Blog: Aegler Rebberg Déposé

First published: 27 January 2023, last updated 16 September 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.

Only three renewals or extensions of a modèle déposé were allowed, so the 1903 registration was struck off the list of protected designs in February 1918. This prompted Aegler to register two virtually identical calibres in August of the same year.

These Aegler calibres are very familiar to anyone who collects or is interested in early Rolex wristwatches.

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, the German word for vineyard or wine growing district of Bienne where the Aegler 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 in the German language the Aegler company was a Fabrikantin (manufacturer) of uhren and uhrenbestandteile, watches and watch components, and in French étuis, which means cases. Traditionally in Switzerland, watch cases were called boxes or boîtes, but around 1900 the term cases or étuis began to supersede the older term. This 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. In this context it 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. Gottfried Furrer was the vertreter or representative who handled the registration process.

Aegler Calibres registered August 1918: Click image to enlarge

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' pocket or fob watches were also 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 February 1918.

The striking off of modèle déposé 9284 in February 1918 prompted Aegler to register two virtually identical calibres in August of the same year. These are shown in the figure from the registration reproduced here. Rather strangely, the train bridges and balance cock are shown blank, without the bearing holes for the train wheels and balance. Aegler became a Société Anonyme (S. A.), a French term for a public limited company or Aktiengesellschaft (AG), in 1913, and here the trading name is given as Aegler S. A. Rolex Watch Co., showing how important Rolex had become as a customer, although Gruen was an equally important customer and Aegler was also supplying many other établisseurs with movements. In the engravings, the name ROLEX can be made out on the ratchet wheels of the two calibres.

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.