Borel & Courvoisier, Chavin Fils & Prost | pocket watches

Borel & Courvoisier

Their “Genre Espagne” Pocket Watches

**A horological dynasty: from établissage to industry**

Foundation and early years

Establishment comptoir, high-precision chronometry, and commercial dynamism in the Spanish market during the second half of the 19th century.

The activity of this house—Genevan in origin but permanently rooted in Neuchâtel—dates back to January 1859. Founded under the business name «Borel et Courvoisier, Neuchâtel (Suisse). Fabricants d’horlogerie en tous genres», the company was established by Jules-Alphonse Borel-Petitjaquet (1832–1898) and Paul Courvoisier (1834–1892), who had taken over the watchmaking business of Henri Reynier fils. In 1863, Jules married Sophie Augusta Courvoisier, Paul‘s sister, thus uniting watchmaking and blood ties.

The beginnings were modest, and the first directors were not afraid to declare themselves novices. However, they possessed a thorough awareness of the requirements of the trade and the soon-to-be-justified ambition to satisfy them. Borel et Courvoisier selected the finest suppliers: ebauches from Fontainemelon, balance wheels from Plancemont, escapement setups entrusted to artisans in Buttes, Les Bayards, La Côte-aux-Fées, or Couvet, and balance springs from Le Locle. Cases, for example, were ordered from La Neuveville and dials from Geneva. The Borel et Courvoisier comptoir could count on the collaboration of the era’s finest watchmakers: Girard-Perregaux, Du Boy and Leroy from Le Locle, and the Aubert brothers from Le Sentier.

Very early on, the firm adopted a resolutely international orientation: as early as 1860–1861, its productions were already exported to Hamburg, Genoa, London, the United States, and South America, confirming a global commercial strategy from its first years of existence. In its beginnings, the house of Borel & Courvoisier benefited from the strategic support of capital and technical know-how from Ferdinand Richard and his sons, as well as the collaboration of Édouard Barbezat, who was associated with the company until his official retirement in 1885.

Antique Borel & Courvoisier pocket watch No. 6436, circa 1860, fitted with a Victorian-era silvered dial in «Genre Espagne» style. The center of the composition is occupied by small gilded forms of varied colors and textures, stamped in micro-relief, forming a floral motif that stands out against a finely stippled silver background engraved with a burin. The circular hour ring displays Roman numerals hand-painted in lampblack. The inter-hour spaces between the numerals are fully engraved with a burin depicting leaves and scrolls. The periphery is bordered by a floral garland of gilded forms in varied colors and textures, composed in micro-relief, harmonizing with the central motif. Finally, the dial features a network of radial striations stamped on its peripheral border, as well as regular concave beads marking the minutes. Blackened steel hands in «Poire Stuart» style complete this exceptional piece. The movement, representative of one of the earliest expressions of the «Genre Espagne» style, reflects an architecture marked by the influence of English calibers of the same period. It is a three-quarter plate caliber richly hand-engraved, where the bridges feature deep scrollwork chasing. This construction, prioritizing mechanical stability, incorporates a cut bimetallic compensation balance with timing screws and a adjustment system via a regulator index, housed beneath a chased balance bridge. The signature «Borel & Courvoisier» and the indication «Neuchâtel» engraved on the plate, alongside its serial number, confirm the authenticity of this founding piece within the style's typology.

Advertisement for the firm Borel & Courvoisier published in the American Horological Journal in 1871. This document highlights their strategy for caliber standardization, ranging from 15 to 21 lines, designed to be interchangeable across various case types. The announcement also emphasizes their technical excellence, notably the use of the full ruby jewelled chronometer balance and the option for specific adjustment to positions and temperatures.

Commercial expansion and consolidation

Borel et Courvoisier, who in their early days apologized so courteously for the slightest imperfection detected in a cap jewel or balance spring, would grasp every aspect and all consequences of technical evolution. To cite just one example, they did not hesitate to adopt crown winding and contributed greatly to its dissemination.

