# New User Needs Help/information, Moeris Watch



## ducasse (Sep 16, 2007)

Hi everybody.

I'm new to this forum, and to be honest I know very little about watches. Therefore, some of my questions might seem stupid, and I don't really know what information to give you and correct terms, so please be patient with me.

I recently inherited a watch from a much beloved family member (my father) who passed away. All I really know about it is that he was very fond of it, but I'm not sure if that's because there is a special history behind it or where he got it from, or if the watch itself is rare or special. I would really appreciate anything anyone could tell me about it.

I do not know what you might need to know, so here's everything I can glean from it.

On the watch face it says "Moeris" under a gold-colored logo under the 12. Under the center it says "shock-absorber" on one line and "17 jewels" on the next line.The numbers 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 are gold-colored, the other numbers are replaced with a sort of stretched triangle pointing to the center, also gold-colored. Above the 12 there are two small "dots", and one dot above the other numbers/triangles. The background is is white/silver in color.

The band (?) is a flexible steel (?) affair, the back is marked with "Made in Germany / Edelstahl / Acier (?) Inoxyable [RW] / D.PAT 896.575 / Pat. 697592 GB / (swiss cross) PAT 296 423 / C.PAT 505676 / PAT 1052603 / [RW] RW (in diamond shape) 912 / and every other link is marked FIXOFLEX.

The back of the watch itself is marked with INCABLOC / ANTIMAGNETIC / SWISS MADE / WATERPROOF in a perimeter circle. Inside the circle it says GRANDS PRIX, a circular Moeris logo, and a serial number (I guess) - 4301852, STAINLESS STEEL.

It seems to be working perfectly, and I quite like the way it looks. Besides, it's pretty much everything I have to remember him by, and since I know it was very special to him I would really like to know something about it.

Can anybody provide me with any information on this watch? The name Moeris means little to me, and I haven't been able to dig up much information by searching the net. I don't really know what to ask, but I'll try these questions;

- Moeris, who are they?

- Is this a quality watch?

- What does "17 jewels" mean? Are these ornamental items that may have fallen off?

- When, cirka, was it made? I remember him wearing it for as long as I can remember.

- What do I need to do to keep it in good working order, and where can I get it serviced if need be (I'm in Oslo, Norway)

- Is there anything else I should know?

- Is it worth anything? It has too much sentimental value for me to consider selling it, but can I use it for everyday use, or should I reserve it for special occasions? (I know it's not a Patek Philipe or Rolex, but is this something someone might consider stealing, or is it just a normally priced watch that just had special sentimental value to him)?

I apologize if I'm flooding you with inane questions and leaving out information you might need. It looks pristine, works perfectly (as long as I wind it regularly) - please ask me if there is anything else you need to know. If you need pictures I could try to arrange that somehow, but I do not have the means to easily do that - I will try, though, if it is of any help.

Anything you could tell me would really mean a lot to me - we (my father and I) only had sporadic contact, and this is really everything I have to remember him by. Knowing anything at all about it would mean a lot to me. Do not hesitate to contact me if there is anything else I could tell you about it.

Can anyone help me get informaton on what this is?

Again, I know little to nothing about watches, so every little bit of information would be very helpful to me.

Thanks in advance for any replies, even if this is a cheap watch, a fake or whatever, it's still everything I've got to remember it by, and he made it quite clear that he wanted me to have it and take good care of it.

And again, I apologize for bothering you all with this when I know nothing about watches in general, this one in particular, and what information you might need from me. All I really know is that is was very special to him, and he insisted that I should have it when he passed.

Any and all information on this would really mean a lot to me, so I would appreciate anything you could tell me.

Thanks in advance for any little piece of information.

(I also inherited a Rolex (it says something like Oyster Perpetual DayDate), but I have no idea if it's a fake or not) - but the Moeris is the one that has sentimental value to me anyhow as I know he loved it. I'm much less interested in the Rolex, really.)

Can anyone help me? I'd be eternally grateful, truly. My prime concern is knowing how to take good care of it, so I can keep it in good working order for as long as possible - it's important to me to still feel connected to him, and take as good care of it that he did.

Please, what is this? The smallest bits of information are important to me, and I would be most grateful.

I apologize if I'm wasting your time with stupid questions about a cheap watch that he could have purchased for a few dollars simply because he liked the way it looked, but even if that's the case I'd still know more than I do now.

English is not my first language, and as I said I know very little about watches, but I hope I can make myself understood and provide you with what you might need to know.

Thanks again for any and all information, this means a lot to me. Please contact me if you have any questions.

Warm regards,

Petter A


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## Guest (Sep 27, 2007)

A very warm welcome my friend ,pictures would help greatly ,best wishes Tony


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## ducasse (Sep 16, 2007)

Timetraveller said:


> A very warm welcome my friend ,pictures would help greatly ,best wishes Tony


I will try, but I have no digital camera. I'll try to borrow one ASAP and upload some shots. In the meantime, any answers to any of my questions would be really appreciated.

