1950's Bucherer Cal 1080 Manual Winding 33mm Watch
Dating to the early 1950's, a fine quality watch by Bucherer, in superb condition, with a top end ETA 1080 movement.
The watch has a 33mmx38mm gold plated case, and a perfect champagne dial, on a new 17mm strap.
The caliber ETA 1080 launched in 1950 and its construction was pioneering for nearly all manual wind movements of that decade. It got its accolade in terms of the ETA 1256, which was the first self winding ETA movement, based on exactly that ETA 1080.
The history of Bucherer spans over 135 years, evolving from a single boutique in Switzerland into the world's largest luxury watch retailer and a highly respected independent Swiss watch manufacturer. In 1888, businessman and watchmaker Carl Friedrich Bucherer and his wife, Luise, opened their first watch and jewellery shop at Falkenplatz in Lucerne, Switzerland. Spurred on by their sons, Ernst and Carl Eduard, the brand launched its first dedicated line of Art Deco-style ladies' wristwatches. Bucherer was among the earliest proponents of the wristwatch strap, a revolutionary concept at a time when pocket watches still dominated the market. In 1924 Ernst Bucherer entered into a historic partnership with Hans Wilsdorf, the founder of Rolex. Bucherer began showcasing Rolex timepieces in its boutiques—a relationship that became one of the most successful retail alliances in watchmaking history. The company expanded its own watch production in 1948, focusing heavily on highly functional, sporty chronographs featuring big date displays. By 1968, the brand had manufactured roughly 15,000 certified high-precision chronometers, solidifying its place among the top three Swiss chronometer producers of the era. In 1969, Bucherer joined the Swiss consortium that developed the famous Beta 21 movement, Switzerland's very first quartz caliber for wristwatches. 1971: The brand launched the Archimedes Supercompressor, an avant-garde dive watch water-resistant to 200 metres. In 1976, Jörg G. Bucherer—the third generation of the family—took the helm. He carefully split the company's identity into two distinct pillars. Bucherer (The Retailer): They expanded internationally, first across Europe and later to the United States. In 2018, Bucherer acquired the American retail giant Tourneau, making Bucherer the largest watch and jewellery retailer in the world. Carl F. Bucherer (The Manufacturer): Positioned in 2001 as an autonomous, high-end manufacture brand to honour the founder. As a manufacture, the brand achieved massive technical acclaim by patenting and mastering peripheral technology. In 2008, they launched the CFB A1000 caliber, the world's first serially-produced automatic movement with a peripheral oscillating weight. They followed this with floating tourbillons and minute repeaters using the same boundary-pushing peripheral architecture. In a historic milestone that shook the horological industry, Bucherer was integrated into the Rolex family. Following the passing of Jörg G. Bucherer—who had no direct heirs—Rolex purchased the retail giant to preserve the long-standing alliance and secure the future of the multi-brand showrooms, which continue to operate globally under the iconic Bucherer name.
