# Pierre Renoir Pocket Watch



## jucole (Apr 3, 2017)

Hi, I recently picked up a cheap pocket watch; it's my first pocket watch, but I can't find anything about the Brand name; it's a "Pierre Renoir" one, and it looks very similar to this one;
link to similar pocket watch I'm all googled out! all I can find is a Turkish brand called "Pierre Renoir" but with a different logo; I'm new to pocket watches and I have always wanted one; so, I bought this one because I liked the dial on it.

Thanks in advance!

Jules


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## jucole (Apr 3, 2017)

Just to add; after some googling the movement I believe is a modern ETA 6498-1 and the only other thing I've found on the web with a very similar logo is this watch.. 
Similar logo


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## jucole (Apr 3, 2017)

> I found what I was looking for; "pierre renoir" is a trademark / brand name of the creative watch co, birmingham, uk; that particular watch I think is a polished plated one; the style pretty much a clone of the modern "Woodford" or "Royal London" manufactured / branded ones. I'm guessing whoever makes the woodford / royal london ones, made the pierrre renoir ones.


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

Creative Watch Co., of 106-108 Vyse Street, Birmingham has been listed by Kompass as being a watch and clock manufacturer established in 1975. However, when looking at the company website, it is evident that Creative Watch Co. was founded in 1978 and does not engage in the manufacture or production of either watches or clocks. Instead, it is, for now at least, essentially a retailer with a Birmingham showroom and sells watches from a number of companies under their individual brand names. There is also a workshop attached to the shop where watch repairs and servicing are undertaken.

The brand name, "Pierre Renoir" sounds suspiciously like a "manufactured" title with no relevance to any watchmaker of that name, and indeed, it turns out that a Turkish watch company has taken this French name from the eponymous French impressionist artist. Pierre Renoir, the watch firm, has been in production for some 30 years, and now produces wristwatches, at least some of which are Swiss-made. If the Pierre Renoir name is linked with Creative Watch Company then it will merely have been have been a brand of watches sold by that Birmingham firm (and probably by various other retailers).

The "About" page on the Pierre Renoir website could do with an improved translation into English, but in connection with parts and manufacture I quote the following:

..."All mechanical parts we are using in our watches are examples of an incomparable quality formed within years with unrivalled accumulation of information and experience of Swiss industry of horologie. / We would like you to know that we select external parts materials as well as mechanical parts we are using, in the same sensitivity and care."

Exactly what this means in terms of origins for the watch movements is not wholly clear but one would surmise that the movements are Swiss while the other components come from elsewhere. The current mantra of the company is that it has reached the stage where "quality converges with elegance" and the watches are at least guaranteed for two years. I have seen one illustration of a modern Pierre Renoir pocket watch, with a gold case, and it certainly looks the business. However It appears that pocket watches are no longer produced by Pierre Renoir, and it is easy to be confused by brand names that are infuriatingly similar. For example, Chisolm Hunter is offering a "Jean Pierre" gold-plated stainless steel hunter pocket watch with a Chinese 17J movement for £165.

A smart modern gold (or is it gold-plated) pocket watch by Pierre Renoir. I cannot make out the origins of the movement and I would feel more confident if the watch had a Swiss designation on the dial (pic from solidgoldpocketwatch.com):










When it comes to wristwatches, Pierre Renoir offers a pretty good range including a number of automatics and ceramic timepieces. However, the Pierre Renoir website offers scant information regarding specifications, and there is no country of origin designated on the dials. In addition to this, there seems to be a lack of retailers advertising Pierre Renoir watches which makes one wonder what the current situation is with regard to the firm and its products.

In conclusion, the more I examine this firm and its watches, the less I am happy. In looking through the various watch models from Pierre Renoir, I get the feeling that many of them have not seen Switzerland, either in part or as a whole. The mechanical watches seem to have a marked resemblance to cheaper Chinese watches and I suspect that at least some of these have Far Eastern movements. There is nothing wrong with using the better Chinese automatic movements but it would be nice to know that the word, "Swiss," when applied to Pierre Renoir watches does not apply to the movements. I have only found one Pierre Renoir model with a proper country of origin designation on the dial and that merely indicates that the watch has a Swiss movement.This watch - a ladies' example with a gold-plated bezel set with crystals - also has the word, "CHRONOGRAPH" on the dial, yet the subdials are strangely confusing and indicate that this is probably a calendar watch and not a chronograph.

In my search for current retailers of Pierre Renoir watches in an attempt to obtain some specifications I have come across e-oro.gr, a Greek-based retail site. While the specifications include the use of stainless steel and sapphire crustal on various models, I am not impressed with the 3 ATM WR and, above all, I deplore the deceptive use of the mark, "SWISS M" on the dial which relates to the origin of the quartz movement used and does not mean that the watch comes up to the requirements for a Swiss-made designation.

I am therefore going to leave this topic where it has now arrived, merely saying that I myself would not want to spend money on a Pierre Renoir watch when it comes to the more recent crop of wristwatches. Perhaps one would have better luck with a Pierre Renoir pocket watch, but I feel that this is a brand I would rather leave well alone, marking it down as one of those brands that effects a Swiss-sounding French-language name without backing it up with any sort of Swiss heritage or sufficient Swiss content to be able to truly call their watches Swiss-made.

Pierre Renoir chronograph - presumably quartz - and one of their new models (pic from pierrerenoirwatch.com):


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## dobra (Aug 20, 2009)

Thanks AW, a bit of a convoluted tale if I may be so bold, but your suspicions sound well founded. Waste no more time young man.

Thanks

mike


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## jucole (Apr 3, 2017)

Just a little update, I ended up keeping the pocket watch; I tweaked the timing adjustment using some free software I found on the internet and it keeps the time even better now; my plan is to find a donor case at some point so I can put the movement into, as I really love the face, but hate the tacky gold finish case it's in.

I did try to get more info after calling the creative watch company, but although they confirmed it was one of theirs they didn't want to give any more info about who actually made it for them; I have no doubt the movement is swiss - so it's worth keeping because of that.


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