The 1859 comptoir would become a model workshop, then a modern-style factory at La Maladière, where all control operations and laboratory testing ensured an impeccable finish.

Advancing in their industrial effort, the Neuchâtel manufacturers made parallel progress in foreign markets. As early as 1859, contacts were established in Hamburg, Genoa, and London. At the same time, relations were forged with Henry Droz and Lucien Morel in New York. However, it was primarily Leo Lesquereux, son of the famous botanist and geologist, who recognized and helped establish the value of Borel et Courvoisier watches in the United States.

In 1860, the firm shipped its first consignments to Uruguay. In 1867, they began prospecting Spain. Finally, Japan, China, and the Indies would offer the Neuchâtel firm a new and broader field for export. It registered its own trademark for China and supplied, in particular, grand luxury hunter-case watches, as well as gold jewelry watches featuring pearls and enamels.

Inscribed at the heart of the Jura system of bienfacture, the house embodied the model of the high-quality comptoir, combining the rigor of observatory timing competitions with great responsiveness to the technical transformations of the second half of the 19th century.

Production system: traditional établissage

Like the major manufactories of the period, the house of Borel & Courvoisier operated under the traditional and rigorous system of établissage. It relied on a network of specialized suppliers from the Neuchâtel Mountains and the Jura for the supply of ebauches and components, notably the firms of Fontainemelon, Mauler, or Ducommun. The finishing work—final assembly, adjustment, escapement, and fine tuning—was entrusted to highly qualified master watchmakers working at home. The entirety of this decentralized production was then monitored by a strict system of technical supervision managed by the house itself. This structure was reinforced starting in 1881 by Adamir Debrot, who became the central figure in production control and ensured the consistency and excellence of manufacturing for decades.

Strategy in Spain: commercial network and consolidation

While the United States represented the firm’s primary outlet, the year 1867 marked the starting point of a deep and lasting penetration into the Spanish market. This expansion was heavily structured by the commercial efforts of Jean Courvoisier, who undertook the prospecting of the Iberian Peninsula. His numerous travels and correspondence, preserved from Madrid, Barcelona, and Murcia, bear witness to the establishment of an organized and extensive distribution network, reaching major urban centers as well as secondary markets and wealthy bourgeois and rural clienteles. Spain thus became a strategic market, integrated into a framework of controlled and continuous export. Jean Courvoisier‘s commitment took a more institutional turn when he was called upon by Neuchâtel authorities, leading him to assume the direction of finances for the city of Neuchâtel in 1877.

Excellence in chronometry and international recognition The house distinguished itself very early through a constant pursuit of chronometric precision. It regularly participated in the activities of the Société des Sciences Naturelles de Neuchâtel and in the timing competition bulletins. As early as 1866, it obtained its first major recognition at the Neuchâtel Observatory competitions. Between 1875 and 1876, it confirmed its performance in timing competitions, subsequently earning a distinction at the Philadelphia International Exhibition in 1876. Pocket chronometer No. 34474 won a first prize in Neuchâtel, while the house also distinguished itself at the Geneva competition in 1880. Furthermore, it was awarded at major universal exhibitions: London (1862), Philadelphia (1876), Paris (1878, gold medal), and Chicago (1893). These successes directly reinforced its positioning in foreign markets, particularly in Spain.

Diversified production for the Iberian market The établissage registers reveal a diversified production intended notably for the Iberian market: high-quality hunter-case pocket watches (19 lines, lever escapement, thin construction), women’s gold watches (14 lines), cylinder watches in a more accessible segment (15 lines), and complication pieces including repeaters, chronographs, and split-seconds chronographs.

Technical innovation: the ASK system (1883) In the context of the transition from key winding to stem winding, the house adopted the patented ASK system by Alexandre Savoye-Keller in 1883. This mechanism allowed hand-setting via the crown by means of an external push-piece integrated into the case middle. This innovation played an important role in modernizing production and adapting to the requirements of international markets.

