Engineering:Jules Jürgensen
Jules Jürgensen was a Swiss watchmaking company founded by Jules Fredrik Jürgensen. The Swiss authorities treated the company as a branch of Urban Jürgensen & Sonner in Copenhagen.[1]
History
The company traced its roots to the year 1740, when the Danish watchmaker Jürgen Jürgensen went into partnership with Isaac Larpent, under the name "Larpent & Jürgensen". Upon Jürgen's death in 1811, his son Urban Jürgensen took over the company. Following Urban's death in 1830 the Danish company continued its operations as Urban Jürgensen & Sønner, while one of Urban's sons, Jules Frederik, moved to Switzerland and established a subsidiary branch.[2]
By 1919, Ed. Heuer & Co. purchased the Swiss Jürgensen operation and handled the regulation and assembly of Jules Jürgensen watches using ébauches (basic movement parts) from LeCoultre and Victorin Piguet; both were also suppliers to Patek Philippe.[2] Jules Jürgensen was sold to a U.S.-based company in 1936, but watches were still produced in Switzerland until 1957, when the documentation shows the watches were made by other manufacturers and branded with the Jürgensen name.[3] The company changed ownership twice during the 60's: first in 1965 when it was bought by Victor Hoff, and again in 1968 when the company was purchased by Downe Communications Inc.[4]
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During the Quartz crisis in 1974, Mort Clayman, a watch distributor in the U.S. and owner of Rhapsody watches, purchased the company. This marked the end of the era of Swiss Made Jules Jürgensen watches: During Clayman's ownership Jürgensen watches were assembled at Saint Croix in the US Virgin Islands using Japanese mechanical and quartz movements although some watches were still manufactured using Swiss parts.[4] Assembly in the Virgin Islands was done in order to qualify as “American Made” and consequently avoiding import tariffs.[5] According to the company's website, Rhapsody has ceased operation, but is still honoring warranties.[6] Mort Clayman died in January 2010, and his survivors closed the company. In 2011, Dr. Helmut Crott, owner of Urban Jürgensen & Sønner acquired the rights from the Clayman family.[7]
In 2025 a 18 carat gold Jules Jürgensen pocket watch formerly belonging to Titanic passenger Isidor Straus sold for record £1.78m at auction.[8]
References
- ↑ content, Partner. "Urban Jürgensen: a 250-year uninterrupted history" (in en). https://www.europastar.com/highlights/1004113470-urban-jurgensen-a-250-year-uninterrupted-history.html.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Rich Fordon (November 28, 2023). "In-Depth: Urban Jürgensen, Then And Now" (in en). https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/urban-jurgensen-then-and-now.
- ↑ "A geometric Jules Jürgensen (ETA cal. 2788)". https://blogskycorner.wordpress.com/2021/05/22/a-geometric-jules-jurgensen-with-eta-2788/.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Knudsen, John M. R., ed (2013). The Jürgensen dynasty: four centuries of watchmaking in two countries (1st ed.). Esbjerg: Rosendahl. ISBN 978-87-87036-88-7.
- ↑ "Jules Jurgensen - Chronopedia". https://chronopedia.club/Jules_Jurgensen.
- ↑ "Jules Jurgensen-Rhapsody, Inc.". http://www.jjwatch.com.
- ↑ "A Closer Look at Collecting with Dr Helmut Crott". https://www.acollectedman.com/blogs/journal/interview-dr-helmut-crott.
- ↑ Boyd, Raphael (2025-11-23). "Titanic passenger’s pocket watch sold for record £1.78m at auction" (in en-GB). The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/nov/23/titanic-passenger-pocket-watch-sold-record-auction.
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