Blog: Aegler Rebberg Déposé

Date: 27 January 2023

I make additions and corrections to this web site frequently, but because they are buried somewhere on one of the pages the changes are not very noticeable. I decided to create this blog to highlight new material. Here below you will find part of one of the pages that is either completely new or I have recently changed or added to significantly.

Rebberg Déposé is a term that is seen on movements which sometimes is mis-attributed. It refers to either a registered trademark (marque déposée) or a registered design (modèle déposé), both of which were registered by the Swiss watchmaking company Aegler in 1903.

The section below about the term Rebberg Déposé is from my page about Aegler - possibly the most important watchmaker that many people have never heard of.

As always, if you have any comments or questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch via my Contact Me page.

Rebberg Déposé

Rebberg Calibres Registration 1903: Click image to enlarge

Rebberg Trademark Registration 1903: Click image to enlarge

The word Rebberg, after the vineyard district of Bienne where the factory was located, was registered as a trademark by the company Witwe Jean Aegler on 21 January 1903. It was given the number 15427 in the Swiss register of trademarks.

The official notice of this registration reproduced here shows that the company was a Fabrikantin (manufacturer) of uhren and uhrenbestandteile, watches and watch components in German, and étuis, which means cases in French. Traditionally in Switzerland, watch cases had been called boxes or boîtes, but around 1900 the term cases or étuis began to supersede the older term, which appears to have coincided with the introduction of wristwatches.

A term that is often seen on Aegler movements is Rebberg Déposé. In Swiss/French, déposé means to file, lodge or deposit and, in this context, refers to either a registered trademark (marque déposée) or a registered design (modèle déposé).

On 25 January 1903, the company Witwe Jean Aegler registered two designs of calibres for pocket watches, Lépine and savonnette versions Nr 1 and Nr 2 respectively. This registration was given the number 9284 in the Swiss register of designs. The Vertreter, Gottfried Furrer, was the representative who handled the registration process.

Aegler was known for making small movements, so it seems a little strange that the registration was specifically for Tashchenuhren or pocket watches. However, no size was specified by the registration so this would not have been a restriction. In fact, small movements that were originally made for ladies' fob watches were the perfect size for men's wristwatches when the demand arose.

A Swiss modèle déposé or registered design had a term of five years, after which it could be renewed or it would be automatically struck off the list. The registration of modèle déposé 9284 was renewed for the first time in 1905. In July 1906, the registration was transferred to the newly reconstituted company Les Fils de Jean Aegler Fabrique Rebberg. The registration was renewed for a second time in 1908 and for a third time in 1913. Only three renewals or extensions were allowed, so modèle déposé 9284 was struck off the list of protected designs in 1981.

When the term Rebberg Déposé is seen on an Aegler movement, it could refer to the registered trademark or the registered design, but the movement is usually one of the two registered designs shown in the image, which in consequence are usually referred to as Aegler Rebberg calibres.