-
WATCH
ERNEST BOREL
"DISCO VOLANTE
CA. 1960
-
-
Ernest Borel's history can be traced back to 1856, when Jules Borel began producing watches near Neuchâtel in 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 came first in an 1866 Neuchâtel Observatory timekeeping competition. In 1876, Ernest Borel won prizes in Philadelphia and Paris, indicating their willingness to focus primarily on exports.
-
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 United States in the 1950s. The company experimented with the "incastar" balance system in ETA movements, but also produced watches with ordinary ETA and FHFplus movements at this time. Many were chronometers, with Borel producing 4,172 COSC-certified watches at that time.
Here's a superb piece by Ernest Borel, the "Discovolante" type.
Classic styling with finishing details that make it far less lambda.
Its steel case is scalloped all around, with polished edges and chamfers that give it contrast and volume.
The dial also features four brushed steel paving stones on a concentric silver/champagne background.
The polished base is engraved with the brand's typical logo featuring the dancing couple.
It is driven by a Swiss-made hand-wound mechanism.
A timeless design that's surprisingly modern even today.
-