# Swiss Emperor



## skyway (Oct 29, 2005)

Hi.

Recently whilst clearing out my mother in laws stuff we found this very nice Swiss Emperor watch which turned out to be my wifes Grandfathers.

I have tried to find information about them on the 'net but apart from a few turning up on ebay at wildly fluctuating prices we pretty much draw a blank!

Does anyone know anything about them?

Im not interested in selling as it is a family heirloom (of sorts) but I would be interested to find out wether they are a brand that is sort after or wether it is just a generic watch brand from the 40s/50s?

Any comments would be greatly appreciated!


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## quoll (Apr 20, 2006)

I am not going to claim to be an expert, but I have had one or two Swiss Emperors. That one you have there is very nice - late 50s to mid 60s at a guess from the styling. Probably the 50s with the subseconds.

They are not particularly sought-after, but are a good mid-range Swiss manufacturer that collapsed, along with so many others, in the quartz revolution in the 70s and early 80s. As far as I know they were not a 'manufacture' - i.e. they used bought-in movements. The ones I had were FHF and AS movements as far as I remember. I would guess yours is an FHF.

Nothing, of course, can replace the history of that watch to your family, so its value to you is greater than its market value I suspect.


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## pg tips (May 16, 2003)

I am fairly certain that "Swiss Emperor" was a brand name used for watches sold by the H Samuel chain of High Street jewellers in the UK during the 60s and 70s.


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## quoll (Apr 20, 2006)

"Everite" certainly was - but I had not heard that of Swiss Emperor before. I'm not disputing it though...


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## Stan (Aug 7, 2003)

Excalibur was also one of Harriet Samuel's brands.


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

I love the numeral font


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## MarkF (Jul 5, 2003)

pg tips said:


> I am fairly certain that "Swiss Emperor" was a brand name used for watches sold by the H Samuel chain of High Street jewellers in the UK during the 60s and 70s.


I had a Swiss Emperor chrono with a Valjoux movement, I posted a pic on here about a year or so ago and somebody stated that it *was* a high street branded product.

Weirdly, I had people from the US fighting over it when I came to sell it on the bay.


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## Mike J (10 mo ago)

I had the 25 jewel date mens watch for my 21st birthday back in 1966, I know it was purchased from Watches Of Switzerland in Bristol. It failed whilst still under guarantee and the jewel in the automatic movement had to be replaced with a bearing. I have a gold plated version of this model which is the same case and dial, except it has a day date feature, unfortunately the date has stuck and won't move.


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## Bricey (Apr 7, 2021)

How slowly do you type?


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## spinynorman (Apr 2, 2014)

Bricey said:


> How slowly do you type?


 Oooh, you're so cruel. 

I quite like these old threads. Makes me feel quietly superior. :laugh:

The name "Swiss Emperor" was originally trademarked in Switzerland by "Kenroy Trading, Gough et Cie", in January 1959. Kenroy Trading was an import/export company set up in Neuchâtel by two British nationals - Kenneth Roy Gough and Jolan-Maria Ellis - in Sept 1945. The company was interested in electrical equipment (Hi-Fi, radio, TV) as well as watches. In September 1965 Kenroy sold the Swiss Emperor name to E. Gunzinger & Cie, also of Neuchâtel. The company, not to be confused with Gunziger Freres, was liquidated in October 1983.

In the UK, however, the Swiss Emperor name was owned by Littlewoods, the mail order company based in Liverpool. From 1962 into the 1980s, Swiss Emperor watches were featured in Littlewoods catalogues.

And Excalibur, of course, was a trademark of Henry Showell Ltd of Birmingham, later Excalibur Jewellery Ltd. Sold in H. Samuel shops no doubt, but not their brand.


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## Markrlondon (Feb 20, 2009)

Mike J said:


> I had the 25 jewel date mens watch for my 21st birthday back in 1966, I know it was purchased from Watches Of Switzerland in Bristol. It failed whilst still under guarantee and the jewel in the automatic movement had to be replaced with a bearing. I have a gold plated version of this model which is the same case and dial, except it has a day date feature, unfortunately the date has stuck and won't move.


 Welcome.


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