Ernest Künzli

Ernest Künzli (1857-1921) was an industrialist primarily remembered for the ebauche factory he founded in Court, Hänni & Künzli.

Ancestors

The Künzli family was active in watchmaking in the second half of the 19th century. Ed. Künzli is listed as a maker of watch pinions in Savagnier in the Val-de-Ruz in 1869, and also ran the community hotel. The widow Droz partnered with a Künzli in Renan in the Vallon de Saint-Imier to produce watches in 1874, and Marie Kunzli (later Bonjour-Künzli) is listed as a maker of raquettes in Dombresson in the Val-de-Ruz in 1882.

M. Künzli & Fils advertises as a maker of ebauches like Ernest Künzli in 1887, with a factory in Malleray and representatives in Bienne (Henri Hilty-Wolf) and La Chaux-de-Fonds (Arnold Matthey).

The firm of Maître, Fréne & Künzli appeared in Moutier by 1889 producing and finishing ebauches. This was founded by Emile Maître, Hippolyte Frêne, and Léon Künzli, about whom vert little is known. Perhaps Léon was a brother of Ernest Künzli or perhaps they were the same person. The organization was successful, as La Fédération Horlogère reported in November 1890 that a new ebauche factory in Delémont started production with their tools. The article continued, mentioning a new ebauche factory in Tavannes (likely Henri Sandoz' Tavannes Watch factory) and another in Tramelan (perhaps Nicolet or A. Reymond). The firm of Maître, Frêne & Künzli in Moutier continued until Emile Maître's death in 1891.

Biography

Ernest Künzli was born in 1857 in Malleray, where he spent his youth and completed an apprenticeship in ebauche production.

Künzli married Bertha Thalmann, daughter of a prominent watch merchant, which connected him to the Jeanneret family of Saint-Imier. He moved to the town to work in the factory of his father-in-law, Fritz Thalmann, following his marriage. He would have known the three sons of Jules-Frédéric Jeanneret, Albert, Henri, and Constant and their collaborator Fritz Moeri quite well, and Albert Jeanneret and Fritz Moeri were his brothers in law after marrying daughters of Thalmann.

In 1885 Ernest Künzli returned to Malleray to run a workshop for the manufacture of ebauches for his father in law.

A few years later, the authorities in Court invited him to move his workshop to their village. He joined forces with Arnold Hänni to found the factory Hänni & Künzli there. The partners were successful and this factory became prosperous and a driver of the economy in the village. In 1892 prominent La Chaux-de-Fonds watchmaker Rénold Kocher joined this business.

In 1891 La Fédération Horlogère claims that Hänni & Künzli would purchase the former factory of Léon Schmidt in La Chaux-de-Fonds to produce Roskopf movements.

In 1897, Künzli left the association to focus on the trade of complete watches before moving to Neuveville to found a watchmaking supplies factory there. By World War I Künzli was nearing the end of his career and sold this factory at the start of the war.

Ernest Künzli died on November 8, 1921, in Neuveville. He was survived by his widow, Bertha Künzli-Thalmann.

Family

• Ernest Künzli (1857-November 8, 1921) married Bertha Thalmann (died after 1921)
  • Olga Künzli
    • Roland
    • Madeline
  • ? Künzli married Georges Capitaine
    • Simone Capitaine-Künzli