Solving
the Case
The following
two images show cases used by IWC, the first has the Swiss
hallmarks for a 14 carat gold case and the second, the Swiss
hallmarks for an 18 carat gold case. Only the first four digits of
the case numbers are shown.
Both have
another symbol with a number inside as shown below;
In 1934 the Swiss Association of
Manufacturers of Gold Watch Cases, representing the majority of Swiss manufacturers, asked the Federal
Council that watch
cases of gold
and platinum are certified after having been stamped with
a collective mark of the Federation.
All precious
metal watch cases made or imported into Switzerland had to carry a
responsibility mark or poinçon de maître
to easily identify the case maker.
In total
there were six collective responsibility marks, or Poinçon
de Maître Collectif. From left to right they are:
No.1
Hammer-head or hammer without handle,
No. 2 Hammer
with handle,
No. 3
Marquee,
No. 4
Crossbow,
No. 5 Key,
and
No. 6
Shield.
Looking up
the hammer head section in the table below allows us to identify
the numbers as follows:
105 Les Fils
de Jules Blum, for the 14 carat gold case, and;
149 Wyss
& Cie, for the 18 carat gold case.
While these
cases were a little later than the following extract from the
ledger, dated 1938, both Wyss & Cie, the second entry and Blum
the third entry are shown.
The first
entry is for Eggly & Cie, which from the table below, would
have a 23 inside the key symbol.
Of the above
companies I can only find a little information on Wyss & Cie.
At the Berne Exhibition in 1914, Wyss & Cie won a gold medal
for their gold watch cases.
While I
haven't been able to find any advertisments of the firms products,
for several years Wyss & Co annually placed an advertisment in
La Fédération Horlogère Suisse wishing their
customers the best for the forth coming year and thanking them for
their support.
These case marks apply to precious metal cases NOT stainless steel
cases (just to save you from opening up your stainless steel
case).
A note of
warning - if you intend to open up your watch case to check the
case manufacturer, be careful, you do not want to damage the case.
If you don't know how to open it correctly please take it a watch
maker and have him open it for you.
A big thank
you to Dean for the PDF file on Swiss Key Marks.
Cheers from
the cellar
Updated 14 November 2011
Liste des
poinçon de maître collectifs
This list is
the 1966 reorganisation of the collective responsibilty marks and
may not encompass all the marks used from 1934 to 1966.
Poinçon
de Maître No.1 - Hammer head
2 F.
Baumgartner SA
11
Manufacture Taubert
26 Ponti,
Gennari & Cie
100 Union
Suisse pour l’Habillage de la Montre
101 Junod
Freres & Cie
102
Arnez-Droz & Cie
103
Pro-Boites SA
104
Manufacture Cartier La Chaux-de-Fonds
105 Les Fils
de Jules Blum
106 Louis
Wursten fils
107 Mme. H.
Cattin, Successeur de Francois Cattin
108 Jacques
Beiner/Roger Parel SA
109 Oreade,
Manufacture de boites SA
112 G&C
Ducommun SA
115
Manufacture Favre & Perret SA
116
Fluckiger & Cie
117 Guillod
Gunther SA
119 Gindraux
SA
121 Guillod
Gunther SA
122 Oreade,
Manufacture de boites SA
123
Pfenniger & Cie SA
124
Manufacture Cartier La Chaux-de-Fonds
126 Orac SA,
Andre Brauchi
127 G. Balet
SA
128 Jung
& Cie
129 JSG SA
130 Junod
& Fils
132 Eric
Monnier
135 Orixa SA
136 C.R.
Spillmann SA
137 Paul
Voumard
140 B. et C.
Dubois
141 Gabus
Freres, Oracier SA
142 Envers
SA
143
Classicor SA
147 Charles
Kohli
148
Vuilliomenet & Cie SA
149 Wyss
& Cie
150 Ernst
Bohlen
151 Hermann
Heggendom AG
152 Jean
Curty SA
156 Helbein
Freres & Co.
