Originally Posted by
robt
Can anyone explain to me the "Bucherer" and "Carl F Bucherer" brands and their history?
As far as I can tell, they are the same company, but I'm not 100% sure about that.
Bucherer doesn't actually make watches. They are however, well known for Bucherer Blue editions of other companies' watches, like the Tudor Black Bay. They also sell jewellery. In that sense they are a similar brand to Tiffanys. Whereas "Carl F Bucherer" is one of the longest-running Swiss watch manufacturers and seems to be a 100% watch-only brand, with in-house movements etc.
I've got a tiny (as in cufflink sized) ladies watch with "Bucherer" on the dial and I have no idea if it's actually made by Bucherer, or if this is more like the pre-Rolex days when the name on the dial would indicate the retailer rather than the manufacturer: like the West End Watch Company, whose well-known trench watches were actually made by Longines. Whoever made the movement, it's pretty exceptional for the fact that it's so small and it has probably the nicest sounding "tick" of any watch I own. I have't measured the beat rate but it's quite high and it's surprisingly accurate considering the only thing I did since I paid £5 for it out of a junk basket at a watch fair, was to clean some oxidation off the back. I think it dates from around the 1950s.