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Stephen Foskett, Publisher

Stephen Foskett is a wristwatch enthusiast, historian, and writer. He founded and publishes Grail Watch and the sister site, Grail Watch Reference. He is also a contributing editor for Watch Wiki and a contributing writer for Europa Star.

Eugène Meylan, Glycine, and the Fight Over the First Automatic Watch

July 19, 2021 By Stephen Leave a Comment

What was the first automatic watch? English inventor John Harwood certainly deserves credit, and his unusual design was produced in some volume by A. Schild, Fortis, and Blancpain starting in 1926. And Leon Leroy produced a few “perpetual” watches a few years earlier. But one watch that stands out among the many self-winding watches released following the expiration of Harwood’s patent in 1931: Eugène Meylan’s automatic winding module, produced in volume by Glycine and Pretto, was the first practical and widely-produced automatic winding mechanism. And the man behind it has a fascinating story of invention, entrepreneurialism, and dedication with a truly heartbreaking ending.

Filed Under: History, The Watch Files Tagged With: Altus, ASUAG, automatic, Bienne, Eugène Meylan, Gigantic, Glycine, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Montbrillant Watch Manufactory, Mulco

How I Uncovered Mulfi, Dulfi, and Henri Müller

June 25, 2021 By Stephen 3 Comments

I hope that this somewhat-pointless research project into Dulfi, Mulfi, and Henri Müller helps illustrate my approach to learning about the history of the watch industry and my reliance on primary sources for information. We can trace the foundation of Henri Müller & Fils with confidence and can definitely know the dates of establishment of Mulfi and Dulfi. We even have some images of ads and watches that came along the way.

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Breitling, Collectors Table, Delba, Dulfi, Europa Star, Fred S. Mandelbaum, Georges Caspari, Gigandet, Henri Müller, Indicateur Davoine, La Chaux-de-Fonds, La Fédération Horlogère, Montbrillant Watch Manufactory, Mulfi

How the Chronograph Became the “It” Watch Complication

June 23, 2021 By Stephen 2 Comments

Chronographs are so popular that cheap fashion watches today often feature bogus subdials with non-functional hands and pushers. But once upon a time, a chronograph was a simple tool seen more as an advanced stopwatch than a true complication. What was once a utilitarian tool for soldiers became an upscale choice for doctors, then an iconoclast choice for young people, and now a sign of fine watchmaking.

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Breitling, Breitling Chronomat, Chronograph, Daniel Roth, Europa Star, Excelsior Park, IWC Da Vinci, Leonidas, Martel, Nathan Weil, Patek Philippe

The Entire Industry Invented the Automatic Chronograph

May 13, 2021 By Stephen 1 Comment

Automatic watches were hot in the 1950s, and chronographs were cool in the 1960s. But bringing these technologies together was not at all straightforward! Three different automatic chronograph movements were launched in 1969, and the story of their creation reflects the state of the industry at that time as well as the inevitability of technological progress.

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Breitling, Buren, Chronomatic, Dubois Dépraz, Heinrich Stamm, Heuer, High-Beat, Martel, micro-rotor, Seiko, Speed Timer, Zenith, Zenith El Primero

What Does “Montbrillant” Mean to Breitling?

May 5, 2021 By Stephen Leave a Comment

What exactly does “Montbrillant” mean? Although the word has been associated with Breitling for over a century, the answer might surprise you! Montbrillant is not a person or even a place, really. It’s an idea, and represents brilliant marketing a century in the making!

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Breitling, Couleru-Meuri, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Léon Breitling, Octo, Saint-Imier

The Forgotten History of Jaquet-Droz, Switzerland’s Shared Watch Brand

April 22, 2021 By Stephen Leave a Comment

The name “Jaquet Droz” has had many different meanings since the birth of Pierre Jaquet-Droz 300 years ago. For two decades after its formation in 1961, the Coopérative de Fabricants Suisses d’Horlogerie and SAH were leading producers of Swiss watches, commanding a double-digit share of exports and revenue. Was this a success or a failure? And why does the modern haute horology company consistently skip any mention of this history?

Filed Under: History, The Watch Files Tagged With: Bienne, Breguet, Ebauches SA, etablisseur, Investcorp, Jaquet-Droz, Neuchâtel, Pierre Jaquet-Droz, SAH, Swatch Group, Swissonic

What is Haute Horology?

April 15, 2021 By Stephen 3 Comments

The world of watchmaking has many aspects, from marketing to production to design to art, and companies have a mixed mastery of each. But something magical happens when it all comes together, and expresses the highest level of watchmaking. These pieces inspire and delight, rising above the simple function of time-telling or even product. To me, this is the essence of haute horology!

Filed Under: Commentary Tagged With: design, Greubel Forsey, Greubel Forsey GMT, H. Moser & Cie., H. Moser & Cie. Swiss Alp Watch, Haute horology, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Jaeger-LeCoultre Duomètre, Jaeger-LeCoultre Duomètre a Chronographe, marketing, Philippe Dufour, Philippe Dufour Simplicity, Rolex Cellini Prince

What Is the True History of A. Lange & Söhne?

March 23, 2021 By Stephen Leave a Comment

On October 24, 1994, Walter Lange introduced the first watches to bear the A. Lange & Söhne name in nearly 50 years. Once the top name in complicated pocket watches, the famous Glashütte watch brand was destroyed by allied bombs on the last day of the war in Europe and disappeared behind the iron curtain. Now, with the help of Günter Blümlein and IWC, A. Lange & Söhne has returned to its place at the height of the watch market. But there is also a dark past that has not been widely told.

Filed Under: History Tagged With: A. Lange & Söhne, Germany, Glashütte, GUB, Günter Blümlein, IWC, LMH, Richemont, Walter Lange, World War II

Blancpain, F. Piguet, Biver, and the Path Forward

March 16, 2021 By Stephen Leave a Comment

Blancpain is billed as “the world’s oldest watchmaker”, but the history of the company is far more complex. Founded before 1735 in Villeret, the modern Blancpain traces its heritage to 1981, when Jean-Claude Biver purchased the name to be a mechanical rebuke of quartz watches. Blancpain and movement specialist Frédéric Piguet would be acquired by what is now the Swatch Group in 1992, with Biver leading the renaissance of mechanical watchmaking.

Filed Under: History, The Watch Files Tagged With: Blancpain, Edmond Capt, Europa Star, Frédéric Piguet, Harwood, Jean-Claude Biver, Le Brassus, Lemania, Moeris, Nicolas Hayek, Omega, Rayville, SMH, SSIH, Swatch Group, Villeret

The Fall and Rise of Zenith, 1969-1988

March 3, 2021 By Stephen Leave a Comment

Zenith was “the first manufacture”, one of the greatest watch companies in Switzerland, and the economic force behind Le Locle. Then it was purchased by an American electronics company and ordered to destroy its mechanical watchmaking assets. This is the story of the mighty Zenith, brought low, and returning thanks to a machine tools baron, a humble watchmaker, and two other famous brands.

Filed Under: History, The Watch Files Tagged With: Charles Vermot, Chronomatic, Dixi, Ebel, El Primero, Georges Favre-Jacot, H. Moser & Cie., Le Locle, LVMH, Martel, Movado, Paul Buhré, Paul Castella, quartz, Rolex, Rolex Daytona, Tissot, Zenith, Zenith Defy, Zenith El Primero

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