The Swiss manufacturer BWC (Buttes Watch Co.), founded in 1924 by Arthur Charlet in Buttes (Canton of Neuchâtel), is known for producing affordable mechanical watches of solid quality. At that time, the focus was still on the production of pocket watches. In 1953, the founder's father-in-law, Edwin Volkart, took over the company. Since 2003, BWC has been owned by the Pforzheim company Starck-Uhren, and since 2004 watches have been produced in Biel and Pforzheim with a new concept.
The Buttes Watch Co. was founded around 1901 by "Henri" Alexandre Jeannin-Rosselet in Buttes, Canton of Neuchâtel. Previously, he was involved in watchmaking in Fleurier. He registered the brand name BWC in 1905. In 1924, Arthur Charlet took over the company in his birthplace. He was also involved in the company Charlet Bilat & Co. Charlet's son-in-law Edwin Volkart took over management in 1953, and at that time the company really started and focused on chronographs like this one. The company used Lemania, Landeron, and Valjoux movements.
From the beginning, the history of Buttes Watch Co. was connected with the gold and watch city of Pforzheim in Germany. The first customer in 1924 was Reinhold Reeck.
Initially, the production focus was on pocket watches of all kinds of that time for the German market. Besides Germany, Buttes Watch Co. opened up other markets in England, Spain, Poland, and Hungary. Later, the sales area was extended to the main countries of Europe up to Greece and Turkey. Overseas, the USA, Cuba, and Canada were the main markets.
Early on, Buttes Watch Co. recognized the trend towards wristwatches and began producing them from 1930. For these watches, mainly the calibers FEF-Peseux and FHF were used. A qualitatively new era began in 1938 with the use of caliber AS 1130, which later gained the highest quality reputation in all countries involved in World War II. Even today, watches with this caliber are referred to as "Wehrmacht watches." Later, this movement was replaced by caliber UT 6380.