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WATCH
ERNEST BOREL
ARABESQUE
CA. 1970
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Very original Ernest Borel ladies' watch from the late 1970s.
Ernest Borel's history dates back to 1856 when Jules Borel began producing watches near Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Borel and his brother-in-law, Paul Courvoisier, founded the Borel & Courvoisier Company in 1859 and began exporting watches and clocks the following year. The company actively produced watches for the export market and placed first in a timing competition at the Neuchâtel Observatory in 1866. In 1876, Ernest Borel won prizes in Philadelphia and Paris, indicating their willingness to focus primarily on export.
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Ernest, the son of Jules Borel, took over the company in 1894 and renamed it Ernest Borel & Cie in 1898. In 1903, Ernest Borel began selling watches in China, opening a major market for the brand. Jean-Louis Borel succeeded his father in 1936. Until the revolution of 1949, Borel will concentrate mainly on the Chinese market.
With the closure of China, Ernest Borel returned to Europe and entered the USA in the 1950s. The company experimented with the "incastar" balance system in ETA movements, but also produced watches with more ordinary ETA and FHF movements at this time. Many were chronometers, with Borel producing 4,172 COSC-certified watches at the time.
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The company was run by the Borel family until 1975, when, due to the "Quartz crisis" affecting the entire Swiss watch industry, it was sold and became part of the Synchron group, which also included Cyma and Doxa.
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This is a rare version of the Neuchâtel brand, with a superb and unusual arabesque chased finish.
The gold-plated case contrasts with the chocolate dial with indexes and hands typical of the late 70s. Its original crown features the Synchron logo, synchronizing the strengths of the watchmaking group.
The set is a rarity and in beautiful condition for its age.