BWC Chronograph 1970s

Very handsome and sporty steel classic with a monocoque case, Switzerland, 1970

Story of this watch

# BWC

# Chronograph with two subdials

# Silver dial with a beautiful sunburst finish

# Manual winding

# Cal. Landeron 248

# 37.5 mm (35.5 mm without crown)

# 1970s

# Switzerland

Technically, the BWC works perfectly and has just been serviced: (260°; -4 s/d).

The watch shows hardly any signs of wear. There are no deep scratches, dents or the like, and the crystal is scratch-free.

Story of the brand

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 the time, its focus was still on making 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-based company Starck-Uhren, and since 2004, watches have been made in Biel and Pforzheim under a new concept.

Buttes Watch Co. was founded around 1901 by "Henri" Alexandre Jeannin-Rosselet in Buttes, Canton of Neuchâtel. He had previously worked in watchmaking in Fleurier. He registered the BWC brand name in 1905. In 1924, Arthur Charlet took over the company in his hometown. He was also involved in Charlet Bilat & Co. Charlet’s son-in-law Edwin Volkart took over management in 1953, and it was at this point that the company really took off and focused on chronographs like this one. The company used Lemania, Landeron, and Valjoux movements.

From the outset, the history of Buttes Watch Co. was linked to the gold and watchmaking city of Pforzheim in Germany. Its first customer in 1924 was Reinhold Reeck.

Initially, production focused on all types of pocket watches made at the time for the German market. In addition to Germany, Buttes Watch Co. expanded into other markets in England, Spain, Poland, and Hungary. Later, its sales territory expanded to include the major European countries, as far as Greece and Turkey. Overseas, the USA, Cuba, and Canada were its main markets.

Buttes Watch Co. recognized the trend toward wristwatches early on and began producing them in 1930. These watches were made primarily with FEF-Peseux and FHF calibers. A new era of quality began in 1938 with the introduction of the AS 1130 caliber, which later earned the highest reputation for quality in all countries involved in World War II. Watches with this caliber are still referred to today as "Wehrmacht watches." This movement was later replaced by the UT 6380 caliber.