, Ref. 1463J
The following information is quoted from the Sotheby's
catalogue for the sale:
CATALOGUE NOTE
Accompanied by a Patek Philippe Certificate d'Origine et
de Garantie stamped Geneva 1961. Further accompanied by a
Patek Philippe Extract from the Archives confirming
production in 1952 and its subsequent sale on August 10th,
1961.
The inside of the case back is stamped 'FB', the maker's
mark for Taubert & Fils. From the late 19th century,
when it existed under the name Frères Borgel, Taubert
& Fils was one of the finest Geneva-based case makers
and specialized in water-resistant cases. They worked with
many firms, including Patek Philippe and Vacheron
Constantin.
Patek Philippe 1959
Sotheby's Wed 13 Jun 2007 02:00 PM New York
A Fine and Rare Patek Philippe Stainless Steel Chronograph
Wristwatch with Tachometer and Register 1959, Movement No.
869027, Case No. 2605614, Ref 1463A
The following information is quoted from the Sotheby's
catalogue for the sale:
CATALOGUE NOTE
Accompanied by a Patek Philippe Extract from the
Archives confirming production in 1959 and its subsequent
sale on November 18, 1965.
When it made its debut in 1940, Ref. 1463 was Patek
Philippe's first water resistant chronograph wristwatch,
and was produced in less than 750 examples. It was the
successor to Ref. 130, another iconic chronograph
wristwatch with a snap back.
The inside of the case on the present example is stamped
'FB', which is the maker's mark for Taubert, the foremost
supplier of waterproof cases.
I have seen many instances of watch cases bearing an FB mark, or waterproof cases in general,
being attributed to Francis Baumgartner. This is an error, probably based on the common initials of FB for François
Borgel and another Geneva case maker, Frédéric Baumgartner. The two identities appear to have been conflated, in the
process turning "François" into the Anglicised "Francis". The fact is that there never was a case making company
called Francis Baumgartner.
This image is from an 18 carat gold Patek Philippe case back, and it bears the collective
responsibility mark of a small key with the number 2 stamped on the lever. Thanks to TimeZone member candle7 for
permission to use the image, and for the information that the watch is a 1962 Patek Philippe ref. 3434. The collective
responsibility mark number 2 was registered to F. Baumgartner SA of Geneva. Candle7 has informed me that the
case is a simple snap back. Just metal on metal, no rubber gasket, and no marking anywhere to indicate the watch was
ever intended to be water resistant. The 1949 edition of La Classification Horlogere Suisse reveals that F. Baumgartner
SA of Geneva, case maker, was Frédéric, not Francis, Baumgartner!
Frédéric Baumgartner was the maker of the 1932 Omega Marine, the first dive watch, and was the
designer and maker of the 1939 Omega Marine Standard, a waterproof rectangular watch with a clip back case. You can read more about this in my
section on Omega. (This will open a page in a new
tab.)
These appear to have been Frédéric Baumgartner's only waterproof watches. I have found a series of 11 patents
issued to Frédéric Baumgartner starting in 1929 with the design of a hinged case for a small clock or pocket watch.
There is no provision for making this case waterproof, and apart from three patents issued to Baumgartner for the Omega
Marine Standard design in 1940 - 1941 all his other patents concern the appearance of watches rather than their waterproof
qualities. I think this proves that Frédéric Baumgartner was not in any way involved in the design of the waterproof case
for the 1926 Rolex Oyster.
To return to the top of this page and start reading the true Borgel story, click on this link: Top
Numbers inside a Borgel case back
If you own a Borgel cased watch, and here I am really talking about the early screw in cases
made to Borgel's 1891 patent CH4001, then after finding out that it was made by Borgel, and deciphering the sponsor's
mark and the hallmarks, you may, like me, have wondered what the numbers stamped in the case back mean.
I mean the numbers like the 3130633 and 40 that you can see in this Borgel case back. I
am collecting as many pictures of case backs like this as I can so. I hope that by building up a big collection of
numbers and dates from the hallmarks, some sense may emerge from the numbers. It may be a long shot, but if the numbers
can be put into sequence and matched up with the hallmark dates, we may be able to derive production quantities for
separate years, or put dates to case that don't have hallmarks.
I have started a page for this projectwhich is not on the main menu at the head of the page, to get to it please click
on this link: Borgel Case Number Project
If you can contribute a picture of the inside case back of your Borgel watch to this case
number project, or have any comments, requests or suggestions, then please feel free to email me at
. You shouldn't need to copy the email address, just click on it. I answer all emails I receive, so if you do write to me and
don't get an answer in a few days, please check your junk and spam folders. Even better, when you write, add my email address
to your contacts and my emails will not be filtered out.
Regards - David
To return to the top of the page,
click on this link: Top
References
- Julien John Stanislous Tripplin: Watch and clock making in 1889, being an account and comparison of the exhibits in the
horological section of the French international exhibition with a view of the British watch and clock making section.
Published 1890 by Crosby Lockwood in London.
- Kathleen H. Pritchard: Swiss Timepiece Makers 1775-1975