The lever chronometer No. 33810, manufactured by Borel et Courvoisier in Neuchâtel—described as a true masterpiece by the Observatory—ended the final day of testing with the same precision (1.2 seconds) as at the beginning. During the transition from the horizontal position to the suspended position, the variation was only 0.17 seconds, and for each degree of temperature increase, it lost only 0.03 seconds. Thus, this chronometer rendered invaluable services to physiology in the hands of the famous Neuchâtel scientist who owned it.

In January 1859, the house was founded under the business name Borel & Courvoisier. In 1894, Paul Courvoisier left the company; Ernest Borel, son of Jules Borel, joined the management, and the business name became Borel-Courvoisier. In 1898, following the death of Jules Borel, Ernest Borel assumed full direction of the company, which became Ernest Borel & Cie. This same period marked a profound technical modernization. In 1906, the company permanently established itself in the building at Rue Louis Favre No. 15 in Neuchâtel.

Global expansion and brand consolidation (1903–1927)

At the beginning of the 20th century, the company reinforced its expansion into non-European markets, particularly in Asia. As early as 1903, the presence in China marked the opening of a lasting commercial axis. In parallel, the brand identity was structured around a strong symbolic dimension, embodied by the famous «lovers dancing» logo originating from the late 19th century.

Restructuring and growth in the 20th century (1927–1997)

In 1927, Jean-Louis Borel joined the company. In 1936, he officially took the head of the firm and carried out an organizational restructuring, transforming the house into a joint-stock company: Ernest Borel & Cie, successeurs de Borel-Courvoisier, S.A. After World War II, the brand entered a phase of increased industrialization and chronometric recognition. Between 1945 and 1959, thousands of watches obtained C.O.S.C. certificates. This period was marked by the construction of a new factory in 1947. In the second half of the 20th century, the house further expanded its international presence, particularly in Asia. In 1997, it was restructured in La Chaux-de-Fonds.

Ernest Borel in the 21st century: tradition and innovation

In the 21st century, Ernest Borel pursues its activity by relying on its historical Neuchâtel heritage while adapting to the contemporary demands of the global market.

Currently, in 2018, Ernest Borel reached a decisive milestone in its corporate structure by integrating into the Citychamp Watch & Jewellery group as an indirect subsidiary. Faithful to its spirit of exploration and innovation, the house continues today to combine its extraordinary cultural heritage with cutting-edge watchmaking techniques, projecting itself into the future with the firm goal of continuing to write its legend in the global watch industry.

CHAVIN FILS & PROST

Their “Genre Espagne” Pocket Watches

Chavin Fils & Prost: Tradition and Heritage in Watchmaking of Morez

The industrial history of Morez is a chronicle of lineages that, from generation to generation, transformed the economic landscape of the French Jura. The Chavin saga is a fundamental example of this continuity, uniting the technical mastery of 18th-century enameling with the commercial and watchmaking expansion of the 19th century.

18k gold hunter-case pocket watch by Chavin Fils & Prost with movement No. 25700, circa 1875. On both outer covers, a central blue-enameled medallion is adorned with a cross set with diamonds or polychrome enameled details on foliage. The outer border surrounding the central medallion is decorated with chased motifs, including floral elements and stars. Victorian-era silvered dial in «Genre Espagne» style. The center of the composition is occupied by small gilded forms in varied colors and textures, stamped in micro-relief, forming a floral motif that stands out against a finely stippled silver background engraved with a burin. The circular hour ring displays Roman numerals hand-painted in lampblack. The inter-hour spaces between the numerals are fully engraved with a burin. Regular concave beads mark the minute track. The periphery is bordered by a floral garland of gilded forms in varied colors and textures, composed in micro-relief, harmonizing with the central motif. Finally, the dial features a network of radial striations stamped on its peripheral border. The small seconds sub-dial, with hand-painted numerals, features circular engine-turning centered on the hand arbor. Blued steel hands in «Poire Stuart» style mark the time. 15-line caliber movement with separate bridges. The winding and hand-setting are key-operated. The wheel train pivots on 15 jewels with simple pierced stones. The arbors are protected by pierced jewels, complemented by a cap jewel for the balance arbor. Straight-line lever escapement with visible pallet jewels featuring metallic pallets. The regulating organ is paired with a mock-compensation balance with a solid, uncut closed ring equipped with gilded timing screws, regulating the oscillations of a blued steel balance spring adjusted via a regulator index. Bridge screws are in blued steel. The barrel ratchet system is secured by a click spring with an elongated, curved arm. Author's collection.

