Vacheron Constantin – is a brand of Swiss watches with a long history. Brand products are considered among the most prestigious, wealthy and expensive. Creator of Jacques-Marc Vacheron lived at a time when the government was shaken by internecine conflicts between Swiss provinces and cities. The situation has changed for better in 18th century along with the active development of the industry. The main areas of development were cotton, silk and watchmaking. Unlike other areas, the Swiss watchmaking never occurred to decline. It is worth noting that the watchmakers guild was established in Geneva in the 16th century, and the 18th in it, there were about 800 watchmakers. Terms of insane competition forced Jean-Marc constantly improve the performance of its products. In 1770, the year he launched his first watches «complication», which was complicated by the standard clock mechanism.
Monthly Archives: July 2015
IWC Schaffhausen. Trough the IWC workshop windows slowly flowing waters of the Rhine – the great river is getting ready to a few kilometers downstream reveal all its power and overthrow the roar and clatter from the rocky ledges the world-famous Rhine Falls. It was here more than 140 years ago, began the history of IWC, which continues to this day.
At the age of 27 years, an American engineer and watchmaker Florentine Ariosto Jones was appointed to the post of deputy director and head of production in the company E. Howard Watch and Clock Co. in Boston, the leading American company for the production of watches on that times. While many people were looking for happiness in the West, Jones went in the opposite direction. He decided to move to the other side of the Atlantic – in Switzerland, where wages are still relatively low. Jones had planned to combine excellence of Swiss watchmakers, advanced engineering technology of the New World and its innovative spirit in order to set up production of high quality watches for the American market.
In far 1865, in the town of Le Locle 22-year-old George Feb-Jacot founded a small workshop for making watches mechanism. Its main goal was to create the best value pocket watches. Starting very early to take advantage of automation, George led his American-style enterprise. And so he decided to bet on the production of watches using machines. Until 1911, the business of Georges Faivre-Jaco had no name, and only that year proliferating all over the enterprise acquired its name «Zenith SA». Since the beginning of the 1st World War «Zenith SA» are increasingly engaged in the watches manufacture.
Oddly enough, but the history of the original Bovet Swiss watches had begun in China. In the 19th century a young businessman Edward Beauvais in Guangzhou founded a company to produce watches. Edward himself a native of Switzerland, and that’s where exactly he returned a few years later. Watches Bovet still considered an integral part of Chinese history, for a long time the master of this collection was kept in the imperial family of China. Of course, in the early 20th century imperial palaces were looted and there are still remnants of the collection from different owners. Let’s look a little closer to Bovet’s history.
The history of Bovet is very unusual, since there are two dates of foundation. First time the company was opened in 1920, by brothers in the town of Beauvais Canton. Edward Bove returned to his homeland in 1940, and this year is the year of the official foundation of Bovet timepieces, and he moved all the production to Fleurier in Switzerland.
Omega Seamaster is a signature of Omega, the brand which associates with ambitions, strength and power. During one hundred fifty years this firm had earned many prestigious awards, had been chosen for Olympic Video Games as the official brand, and also happened to be chosen by NASA as a reliable time keeper. And also Omega Seamaster had become very beloved by James Bond, agent of the international arm of the British Secret Service who remained faithful to this timepiece for more than ten years and owns his life to Seamaster.
There are five main collections of Omega: De Ville, Specialities, Constellation, Seamaster and Speedmaster. Recently brand has celebrated 160th anniversary of Constellation collection. On this occasion the company Omega released a couple of new models. In this collection were used gold (pink or yellow) and diamonds.
The name Omega was first used in 1894, but the history of the brand began much earlier. Louis Brandt (founder of Omega) has opened his first workshop in 1848. His business was then continued by his sons. Years passed, production gradually increased. Later his watchmaker workshop was called «Louis Brandt & Frere», passed from hand-made parts for the clock to the semi-automatic. In 6 years in Paris exhibition, Omega received a Grand prix for an incredible line, which were presented exclusive watches Greek Temple of pure gold. Since that moment Omega wristwatch get decent awards at different watch exhibitions and shows, becoming the Official Timekeeper of the Olympic Games and NASA. So let’s look closer on how, why and when such a serious organization as NASA uses Omega watches exclusively and being so devoted to this brand. A lot of watch manufacturers like to talk much and brag about how their timepieces will work under water and how hard atmospheric pressure should be to ruin them.