Eberhard & Co.

Eberhard & Co

Founded	1887, La Chaux-de-Fonds
Founder	Georges Eberhard
Headquarters	Bienne, Switzerland
Key people	Barbara Monti, CEO
Products	Watches
Website	eberhard-co-watches.ch

Eberhard & Co is a Swiss luxury watch company, founded in 1887 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Neuchâtel, Switzerland by Swiss watch making industrialist Georges Eberhard.

History

Georges Eberhard, the founder

The Eberhard & Co manufacture was founded in La Chaux-de-Fonds, the historic birthplace of the Swiss watch-making industry^[1] by Georges Eberhard. Eberhard was the son of a prominent Bernese family tracing its origins back to the 10th century,^[2] which was involved in the development of the Swiss watchmaking industry. His father early initiated him to the art of watch making and Eberhard was only 22 when he founded the company.

1900-1947

In 1907, the company has become one of the largest Swiss watch manufacture and inaugurated its new headquarters which takes an entire block at the very center of rue Leopold Robert, La Chaux-de-Fonds's main avenue. The Parisian-like five-stories building was designed in distinctive Beaux Arts style with a round tower topped by a large eagle sculpture^[3] has become one of the city's well known landmark and its highest construction until the 1960s. In 1919, Eberhard's sons, Georges and Maurice took over the company.^[4]

1947-1987

After the end of World War II, the manufacture resumed its activities and, in 1947, made its first woman's watch,^[5] starting its jewelery collections.

1987-Present

Since 1996, the manufacture has decided to focus on luxury king-size wrist watches and launched a new Grande Taille (Super Size) collection.^[6] True to its history of technical challenges, Eberhard & Co launched in 1997 the 8 days "a manually winding mechanical watch that needs to be rewound every eight days only"^[7] thanks to a special winding device and, in 2001, it launched the Chrono 4 "the first chronograph in the history of watchmaking whose counters are arranged in one row".^[8]

Sources and references

• Official website (Requires Adobe Flash Player)
• Eberhard & Co Collections, Eberhardwatches
• Eberhard & Co profile, Swisstime