CORTEBERT WATCH CO. 1944 CATALOG

This is an extremely rare—if not virtually impossible to find—item, a treasure trove of information on the famous Jura-based firm Cortebert.

Founded in 1790 by Abraham-Louis Juillard, the Cortébert watchmaking house has established itself over the decades as a flagship of the Swiss Jura watch industry. Starting as a simple watchmaking workshop, the brand developed into a large, fully integrated manufactory in the 19th century, capable of producing its own movements and watch blanks. Recognized early on for the precision of its adjustments and the robustness of its mechanisms, the company specialized in supplying precision chronometers to railroad companies throughout Europe, particularly in Italy and the Ottoman Empire.

Throughout the 20th century, Cortébert left its mark on the history of fine watchmaking by designing movements that have become legendary for their reliability. The reputation of its movements was such that other major brands turned to them: notably, the famous Cortébert 618 caliber served as the basis for Rolex to equip diving watches intended for the Italian Navy, giving rise to the legendary Panerai Radiomir. Despite these technical and commercial successes, the manufacture was unable to weather the quartz crisis of the 1970s.

Dated 1944 and accompanied by its price list, this copy is in exceptional condition and of exceptional quality. Produced by Haefeli & Co., with alternating fold-out pages and featuring no fewer than fifty superbly illustrated models, this copy is a historic artifact.

Publisher: Heafeli & Co.
Year of publication: 1944
Number of pages: xx pages
Dimensions: Height 15 cm, Width 10.5 cm