Gevril Watches

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After working in and around watches for many years, Samuel Friedmann wanted to distribute a watch brand in the US. After meeting with many brands, he realized that representing a brand that he didn't own was going to be problematic, so he decided that he had to have his own watch brand. Problem was, he didn't want to start up a new watch brand and try to enter the market.

A new watch brand is always a risky proposition – he wanted a watch brand with a history, a tradition, a heritage that he could draw from when creating new timepieces. So, he started looking and he found Gevril. To Friedmann, the Gevril name represented the ideal combination of history and future potential.

The company's namesake, Jacques Gevril was born in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1721. In 1743, he created his first chronometer; in 1744, his first repetition dial and in 1758, he was one of the first Swiss exporters to the king of Spain, together with Pierre Jaquet-Droz, and he became the watchmaker for the king.

"Today, the name of Gevril can be found in many museums and history books and many people acknowledge that he had a strong influence on watchmaking," says Friedmann.

"There is even a street in Gevril called Rue Gevril. The history of the family of Gevril goes back to the 1500s and there were several watchmakers in the family. The truth is that we are still discovering the past."