158 Jean
Arnoux
161 Joseph
Erard SA
163 BGM
Miserez SA
166 Henri
Jeanneret
167 Carnal
& Cie SA
168 A.
Bahler & fils
170 Cedex,
Charles Dubois SA
171 Bernard
Dubois SA
172 Novelor,
Jean-Pierre Dubois
173
Pierre-Antoine Nardin & Cie
174 Boites
de montres Huguenin SA
175 Max
Fuchs SA
176 Bielna
SA
177 Gerard
Queloz SA
178 Pernador
SA
179 La
Centrale
180 U.
Paratte fils
181 Fabrique
de boites P. Etienne SA
183 Nouvelle
Piquerez SA
184 Schmitz
& Cie
201 Hermann
Bodemer SA
202 Bijoux
Bonnet SA
204 Marcel
Girardin
205 Georges
Meroz SA
206 Varac SA
207 A.J.
Niestle
210 Rubattel
& Weyermann SA
211
Spichiger, Hoffmann & Cie
212 Marcel
Etienne
213 Rene Fer
SA
214 Montadon
& Cie
215 G.
Schwab
217 Jean
Lampert
218 J.
Beiner, successeur de Gianoli
219 Soguel
& Co.
220
Bijouterie M-H Baillod
221
Manufacture Cartier La Chaux-de-Fonds
351 Revor,
Walter Brusa
352 Serva SA
353 Stila SA
354
Grandjean Sarl
355 Henri
Viatte
356 Simon
& Membrez SA
357 Calame
& Cie SA
358 Bernard
Paratte
359 F. de G.
SA
360 Jaquet
SA
361 Bruno
Affolter SA
362 Celinor
SA
363
Donze-Baume SA
364
Manufacture Ruedin SA
365 Louis
Lang SA
366 EMG
Micromecanique SA
367
Valentini SA
368 Habra SA
369 Jean
Paratte Sarl
370 AS Line
SA
371
Froidevaux freres
372 Miguel
Gil
373
Manufacture de boites de montres MRP SA
374
Jean-Pierre Hadorn
375 Boitor
SA
376
Neuenschwander Composants Horologers SA
377 Paul
Wyss SA
378 Queloz
SA
400
Centre-Boites SA
Poinçon
de Maître No. 2 - Hammer with handle
115
Manufacture Favre & Perret SA
160 Joseph
Erard SA
Poinçon
de Maître No. 3 - FFBA Marquee
1 G. Graber
SA
2 Bielna SA
3 A. Breguet
SA
4 La
Centrale
5 Heng &
Buhlmann
6 Nobs &
Hermann
7 A.
Maeder-Leschot
8 Meyer
& Wetzel
10 Schmitz
& Cie
12 Averos SA
13 Fabrique
de boites Tramelan SA
14 H. Finger
AG
15 Girard
Freres
16 Heuri
Freres
18 Schmitz
freres & Cie SA
19 Ducommun
& Cie
20
Manufacture Cartier La Chaux-de-Fonds
22 Nobilia
SA
23 Pauli
Freres
24 BGM
Miserez SA
25 Gerber
Freres SA
26 Louis
Lang SA
27 Luthy
Freres
28 Varrin
& Cie
30 G. Hamel
successeurs & Cie
31 Fabrique
de boites P. Etienne SA
33
Crevoisier & Cie
34
Donze-Baume SA
36 Joseph
Erard SA
37 Leon
Frossard
38 G & E
Bouille SA
39 Jeangros
Freres & Cie
40 Albin
Jobin
41 BGM
Miserez SA
42
Manufacture Mirval SA
43 Jean
Parattte Sarl
44 Pretat SA
45 Voisard
SA
46 Boites de
montres Huguenin SA
47 Eric
Monnier
48 Oreade,
Manufacture de boites SA
49 Pfenniger
& Cie SA
50 Joseph
Erard SA
51 Artisanor
SA
52 Orac SA,
Andre Brauchi
53 Cedex,
Charles Dubois SA
54 Revor,
Walter Brusa
55 Classicor
SA
56 Stila SA
57 Edmor SA
58 Gabus
Freres, Oracier SA
59 A &
J-L Glauser/Diamantor
60 Union
Suisse pour l’Habillage de la Montre (USH)
