Grail Watch

The search for the grail is the search for illumination

  • Grail Watch Reference
  • The Watch Files Podcast
  • History
  • Commentary
    • Grails
    • Reviews
  • Collection
    • Watch A Day
    • My Watch Collection
  • Reference Materials
    • Watch Brand and Model Pages
    • Reference Database
    • Primary Sources
  • About Grail Watch
  • Email
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2022 · Log in

The Rise and Fall of Leonidas and the Beau-Site Factory

April 5, 2022 By Stephen 2 Comments

Leonidas is a familiar name to chronograph aficionados, but the history of the company is long and interesting, dating back to 1841 and connecting two great names in Swiss watchmaking, Bourquin and Jeanneret, and the company was linked to both Heuer and Berna.

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Beau-Site, Berna, Charles Jeanneret, Chronograph, Constant Jeanneret-Droz, Ferdinand Bourquin, Julien Bourquin, Junior, Leonidas, Saint-Imier, Stopwatch

Excelsior Park: Usine du Parc, Saint-Imier

October 7, 2021 By Stephen Leave a Comment

Industrialization of watchmaking came to Switzerland in the late 19th century and is embodied by the huge Longines factory on the Suze river in Saint-Imier. But steam power came first, enabling the construction of factories across Europe and the United States, including Usine du Parc, home and namesake of Excelsior Park. This is the story of the rise and fall of steam power in Saint-Imier and the exceptional stopwatches made there. It is also the story of the end of steam and of the Excelsior Park factory, and the reasons for its failure.

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Albert Jeanneret, Chronograph, Excelsior Park, Fritz Moeri, Gallet, Henri Jeanneret-Brehm, Jules-Frédéric Jeanneret, Moeris, Saint-Imier, Stopwatch

Latest Posts

Is The Naked Frederique Constant Perpetual a Hit or Miss?

The Neo-Classical Watches of Naoya Hida

What is a Lépine Watch Movement?

Bulova Accutron, the Watch of the 1960s

The Rise and Fall of Leonidas and the Beau-Site Factory

Droz and Degoumois: Berna Watch Factory

From Atelier to Factory: Usine Centrale, Saint-Imier

Is Longines the World’s Oldest Watch Brand?

The Rise of Mass-Produced Watches at Les Longines, Saint-Imier

Auguste Fiedler, Master of Modernist Watch Advertising

About

About Grail Watch

Favorite Sites

  • The Watch Files Podcast
  • Watch Wiki
  • Europa Star
  • The Naked Watchmaker
  • Perezcope
  • ScrewDownCrown
  • Lugs and Lume
  • Horolonomics
  • Le Monde Edmond
  • Plus9Time
  • Reddit /r/Watches
  • Seiko & Citizen Watch Forum
  • The Watch Lounge
  • WatchBase
  • Watches by SJX
Posting....