Very Rare and Elegant ** Gübelin Mid Century, AUTOMATIC, Self-Winding, Water- Resistant, Square, Wristwatch, Swiss 1950 **
Gübelin, is one of the oldest and most prestigious names in watchmaking, respectively jewels. In particular they are recognized for perfect quality and unique design, making vintage Gübelin wristwatches especially beloved by collectors and connoisseurs.
A prime example of “Gübelin Perfect Quality and Unique Design” is the very fine piece presently offered for your consideration. SQUARE case AUTOMATIC vintage wristwatches are exceptionally rare, as are vintage square-case wristwatches that are water-resistant.
To achieve this unique result, the almost impossible challenge of integrating this seemingly contradictory combination of aesthetic design and performance features into a successful result, Gübelin’s designers must have spent “many a sleepless night”.
The first stumbling block would have been that automatic watch movements, due to their technical complexity are difficult to produce in a very small size. That is, tiny enough to fit into a square wristwatch case of normal dimensions!
Also, achieving a square watertight watchcase must at first have appeared nothing less than counter-intuitive, since, “normally” the case parts for any water-resistant watch were round, and therefore can hermetically screw one-into-the-other.
Gübelin’s excellent solution was to employ the smallest self-winding watch mechanism in the World, one that’s, a mere 14 mm wide, as well as hardly thicker than any regular manual hand-wound mechanism… and indeed thinner than many of the latter!
Finally, to render the square case water-resistant, Gübelin, instead of screwing the watchcase’s component-parts one-into-the-other, adopted the very elegant solution of using four minuscule steel setting-screws – one at each corner of the watchcase-back – to hermetically join everything together!
The result: An exceptionally elegant, wristwatch that’s square in shaped, thin on the wrist, of classic Mid Century design… and none-the-less self-winding as well as water-resisstant!
- Dimensions: 29.5 mm (excluding the crown) x 40 mm (lug to lug)
- Material: Stainless Steel
- Bracelet: Hand-Stitched, Genuine Crocodile
- Condition: Excellent. Fully serviced by our Master Swiss Watchmaker
Shipping Worldwide via Courrier Service. Duty-Free Shipping within Europe.
Payment: If you prefer to pay by bank transfer or lay-away, please send us a message. Likewise, if check-out proves unable to process your credit card.
Gübelin history
Gübelin’s founding dates back to 1854 when 22 year old Jakob Josef Mauritz Breitschmid opened a small watch shop in Lucerne’s (Switzerland) “Old Town” selling pocket watches, verge watches and mantelpiece clocks.
Then, in 1875, a young man from St. Gallen (Switzerland), Eduard Jakob Gübelin, began his watchmaking-apprenticeship under Breitschmid. Eleven years hence, in 1886, Gübelin married his former Apprenticeship Master’s daughter… subsequently becoming his father-in-law’s business partner.
Having meanwhile grown into an eminently successful business, in much bigger premises, on 27 December 1899, 38-year-old Eduard Jakob Gübelin succeeded his father-in-law, starting the “Gübelin Era” as watchmakers and traders.
Between 1900 and 1910 Lucerne was visited annually by 150’000 tourists – most of them from wealthy families. This helped Gübelin’s watch business to flourish and larger premises were needed for the prospering company.
Gübelin therefore looked about for a new location on the lakefront, where Lucerne’s palatial luxury hotels of the belle époque were being situated. Consequently, in 1903, Gübelin-Breitschmid opened a watch store in the historical Hotel d’Angleterre / Der Englischhof building…and in 1904 converted it into “The Gübelin House”, an opulent boutique considered one of the most elegant in all of Switzerland.
Following World War I, Eduard Jakob Gübelin’s only son, Eduard Moritz, in turn succeeded his father. Gübelin’s international expansion soon followed, including their shop at 576 Fifth Avenue in New York, US.
Throughout the ensuing years, Gübelin has remained a major force in watchmaking, working in partnership with the most important manufacturers, including Patek Philippe, Jaeger LeCoultre, Cartier, IWC, Breitling, Eterna, Audimars Piguet, Rolex, etc, just to name a few.
Most recently Gübelin was acquired by Rolex.