61
Manufacture Cartier La Chaux-de-Fonds
62 Max Fuchs
SA
63 Henri
Viatte
64 Bernard
Paratte
65
Froidevaux freres
66 Habra SA
67
Manufacture Cartier La Chaux-de-Fonds
68 Paul Wyss
SA
Poinçon
de Maître No. 4 - Crossbow
1 S. Graber
SA
2 Bielna SA
3 A. Breguet
SA
4 La
Centrale
5 Heng &
Buhlmann
6 Nobs &
Hermann
7 A.
Maeder-Leschot
8 Meyer
& Wetzel
10 Schmitz
& Cie
12 Averos SA
13 Fabrique
de boites Tramelan SA
14 H. Finger
AG
15 Girard
Freres
16 Heuri
Freres
18 Schmitz
freres & Cie SA
19 Ducommun
& Cie
20
Manufacture Cartier La Chaux-de-Fonds
22 Nobilia
SA
23 Pauli
Freres
24 BGM
Miserez SA
25 Gerber
Freres SA
26 Louis
Lang SA
27 Luthy
Freres
28 Varrin
& Cie
30 G. Hamel
successeurs & Cie
31 Fabrique
de boites P. Etienne SA
33
Crevoisier & Cie
34
Donze-Baume SA
36 Joseph
Erard SA
37 Leon
Frossard
38 G & E
Bouille SA
39 Jeangros
Freres & Cie
40 Albin
Jobin
41 BGM
Miserez SA
42
Manufacture Mirval SA
43 Jean
Parattte Sarl
44 Pretat SA
45 Voisard
SA
46 Boites de
montres Huguenin SA
47 Eric
Monnier
48 Oreade,
Manufacture de boites SA
49 Helbein
Freres & Co.
50
Federation des fabricants de boites argent (FFBA)
67
Manufacture Cartier La Chaux-de-Fonds
Poinçon
de Maître No. 5 - Key
1 Ed. Wenger
SA
2 F.
Baumgartner SA
4 Antoine
Gerlach SA
5 Genevor SA
6 Francois
Tavernier SA
7 Fabior,
Olivier Judas
8 C.
Markowski
9 Emile
Vichet SA
10 Union
Suisse pour l’Habillage de la Montre (USH)
11
Manufacture Taubert
12 Genex SA
13
Humbert-Droz & Fortner
14 J + E
Bonard & Cie
15 Uli
Rotach
17 R.
Schneider
18 Chappuis
19 Marc
Houriet
20 Artisanor
SA
21 Ponti
& Cie SA
22 H. Maire
SA
23 Eggly
& Cie
24 Sogno SA
26 Ponti,
Gennari & Cie
27 Adea
Fontan Sarl
28 Patek,
Philippe SA
29 Weber
& Cie SA
30 Pellarin
& Cie
31 Albert
Lassieur
32 Gay
Freres SA
33 Jules
Megevand
34 G. Meuwly
& Fils, P. Meuwly successeur
35 Claude +
Francis Hertig
36 F. Kuhn
SA
37 R.
Staffelbach
38 Max Fuchs
SA
39 Stylor SA
40
Centre-Boites SA
41 Rene
Chambaz
42 F. de G.
SA
43 Florian
Favre SA
44 Toumor,
Charles Brandt & Fils
45 Franck
Muller Watch Land SA
Poinçon
de Maître No. 6 - Shield
1 Ed. Wenger
SA
2 F.
Baumgartner SA
5 Genevor SA
6 Francois
Tavernier SA
9 Emile
Vichet SA
12 Genex SA
20 Artisanor
SA
23 Eggly
& Cie
24 Sogno SA
26 Ponti,
Gennari & Cie
29 Weber
& Cie SA
36 F. Kuhn
SA
Bibliography
La
Fédération Horlogère Suisse, various issues
Poinçon
de Maître by tick-talk (Dean)
http://www.thehourlounge.com/thread/view/poincon-de-maitre_38952_38952.html
Watches from
IWC1989, International Watch Company.