Hebdomas – a look into the watch movement

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.

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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.

Pocket watch S. Froidevaux, around 1900

Just a few months later, in January 1899, the company registered its two first trademarks, two interlocking gear segments and VORWÄRTS (Forward):

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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.

Pocket watch with Hamilton 12 size Model 1 Grade 900
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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.

Pocket watch Régulateur Français from V. Anguenot
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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.

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