Arthur Aubry-Gostely
Arthur Aubry-Gostely was a watchmaker and businessman in La Chaux-de-Fonds in the first half of the 20th century.
Arthur-François "Arthur" Aubry was born about 1891 in Muriaux, the sixth child of inventor and watchmaker Irénée Aubry.
Arthur's older brother, Francis, formed a watchmaking company, F. Aubry-Schaltenbrand, in 1911, hiring Arthur as a manager in 1917. But the company failed in the financial bust after World War I, closing in 1920.
On August 5, 1920, Arthur Aubry married Marguerite-Agnès Gostely (born about 1899) and took the alliance name Aubry-Gostely. Her name was spelled "Gosteli" in the announcement but was consistently listed as Gostely later. A daughter, Claudine-Emma Aubry, was born in April 1926. Their children likely include Huguette Aubry, Madame Paul Magnin-Aubry, Madame Jacques Voïta-Aubry, and Pierre Aubry-Kirchhof.
A. Aubry-Gostely
In March 1920, Arthur opened his own namesake watchmaking firm at Rue Jaquet-Droz 39 in La Chaux-de-Fonds in March 1920, just as his brother's firm was failing. He had registered three patents earlier that year. The company adopted the name Montres Brigos in May 1921.
In December 1924 the company was renamed again, becoming Aubry-Gostely, Succ. de Gindrat-Delachaux et Co. The company was now located at Rue de la Paix 87. The company used the brand names Observator, Huitaine, and Rama. Arthur's wife Marguerite joined management the following July.
The company failed and was closed in December 1933.
Brigos SA
In March 1934, a new company called Brigos SA was incorporated with Marguerite Aubry-Gostely as manager. Arthur Aubry-Gostely became administrator in March 1936. Brigos took over the Observator and Rama brands in 1944 and registered BGS as well.
Pierre Aubry joined management from 1963 through 1972. The company was liquidated in 1975.
Arthur Aubry-Gostely died December 28, 1984 at the age of 93. His wife Marguerite (née Gostely) died June 2, 1990 at the age of 91.