Thanks for such a quick reply and the welcome, hope my status as a ignoramus on watches does not discourage you from taking my questions seriously as several of them may be meaningless or inane - I'm trying to learn, and we all have to start somewhere, don't we?

And thanks for the warm welcome, newbies are not always exactly welcome.

Warm regards,

PA


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## Stan (Aug 7, 2003)

ducasse said:


> newbies are not always exactly welcome.


They are here. 

Welcome aboard.


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## ducasse (Sep 16, 2007)

Stan said:


> ducasse said:
> 
> 
> > newbies are not always exactly welcome.
> ...


*sniffle* ;-)

Again, thanks for the welcome! I may not know much about watches, but I find them absolutely fascinating. I've always had a love for technology, engineering, mechanics etc., and there is something about the precision work and sheer elegance that goes into making them that just makes me feel warm inside 

As I wrote, we all have to start somewhere, and although many of my questions may seem incredibly basic or show my lack of understanding of basic concepts, I hope you will bear with me - I'm a fast learner 

Also, as English is not my first language, I may have trouble describing exactly what I need to know, my grammar may be halting, and there are many technical terms I'm not familiar with that I may need to substitute with things like "the thing that connects to that other thing with two prongs that connect to the big, flat thing"  I ask you to bear with me, and please correct me, comment on my writing and teach me the correct terms - it's the only way I can learn. I consider that a great favour and will certainly not be offended. But I think (hope) I will mostly be able to make my self understood.

But back to my original questions - are there any of them you could answer before I may be able to get pictures, like "what is Moeris", and if they are generally good products. Also, what's this "17 jewels" thing - I guess it has nothing to do with decor?

OK, then - thanks for all the welcomes and the wonderful attitude I have been met with, as I am very shy it has been a very nice experience to feel so welcome, even though I certainly not have much to contribute with myself - at least for now.

Thanks again, everyone, and if anyone of you need any assistance with UNIX, networking, security, cryptography, network services/servers, etc, please feel free to ask as that has been my particular area of expertice for longer than I care to think about 

Pax Romanum,

Petter


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## chris l (Aug 5, 2005)

Hello and welcome to the forum.

I don't know the history of the Moeris company, they may have been founded in 1893 in St. Imier, by Moeri & Jeanneret, but there are German Army watches by them from 1930's...as well as British Army watches of the same time, and a James Bond watch from the 1960's, so they have some history!

From your description I think that you have a watch from 1955-1965 from a maker with a long history. A picture would help greatly.

As to your questions....

"INCABLOC " - is a system of mechanical insulation designed to protect the watch from knocks and bumps.

"WATERPROOF in a perimeter circle. " The phrase 'water resistant' has been used, instead, since, I think, the early 1960's.

17 jewels - these are tiny shaped rubies, employed as bearing surfaces at points of friction. Generally more is better! Wristwatches used few at first, and designs used more as time passed and features were added, like dates and calendars.


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## mel (Dec 6, 2006)

Welcome to









You're kind of answering your own questions in a way, Ducasse!







It really doesn't matter what you find out about this watch, it's value to you is unlimited! It's a link to your Father, and to be treasured for that alone. I have a watch, a cheap Citizen, belonged to my elder brother. It runs an hour slow over a week, the movement (works) inside the case rattles around a bit, and it's all beaten up - but it was my brother Jimmy's watch, my big brother who was a sailor, and a "hero" who came home with treasures for his kid brother from foreign lands! PRICELESS!

When I want to remember, I take it out and look at it and Jimmy's there beside me! I don't even include it as part of my collection, it's just there for me.

I'm sure you'll find out more, but I'm also sure you won't want to part with it, after all - it's "family"


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## John Hodgson (Nov 11, 2009)

Moeris

The Logo as in the photo incorporates a Scrolled styalised "F" and the "M"










The Moeris takes its name from its main line of product, and his story is typical of Swiss manufacturers medium-high, but they have not managed to establish itself as Patek or Vacheron. Moeris, however, managed to survive from 1883 to 1970, when it was absorbed by Tissot. Characteristic of these manufacturers is the separation between the trademarks and manufacturing, which is then often be difficult.

Moeri & Jeanneret (1883 - 1900)

Fritz Moeri and Julius Frederic Jeanneret Saint Imier founded a company in 1883 with the aim of producing watches. Indeed Jeanneret had started business in 1866, and had had an official consecration getting an honorable mention at the Exposition of the Horlogerie in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1881. The company continued until the sudden death of Jeanneret, in 1899. In 1882, Jeanneret also had altered his own company, in Jeanneret & Fils, then in 1883, as usual, there are two different companies linked together but independent.

Moeri Fritz (1900 - 1956)

On the death of Jeanneret the company was dissolved, probably due to problems with the widow of Jeanneret, who had taken an active part in the conduct of society, and became Fritz Moeri SA.o in full. Fabrique des Montres SA Moeris.

