# Any help welcome, Elva watch



## Chris 37 (Jun 24, 2017)

I was hoping someone might be able shed any light on the following watch, whether you can tell me about the maker, Elva, or identify the movement. I've been researching on the net for a while and the only thing I've found so far are a couple of Elva watches appearing on eBay.

What I can tell you about the watch is that my father bought it in Egypt during his national service in the late 1950's. On the dial it says Waterproof Ancre 17 jewels and is also marked antimagnetic, it has seconds marked on the very outside of the dial and marked in 0.2 second increments and it appears that the seconds hand steps though the increments as it moves around. It has a screwdown back.



















Under the balance wheel is the number 5 and on the top plate it's marked 214s.

Any help will be gratefully appreciated.


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## andyclient (Aug 1, 2009)

Can't tell you much about it other than I have the identical watch. I will have a proper look at mine later and tell u what I can Just grabbed a quick iPhone pic of mine


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## Chris 37 (Jun 24, 2017)

I'm glad I didn't put it in the One offs thread, and I'd have been pretty confident :laugh:

I am actually quite amazed.


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## mel (Dec 6, 2006)

Could be as early as 1940's or thereabouts, style, case looks brass plated with chrome, nice pretty little thing - - as I said to Mrs Mel 

Many Swiss makers around this timeframe sold into Middle Eastern markets, we usually say they will be generic, one of many small almost "cottage industry" type makes.


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## gimli (Mar 24, 2016)

Elva is most likely one of those obscure Swiss/German watch brands that have had watches produced for them. Could be just one model or a few designs. Usually you won't find anything about them really as they're incomparable to the experienced brands (Longines, Doxa, Tissot, etc.).

I'd say the watch is late 1950s or early 1960s. The watch itself seems of good or decent quality in my opinion. Above the cheapest kind that was available at the time.


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## Swish Arscott (Aug 10, 2020)

Did you find any more info regarding your Elva watch? I too have an Elva that belonged to my Dad who bought it either during WW2 or later in National Service.


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## spinynorman (Apr 2, 2014)

Swish Arscott said:


> Did you find any more info regarding your Elva watch? I too have an Elva that belonged to my Dad who bought it either during WW2 or later in National Service.


 Advert from 1950, but Schneider was active in the 1940s.


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## Always"watching" (Sep 21, 2013)

Thanks for reviving interest in this thread, dear @Swish Arscott and @spinynorman.

Yes, Mikrolik attributes a registration date for Elva to Gottlieb Schneider of 18 October 1946 at La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Interestingly, the brand name was also apparently registered on the same date by a W. Luginbühl in Biel, also in Switzerland, but I do not know the relationship between the two concerns. I have come across an 18 carat gold 1950s wristwatch with diamond hour markers online with the name "LUGINBUHL" on the dial, and I wonder if this relates to the Biel company.


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## spinynorman (Apr 2, 2014)

Always said:


> Thanks for reviving interest in this thread, dear @Swish Arscott and @spinynorman.
> 
> Yes, Mikrolik attributes a registration date for Elva to Gottlieb Schneider of 18 October 1946 at La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Interestingly, the brand name was also apparently registered on the same date by a W. Luginbühl in Biel, also in Switzerland, but I do not know the relationship between the two concerns. I have come across an 18 carat gold 1950s wristwatch with diamond hour markers online with the name "LUGINBUHL" on the dial, and I wonder if this relates to the Biel company.


 Interesting, Honour. Unfortunately, when a trademark moves from one maker to another, Mikrolisk often assigns the original date to both, which is confusing. Schneider was the one that registered Elva in 1946, but his business was taken over by Walter Luginbühl in October 1952. Luginbühl registered his own version of Elva in November, but both versions ran the full 20 years before expiring. Walter died in 1967, but the business was continued by his wife Dora, trading as D. Luginbühl. In 1971 it was taken over by Thérèse Luginbühl, who traded as Th. Luginbühl & Cie until 1979, when the company was finally dissolved.


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