!8: Saving Geneva Quartz: December 2011

!±8± Ebel and Baume & Mercier Reflect a Pride in Swiss Watch Making

Having been awarded a gold medal during the Swiss National Exhibition, helped to propel Eugene and Alice Blum into the rarified air of fine Swiss watch makers. The successful husband and wife team started their modest little company in nineteen hundred eleven and introduced their first watch design in nineteen hundred twelve.

Winning the gold medal at the exhibition in Bern, Switzerland was to be only the first of many honors bestowed on the Blum family for focusing on their vision of producing watches of precision combined with stylish and unique designs. Additional honors granted to Ebel included diplomas of honor at exhibitions in Brussels, Barcelona and Paris. Now in the watch business for close to ninety years, the Ebel Watch Company retains a reputation for producing some of the finest watches in the word.

In spite of achieving many successes during the early years, the Ebel name was not very well known outside of Europe. This changed in the mid nineteen twenties, Ebel began to manufacture watches for such well known names as Vacheron and Constantin and Ebel entered the North American market with the Paul Breguette name. During the of World War Two Ebel began manufacturing watches for the British Royal Air Force.

Then in nineteen sixty nine the grandson of founders Alice and Eugene Blum, Pierre-Alain Blum became in indispensable part of Ebels future and continued the Ebel tradition of producing fine watches of classic design craftmanship. Pierre-Alain helped Ebel survive during the topsy turvy period of the late nineteen sixties and nineteen seventies when the use of quartz crystal in watch movements became an almost overnight industry standard. The end of the twentieth century saw not only the creation of new designs but an effort to not lose the connection with the classic art design that initially made Ebel the toast of the watch making world.

Baume & Mercier Swiss Watches

Reflecting the quality and craftsmanship this is found in Swiss timepieces, Baume & Mercier have established a reputation that places it near the top of the list of the worlds finest watches. Started by the Baume family in eighteen thirty, the company quickly became known for producing a line a of quality pocket watches.

In nineteen twelve, jewel retailer and watchmaker Paul Mercier met William Baume in Geneva, Switzerland. That fateful meeting led to the creation of the Baume & Mercier in nineteen eighteen and the headquarters was established in Geneva. By then the demand for individual timepieces shifted from the traditional pocket watch to the wristwatch and Baume & Mercier quickly became a force in the marketplace, winning several major awards for accuracy and precision.

The visionary nature of Baume & Mercier designs is reflected in the distinctive psi logo which, to many, came to represent the intelligence that went into designing these unique watches. Now famous for its precision chronograph watches and elegant fashion pieces. Far from inexpensive, Baume & Mercier watches can range from one thousand to over ten thousand dollars for a current model with rare and vintage watches going for several times that. These stylish watches appeal to those buyers who desire to own a distinctive timepiece with all of the history that comes from one of the oldest watch making families in Europe.

As with many watch manufacturers utilizing traditional flywheel designs, the production of Baume & Mercier watches suffered during the time of the nineteen sixties and nineteen seventies. This was the time of a revolution in watch making that saw the rise of quartz crystal technology integrated with microelectronics. Through a series of ownership changes Baume & Mercier is now part of the Cartier group and the famous brand lives on.