Development

The Fritz Moeri SA was a typical Swiss company of a good standard, which maintained its market position thanks to its philosophy. Moeri probably did not have the technical qualities of a Favre-Jacot, but instead of driving your business to the manufacture of decent Ebauches, develop their interests going in two directions, the clock for measuring ultra-short intervals and chronographs of high precision.

The patent of 1904

In 1904 Moeri filed a patent for an entire movement, a caliber 19'' ', called "Non-magnetic, blinking a little' s eye on the American market. The basic fact is that Moeri failed to follow the American method of cuts completely interchangeable with their tools. This movement is, of course, the basis of future production.

Moeris Invar (1905)

Invar is an alloy discovered by Swiss physicist Charles Eduard Guillaume (1861-1938) in 1896. The characteristic of 'the same and have a coefficient of linear expansion of less than ten times compared to' steel. Indeed, a particular variant of the 'Invar, known FeNi36, with 36% of nickel, has an even better behavior, but it was very difficult to work. Guillaume received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1920. Guillaume came from a family of watchmakers rather note, and he immediately understood as the practical application 's unchanged over the rockers, but the complication of mechanical processing of the alloy led him to organize a group of companies that experience the practical implementation of the new rockers. Moeri had both the instrumentation of mind required for this pioneering work, and took part in the trial along with the most resonant names of Swiss industry, achieving excellent results

Milan (1906)

The world class Moeri himself, and his company, led to his appointment to the Jury of the contest during the Universal Exhibition in Milan in 1906. His watch got a special award given out Main competition Moeri the presence of the jury, and this was the final affirmation of the brand.

Registered trademarks

With the development of the 1905/06 Moeri had put in a good light in the world of Swiss watchmaking, and of course worked to turn fame into sales. In fact, c 'were two roads, a greater effort and longer term, ie create a brand image, a "brand" as we say today, the way of Omega and Zenith for example, or working on the price / quality and market breakthrough "petty." There is, of course, since you know the reason for choosing Fritz Moeri but we can observe the effects. Between 1910 and the 30s the Fritz Moeri SA produced a myriad of marks registered or otherwise, such as Avon, Belvedere, Cherub, Convenience, CUDOS, Civitas, Darnley, Daswood, Excellence, Excellence, FM, Frimosa, Grand Prix, Guntyme, Maoris, Moeris, Moeris Patent, Odaglas, Replica, Rywood, Sekuer, The Bahadur, The Forms, tikkini, Timeball and the list is probably not complete. This effectively means that Moeri exploited the outstanding quality of their movements for small productions that sold well, but do not we pay special marketing efforts to its main brand, Moeris.

GSTP (1939 - 1945)

Moeris Clocks have, as a rule, movements that are very beautiful in terms of finishing. In the years around 1925 he produced variations of the latest 19'' 'of 1904 they had success, so that several copies still circulate today marked Alpina not Moeris, the 19B and 19D. These beautiful solid movements allow the Fritz Moeris know you're not into convulsions of Swiss industry from 1926 onwards, and to deal with a major customer, the British War Office to 'the beginning of World War II, turning out a large amount of pieces that were branded GSTP and purchased from the War Office.

Post-war (1946 -1956)

The end of World War II found the Fritz Moeris SA in good condition and were produced variants of the final 19'' ', the 19H and 19J, with good success and at the same time also included gauges for wristwatches, from the tiny 5'' 'ladies' to 10''', 11'' ', 10'''. Moeris is a fact that was one of the best manufacturers of movements remained independent and sound cash position. In 1956 he obtained a great success Moeri image, but also in terms of turnover, providing both Seiko Citizen that a lot of movement. This situation, however, could not last long, since Moeri had become essentially a "strategic" for the 'Swiss industry as a whole, and thus had to be "controlled." In the late '60s, then. The Fritz Moeri SA is absorbed by Tissot, which in turn was merged in 1931, along with Omega and others, and that through SSIH 's contribution of the Division Moeri Fritz "was trying to find space in the market increasingly dominated by Japanese and by quartz movements. Currently everything is gathered together in Swatch.

Considerations

Moeris, especially with products from the main line, Moeris, is a manufacturer unjustly forgotten and movements of the family started from 19 in 1904 are really good technically and generally well finished: they are movements that have a lot more space in the literature than in the ordinary course of business, which is a shame in terms of the collection. The movements of the series 19, in particular, played perfectly 's watch "type" of its period, or may form a continuous line in time and technical evolution of good Swiss watch industry from 1904 to 1956. Because the manufacturer is not well known, moreover, can be found on the market at affordable prices, usually well below the absolute value of the movements themselves. Of course it is easy to find movements with the unchanged budget, even in the initial form, similar to the rocker Earnshaw, then with two supports and screws isochronism. The rocker Invar, however, differ from those Earnshaw immediately since there are obvious the two cuts for the expansion at the supports.

1970: Aquired by Tissot becoming the "Moeris Department" within Tissot. And I understand that they still make high end, high specification watches to special order in other words EXPENSIVE


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