Gubelin watch crowns

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Mac5

·Aug 28, 2019

Greetings All,
I recently purchased a Gubelin watch and I was wondering if Gubelin had a signed crown that they used. Or did they just use a generic crown. After searching the web, many of the watches appear to have unsigned crowns. I know after 50 plus years crowns do fall off. The first three photos are of the watch I just purchased which has a sign/symbol that I am not familiar. The next two photos are from a watch that appears to be the same watch as the one I bought and is currently on ebay. It does not have a signed crown. Thank you in advance for any help!

 

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Evitzee

·Aug 28, 2019

The vintage ones I have seen all had plain, unmarked crowns. Crowns were often replaced during a watches life, but I have never seen a signed crown from them in any event.

 

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Mac5

·Aug 28, 2019

Here is one more that I found that appears to be the same reference. This one appears to have an unsigned crown. Although difficult to say. The hands are also different as well.

 

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Mac5

·Aug 28, 2019

Evitzee

The vintage ones I have seen all had plain, unmarked crowns. Crowns were often replaced during a watches life, but I have never seen a signed crown from them in any event.

I agree. The crown on my watch has me intrigued.....

 

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Mac5

·Aug 28, 2019

I just found this one which matches mine. Maybe it was just placed on this particular reference.....

 

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Tony C.

·Aug 28, 2019·Ωf Jury member

That crown is a Gubelin crown. Yes, they also used plain crowns, but it depends on the period and reference, etc.

 

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Mac5

·Aug 28, 2019

I was hoping you would chime in Tony! You are the Gubelin Guru! Any idea what the symbol means or stands for? Thank you!

 

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Tony C.

·Aug 28, 2019·Ωf Jury member

I don't remember what the icon comes from, but here's another on the same model, so yours is likely original:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/GUBELIN-ST...299635?hash=item469ab58b33:g:l9AAAOSwOttcxzk4

 

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Evitzee

·Aug 28, 2019

Gubelin's trademark is the hourglass, yet I've never seen an hourglass on any of their crowns. Over the years Gubelin sold many watches by other manufacturers under their own name (Audemars Piguet comes to mind), I've never seen that odd icon before on any of their watches. I suspect it is an icon from whoever manufactured the watch for them, but it's not their trademark. In the past these sorts of oddball brandings were more common, today there area all kinds of trademark issues they must contend with.

 

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Tony C.

·Aug 29, 2019·Ωf Jury member

Evitzee

Gubelin's trademark is the hourglass, yet I've never seen an hourglass on any of their crowns. Over the years Gubelin sold many watches by other manufacturers under their own name (Audemars Piguet comes to mind), I've never seen that odd icon before on any of their watches. I suspect it is an icon from whoever manufactured the watch for them, but it's not their trademark. In the past these sorts of oddball brandings were more common, today there area all kinds of trademark issues they must contend with.

While it is true that a framed hour glass is Gubelin's trademark icon, you are wrong about the subject crown. I have seen many of them over the years, and they are used exclusively on the watches that they sold under their own name. Their higher-end watches were typically double-signed, and the crowns were, when appropriate, signed by the manufacturer.

The fully in-house watches, signed only Gubelin, either had plain crowns, or the subject crowns. Gubelin finished all of their watches in-house, so none of them were fully "manufactured" for them.

 

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gatorcpa

·Aug 29, 2019·ΩF InvestiGator

I think the use of logo crowns by Gübelin is very dependent on the date of manufacture. Two otherwise identical watches may have different crowns.

There was big debate on this subject on Purists at one time with no consensus.
gatorcpa