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Following up on my previous post about triple calendar watch ads from the 1940s, I’d like to share some more cool ads that I’ve collected from the 1950s. The 1950s in general were a foundational period in horological history for many brands.
Omega introduced its Professional line of watches in 1957 (the Speedmaster, Seamaster 300, and Railmaster), for instance. IWC introduced its Pellaton winding system, and companies like Universal Geneve and Buren were starting to innovate by introducing micro-rotors. The 1950s also saw the continued production of some really great triple calendar watches, which are illustrated in the below vintage ads.
Buren Advertisement From 1950
This advertisement was also featured in my Awesome Post-War Ads From The “Dirty Dozen” – Part 1 post, but I think it’s worth re-sharing here.
The 1950s was an innovative time for Buren, which filed a patent for its micro-rotor movement in 1954. This innovation was also brought out around the same time by Universal Geneve. It allowed the rotor to be integrated at the same level with the rest of the movement, so very thin automatic watches could be manufactured.
Through a series of refinements, the “Intramatic” movement was born, paving the way for the base movement that would inevitably be modified into one of the first automatic chronographs. The above ad showcases a beautiful triple date watch, complete with moonphase complication.
Butex Advertisement From 1953
Butex was a sub-brand of BWC, or the Buttes Watch Company. Founded in 1924, it really ramped things up in the 1950s and prospered pretty much all the way up until the Quartz Crisis. The below ad dates to 1953, the year that Edwin Volkart took over the company. Volkart was the son-in-law of the company’s founder, and it flourished with him at the helm.
BWC was ironically one of the early adopters of non-mechanical watches, using electronic components as early as 1957. BWC introduced electro-mechanical watches in 1967 and digital quartz models in 1972. It also continued to primarily produce mechanical watches, including some great chronograph models, until the Quartz Crisis hit the whole industry. BWC barely survived. Today, it is owned by a German company, Pforzheim-based Starck-Uhren. It has been under Starck-Uhren ownership since 2003, still producing Swiss made watches.
Eloga Advertisement From 1950
The below ad showcases an Eloga triple calendar watch from 1950. Eloga was actually a sub-brand of Fortis.
Watches with the Eloga name are still being produced, and Fortis is still around as well. Apparently the first plastic cased watch, the “Flipper’ was brought out by Fortis under the Eloga name in the late Sixties. It’s a sharp contrast to the elegant triple calendar watch in the above ad, complete with moonphase.
Hugex Advertisement From 1953
Another advertisement, another sub-brand. Hugex appears to be a sub-brand (or maybe just a brand name) of Huga SA. The name Hugex was registered for use in the US by Huga SA, which was based in La Chaux du Fonds, Switzerland.
It’s a difficult brand to track down, and it seems much of its history has been lost to the sands of time. Huga SA was founded in 1933, and was mostly known for manufacturing chronographs, and apparently even supplied movements to Eberhard & Co SA at one point.
I Still Want To Know More
One of the most fascinating things about collecting vintage watch ads is stumbling upon dead or relatively unknown brands (and sub-brands) and unlocking a whole treasure trove of new horological history that I knew nothing about previously. I initially purchased the ads in this post just because I thought they were really cool. I think it’s even cooler to learn the backstory about the companies that created them in the 1950s, though. I’m still interested in adding to my knowledge base, so I’d appreciate any insight into these brands and sub-brands from those with more knowledge about them – especially Hugex and Eloga.
Know more about Buren, BWC, Eloga and Hugex and want to add to the discussion? Please post a comment below!