Rode

Rode Watch Co. was an American clock and watch manufacturer known for alarm clocks. The company was located in La Chaux-de-Fonds from 1908.

The Rode Watch Company of New York was registered in the State of New York on August 14, 1903 with its office on Maiden Lane in New York City. On September 1 Rode established a branch in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland to manufacture, purchase, and sell watches, movements, and watch cases, as well as patents related to watches, movements, and watch cases. It was a simple business founded with $15,000 share capital. The Swiss branch was managed Charles Rode-Stucky of La Chaux-de-Fonds from an office at Rue Jaquet Droz 47.

Charles-Albert Rode-Stucky was born in La Chaux-de-Fonds and had already established his own watchmaking firm at Rue Léopold-Robert 61 by December, 1900. Rode-Stucky registered the "RWC" brand and logo on August 31, 1903, even before the Rode Watch Company was established. He cancelled his namesake firm in January 1904 following the establishment of an official branch of the New York firm, transferring his brand registrations to the parent company in March 1908.

The company quickly registered the Chronosentry, R. W. Co, Rode, HW, Sterling, and Fix Fixe brands in July 1904. Rode produced 9.5, 11, 13, 17, and 19 ligne movements, including alarm watches. The company offered both negative setting (for American) and positive setting (for Europe) movements. Rode boasted "unbreakable glass" with a patented "double clinched" bezel for waterproofing. In January 1910 the company registered the Avia brand. This brand would continue after World War II in the hands of Degoumois of Neuchâtel.

Charles Rode-Stucky was removed as director of the La Chaux-de-Fonds branch in March 1908, replaced by Willard Hayden Wheeler, who had arrived in the city from New York. Rode-Stucky soon moved to Petit-Saconnex in Geneva and established a new firm there in his own name, Rode-Stucky et Cie. French citizen Joseph-Alfred Fournier came in as a minority partner with an investment of 10,000 francs. The company was located at Rue de St-Jean 80. The firm used the Rode S brand by 1922.

Rode moved to the complex known as the Montbrillant Watch Manufactory alongside Breitling in 1913. Rode replaced the well-known firm of Couleru-Meuri, which had occupied Montbrillant 1 since 1894. Rode's space at the factory was taken over by Sonex/Darax, a joint venture of Eugene Meylan and Henri Jeanneret in 1918 and both Avia and Sonex would later become part of Degoumois & Co. of Neuchâtel. In 1918 Rode registered a new brand, Savetime.

Rode was facing financial difficulties and needed to move from the Montbrillant factory. It temporarily relocated to Rue Bois-Gentil 9 but saw opportunity in the struggles of another famous La Chaux-de-Fonds company. In 1920 Rode purchased the former factory of Girard-Perregaux in La Chaux-de-Fonds as that company tried to raise capital, but Rode itself was facing the threat of bankruptcy the following year.

Rode moved to Rue Régionaux 11 in 1924 along with J. Blum-Schwob & Cie. and Z. Perrenoud & Co. In 1927, famed watchmaker Girard-Perregaux & Cie S.A. moved in at the same address.

The Swiss government forced the La Chaux-de-Fonds branch of the Rode Watch Company to close in September 1928 according to Registry of Commerce regulations.