Eberhard & Co.

Eberhard & Co is a Swiss watch manufacturer.

Eberhard et Rosselet

Henri Rosselet (1862-1901) of Douanne and Georges Eberhard (1865-1926) of Jegenstorf (in Canton Berne) founded a watchmaking firm known as Eberhard et Rosselet on July 1, 1887. The company was located at Rue Léopold Robert 16 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, but moved to a new location, Demoiselle 71, less than 2 years later. This was later noted to be Henri Rosselet's home address, though his business moved to Léopold-Robert 82 by 1894.

Eberhard & Rosselet were awarded an early patent on March 23, 1888, number 2231, for "boîtes et mouvemenents de montres", with another patent, number 2702, awarded June 28, 1890 with the same description. Patent 2702 was transferred to Eberhard & Co. on September 19, 1896 as patent 7761. This may have protected the keyless time setting system known to have been produced since 1894.

Georges Eberhard was called a "self-made man" and was known for his industriousness and dedication to work. His partner (and brother in law) Henri Rosselet split from Georges just 5 years after founding the company and soon faced bankruptcy of his own firm. He died in a "work house" in Manchester, England at just 39 years of age.

Georges-Lucien Eberhard was born on May 19, 1865, starting the company at just 22 years of age, and died at 61 on May 21 or 22, 1926. Georges Eberhard married Marie-Mathilde Rosselet by 1890, likely the sister of his partner Henri Rosselet. Their daughter Hélène born in August of 1890. His sons followed: Georges-Emile was born in 1894 and Maurice William came in 1900. Before the turn of the century, George Eberhard's name is variously written as Æberhard, Aeberhard, or Eberhardt, and he sometimes also took the alliance name of Eberhard-Rosselet. Strangely, Georges Eberhard the elder is specifically called Georges-Emile after the turn of the century but Georges-Lucien on the birth announcements for his children.

Henri Rosselet had a short and difficult life. Originally from Douanne-Daucher, a small town along the lake in Canton Berne, he joined Georges Eberhard in founding Eberhard et Rosselet in 1887 when he was 25 years old, and found initial success. He married Mathilde-Clara Dubois of Neuchâtel in 1891, with the family taking her famous watchmaking name to become Rosselet-Dubois formally. The pair moved to Demoiselle 27 by 1892 and had a daughter, Jeanne-Mathilde, that year. But the firm of Eberhard et Rosselet also split by 1892, with Henri establishing his own short-lived watchmaking firm, which failed two years later. Henri and Mathilde-Clara filed for a divorce in 1894 and this was granted the following year. Henri Rosselet died on May 12, 1901 at 39 years of age at the Union Workhouse in Withington (Manchester), England. His estate was liquidated in 1902.

Eberhard & Co.

The firm of Eberhard et Cie. was founded on January 1, 1892, and was still located at Demoiselle 71. The firm was owned by Georges Eberhard with Bertrand Eberhard as a limited partner. It moved to Rue Léopold-Robert 32 by 1894 and was later commonly called Eberhard & Co. Bertrand Eberhard retired from the firm in January 1904 and was replaced by Robert Eberhard.

Eberhard & Co. established their landmark factory at Léopold-Robert 73 in 1906. Designed by architect Léon Biollot for the company, the building features a turret and dome topped by an eagle. It was also home to Fabrique d'Horlogerie Louis Audemars, another firm managed by Georges Eberhard and not to be confused with the famous Le Brassus watchmaker of nearly the same name. This firm was founded on June 28, 1899 by Eberhard and Arnold Weber of Menziken but was reduced in scope on December 18, 1905 when Weber left and was closed on December 12, 1912.

The company legally added the names Fabrique Audax and The National Watch Manufactory in 1907 suggesting that the large new factory might have used one of these names. Other brands at this time included Explorateur/Explorador and Teleos. Robert Eberhard was replaced by his son Georges-Emile Eberhard as director in 1914. Jules-Robert Chatelain and Edmond-Henri-Guillaume Gentil also joined the firm at this time, though the latter retired in November of the following year. The Fabrique Audax name was removed in 1916.

Early innovations from Eberhard included a novel crown-based setting system produced since 1894 and likely patented previously by Eberhard et Rosselet. In 1906 the firm produced a jump hour and minute chronograph based on a 1905 patent by Adamir Sandoz-Boucherin, number 33814.

In April 1918 the firm of Eberhard et Cie, National Watch Manufactury was dissolved, becoming Comptoir Général de Vente de la Montre Roskopf S. A. Vve Chs Léon Schmidt et Cie. This company took over all of the previous Eberhard brands, including National Watch, Teleos, Labor, Audax, Saphir, and more.

Eberhard et Cie

A new company called Eberhard et Cie was registered on June 26, 1919 as Eberhard & Cie., with Georges-Emile Eberhard (the elder) and Robert Châtelain of Tramelan as managers. George's widow Marie-Mathilde Eberhard-Rosselet took ownership of the firm from his death in 1926 through her own death on November 17, 1936.

In 1919, Eberhard launched an advanced single-button wrist chronograph. A novel chronograph with near-rattrapante mechanism was introduced in 1935, and a true two-hand rattrapante came in 1939.

The "Calotte Patrouille" (convex case) offered water and moisture protection and was protected by Swiss patent 89,276 in 1921.

Georges-Emile Eberhard (the younger) died by April 1942, with his position at the firm taken over by Bluette-Olga Eberhard (née Schorn), wife of his brother Maurice Eberhard. Robert Châtelain, production manager for the company, also died that year.

Primarily precision watches and chronographs are produced. Already in 1919 the first wrist chronograph is presented.

In 1935 an innovative stop watch with two pushers is developed, which allows start and stop without reset. In 1938, the first wrist chronograph with hour counter is presented.

In the 1930s, the precise Eberhard watches are worn by officers of the Italian Navy.

Towards the end of the 1950s the first model of the series Extra-fort is brought on the market. Here the second counter is accomplished by a single slider.

In 1984 the model "Chronomaster" is published in cooperation with the Italian aerobatic aviation team "Frecce Tricolori". In 1987, at the 100th anniversary of the brand, the collection "Navymaster" is presented.

In 1992 Eberhard & Co., in honor of the Italian racing idol Tazio Nuvolari, brings a chronograph specially dedicated to him on the market. On the basis of this model later an entire collection is created.

In recent years, Eberhard & Co. gained awareness especially by a watch with eight-day movement and by chronographs with a patented 4-row counter display.

The brand, which since long has its headquarters in the well-known watchmaking town Biel, enjoys a great popularity especially in Italy. It is now also working hard to increase its visibility in other countries.

Eberhard moved to Bienne in 1978, abandoning its landmark La Chaux-de-Fonds headquarters. The company would return to the same building in 2018.

Address

Eberhard & Co SA
Rue du Manège 5
Case postale 3509
2500 Biel 3

Tel. 032 / 342 51 41
Fax 032 / 341 02 94

Weblinks

• Eberhard & Co SA
• The search for the perfect chronograph: Eberhard Pre-Extrafort