|
|
|||||
|
Minerva Watches
Minerva watch brand
Founded in 1858 by Charles-Yvan Robert and Hyppolite Robert of Villeret, what would eventually become the Minerva Watch brand in 1887 was initially a "tablisseurs" of watches, an assembler of watches from parts manufactured elsewhere. It wasn't until 1902, under the leadership of C. Robert's sons, Charles-Auguste and Georges-Louis, that Minerva became a "manufacture" of watches a watchmaker that designed and manufactured the most critical parts, such as the movement blank, in their own engineering workshops.
The earliest Minerva wristwatch was manufactured in 1909, but the watch company's greatest success came in 1923 with the introduction the No. 20, a calibre that perfectly illustrates the classic and refined architecture of wrist chronographs of that era, with a column-wheel mechanism, a Breguet balance-spring and 17 jewels. With the launch of this watch, the company earned its reputation as a manufacturer of complicated movements of exceptional quality.
In 1936, Minerva was responsible for time-keeping in the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and in the years after WWII, developed a full range of mechanical movements, complemented by automatic movements made by Ebauches S.A. In 1983, the company celebrated its 125th anniversary with the introduction of an electronic master clock, the MCT 125, which sustained and commemorated the spirit and tradition of the master watchmakers of bygone eras.
In 1988, the company produced the "Tablier" watch, one of the most aesthetically subtle creations in the history of watch making, followed by the most complex watch ever made by Minerva. Based upon the classic No. 20 chronograph movement, the company added a full analogue calendar and a "negative" type moon phase indicator. A laurel wreath (symbol of the Roman Goddess of Wisdom, Minerva) was engraved upon its gold bezel and it was produced in a limited series of 50. The "Palladio" was introduced in 1991, an original mechanism for rapid-setting of a second time zone, fitted on an automatic chronograph with a chronometer certificate.
|
wwp® |
Makes time tick™ |
Minerva Watches websites
Sell, buy, collect, auction or repair Minerva Watches?
Do you know of a website that features Minerva Watches
To be featured here - contact us via the Feedback Form
Minerva Watches Watch Dealers
Do you sell, buy, repair Minerva Watches
Contact us via the Feedback Form
Official Minerva Watches website
Google Search: |
Google Search for websites
|
Sponsor: |
News: |
| The (London) Times: "I recently took my great-grandfather's gold watch to be mended. I was asked ..."Have you checked the battery?" I took the watch elsewhere!" Letter to Editor |
Related Websites: |