Hebdomas pocket watches have a high recognition value due to their appearance – the off-centered hands and the balance visible on the dial side with a large balance bridge immediately catch the eye. Here we take a look at the techniques of the movements of these watches.
Continue reading “Hebdomas – a look into the watch movement”Author: Andreas Kelz
Froidevaux from Porrentruy in Switzerland
On September 15, 1898, Stanislas Froidevaux and Joseph Gaibrois founded the watch company S. Froidevaux & Cie. in Porrentruy, in the Swiss canton of Jura.
Just a few months later, in January 1899, the company registered its two first trademarks, two interlocking gear segments and VORWÄRTS (Forward):
Continue reading “Froidevaux from Porrentruy in Switzerland”Retrograde Time Displays
A retrograde, i.e. reversing, display on a watch is a complication in which a hand, for example for the time or date, moves over a segment of a circle. Instead of turning completely in a circle, the hand jumps back to the starting position in a sudden manner as soon as it reaches the end of the segment scale.
Do you need it and is it useful? Not necessarily! Why do you do it then? Because it is possible!
Continue reading “Retrograde Time Displays”American Pocket Watch Movements
Movements of American pocket watches differ in many details from their Swiss counterparts. Here we look at some basics about them, without getting lost in the many deviations from the standards. American pocket watches are a topic with a lot of interesting things to discover.
Victor Anguenot – again watch movements from France
France seems to be a watch country where there is still something to discover. At least, I keep coming across French manufacturers of watch movements that are largely unknown and that I have never heard of before. Victor Anguenot from Villers-le-Lac in the Département Doubs is one of them. The town is located just a few kilometers from Le Locle, one of the most important centers of the Swiss watch industry.
Courvoisier – more than 200 years of watchmaking history
Courvoisier? No, this is not about the cognac of the same name, but about a Swiss family of watchmakers that can claim more than 200 years of watchmaking history and yet is hardly known. Don’t worry, we won’t work through the whole family tree here, but focus on a few family members.