The Chavin lineage: From Pierre-Célestin to Aimé

The family’s industrial tradition finds its cornerstone in Pierre-Célestin Chavin (1758–1821), a highly prestigious enameler in Morez. In the late 18th century, Pierre-Célestin played a key role in providing local watchmaking with technical autonomy by manufacturing an enameled clock dial in 1788, which allowed regional clockmakers to reduce their reliance on Swiss imports.

This legacy of precision and enterprise was passed down to his son, Claude François Louis Xavier Chavin (1782–1830), and subsequently consolidated by his grandson, Aimé Chavin (1810–1860), also known as Chavin frère aîné. It was Aimé who, in the mid-19th century, transformed the family establishment—which had previously operated as a forge, enameling workshop, and mill—into an industrial foundry located near present-day Place Henri Lissac, supplying essential components to the watchmaking industry of the era.

In 1839, he married Marie Reine Girod, hailing from a family with a rich watchmaking tradition. Furthermore, he was one of the principal subscribers toward the establishment of the municipal watchmaking school of Morez in 1854, intended for the manufacturing of watches.

Aimé consolidated the family legacy through an exceptional technical contribution. In 1850, he obtained a 15-year patent for a spring- or weight-driven clock featuring a compensation balance, an innovation that improved the precision of Comtoise clocks, which were traditionally simpler in construction. His participation in the Universal Exhibition of London in 1851—where he presented various clockmaking systems under the name «Chavin, Morez-du-Jura» and earned a second-class medal—demonstrated his ability to combine local tradition with technical advancements, reaffirming the prestige of Morez on the international horological stage. He also participated in the Paris Exhibition of 1855 with a selection of horological pieces.

The company Chavin Fils & Prost: A lineage alliance

Following the death of Aimé in 1860, his widow maintained the workshop, signing her movements «Veuve Chavin Frère Aîné».

The family’s capacity for adaptation reached a new peak after Aimé‘s passing. The marriage of his daughter, Marie-Louise Joséphine Chavin, in 1862 to her first cousin, François Charles Prost—also a grandson of Pierre-Célestin and a watchmaker—gave birth in the second half of the 1860s to the company Chavin Fils & Prost, one of the most recognized firms in Morez of its era.

Chavin Fils & Prost represents the culmination of a vision that combined the technical legacy of the Chavin family with the horological specialization of the Prost family. Operating during the second half of the 19th century, the firm consolidated itself in an international market, leaving signed watches that today stand as testament to the watchmaking mastery of Morez at its peak.

On June 9, 1892, following the death of the matriarch Marie Reine, Chavin Fils & Prost ceased their joint activity, while François Charles Prost pursued it with his wife under the trademark Prost-Chavin (Charles-Françoise), which would disappear upon his death in 1906.

Un Héritage qui Perdure

La famille Chavin Fils & Prost représente un chapitre fondamental dans l’histoire de l’horlogerie de Morez. Sa capacité à innover et à s’adapter a laissé une empreinte indélébile dans la région, dont l’écho résonne encore dans les montres portant sa signature et dans les archives historiques qui attestent de son excellence.