François Borgel
François Borgel was a talented inventor and successful businessman, and the business he created was to grow into one of the most important Swiss watch case manufacturers. Early adopters of the Borgel screw case included Longines and the International Watch Co. After François Borgel’s death in 1912 the business was carried on by his daughter Louisa. Louisa Borgel sold the business in 1924 to the Taubert family of Le Locle, who carried it on until the 1970s supplying many watch manufacturers including the illustrious Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin.
Description
Here we have a truly outstanding François Borgel Officers watch in 18ct yellow gold. This watch dial carries stand out hour indices which all carry an incredible lume, which are swept by the correct and original ‘cathedral’ hands, making this watch easy to read when on the wrist. Another noticable feature of this watch is the pronounced crown, the crown was designed this way so that officers could wind the watch with their military gloves on.
The Dial
The beautiful previously restored enamel dial is simply stunning! As mentioned above, the 1 – 12 standard Arabic numerals carry an incredible lume along with a red outlined ’12’. This dial is complete with the original lume ‘cathedral’ hands, a subsidiary seconds dial at 6 and an outer minute railtrack
All these aspects give this watch a wonderful feel once upon the wrist and make the watch very easy to read.
This dial has been previously restored to a very high standard yet remains in outstanding condition.
The Movement
The movement fitted to the watch is the original 15 Jewel hand wound movement. The movement is in very clean condition having just completed a full overhaul and service by our vintage Rolex specialist watchmaker. This means it has been completely dismantled to each of its component parts before cleaning and inspection under high magnification, replacement where necessary with only genuine Rolex parts, then careful reassembly, adjustment and oiling to Rolex specification, before final calibration and testing. The movement is now running accurately within +15 seconds per day. We are therefore confident in offering this watch with a 12-month written warranty*.
*Please note – our 12 months’ warranty is only applicable if the full list price is paid.
The Case
The original 18ct yellow gold case measures 34mm in diameter, excluding the correct unsigned crown. This case opens from the front with a screw down bezel and lens to reveal the movement.
The case is in superb condition, indicating the watch has only seen occasional careful use. Only under very close examination can some of the smallest marks be found, commensurate with the age of this piece.
The inside of the case back is correctly signed with ‘F.B’ along with the correct London hallmarks which date this watch to 1916. The inside of the case back also carries the case reference number 56676.
As ever, our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.
The Strap and Buckle
The strap fitted is a high quality black leather strap with a plain gold-plated buckle. Please note, if a different colour or style of strap is preferred, please let us know and we will do our best to oblige, free of charge. We carry tan, conker, dark brown burgundy and black straps in stock, in plain, padded leather, alligator, crocodile or lizard skin.
Box and Papers
Although there are no original papers with this watch, the reference numbers, markings, signatures and hallmarks are all correct, dating this watch to 1916.
Detailed particulars will be included with our purchase receipt for your interest and security. A separate insurance valuation for the replacement value of this watch will be provided at the time of sale along with our unique ‘Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee’ which states: “If this watch proves to be anything less than 100% genuine, authentic and original, a full refund will be given at any time”.
This watch comes complete with a high quality hardwood presentation box.
Payment and Delivery
If you would like to pay by bank transfer, we will be pleased to assist you with this. Similarly, if you wish to pay by International SWIFT or Bank Wire Transfer we will provide you with our BIC / Swift number and our IBAN number.
Please check the import duties and any taxes your government may apply, these are different for each country and, unfortunately, out of our control.
We understand there may be some ‘loopholes’ that may help you avoid these charges; however, attempting to use these could impact our ongoing ability to serve our growing international customer base.
For those who happen to visit London on occasion, we are, of course, more than happy to store your watch until we can meet you in our offices in Kensington, London, and hand your watch directly to you there.
As with all our watches, this watch will be sold under our 14 days no-quibble sale or return policy.
This is a truly first class example of a 1916s vintage Francois Borgel military watch which is ready to wear and completely practical for everyday use. If treated with care, it will make an excellent investment or heirloom piece and even though vintage gold Rolex prices have risen markedly recently, we still feel good examples such as this are still undervalued. As each year goes by and the world market for vintage gold Rolex watches continues to expand, prices will continue to climb ever higher.
A word on our prices – We always try our hardest to acquire the very highest quality watches we can find, before restoring them to the highest possible standards. We then offer these at the fairest prices we can, taking into account our pre and post-sales care and service. This approach means we will never be the cheapest, but nor will we be the most expensive. Indeed there are some well-known stores in West London which are highly successful charging between two to three times the price you see here. We, therefore, consider our prices to be fair, given the quality of watches we have to offer.
Please note, we also welcome part exchanges. If you have a watch or a small collection for sale, please contact us as we will be happy to discuss this.
We will also be happy to Service your watch, Repair your watch or Restore your watch, all at ‘sensible’ prices. Please see here.
If you have any questions please call us on 020 7727 7095 or if calling from overseas on +44 207 727 7095.
Please take a look at our other fine vintage gold watches.
Thank you
Andrew M via feefo 
3rd December 2024 
JLC1891 
