Benjamin Haas’perpetual calendar

Perpetual calendar mechanism based on the English invention patent No. 2 870, delivered on September 30, 1872, to Benjamin Haas Jeune, Paris, for a “Improvements in Watches, showing the Date of the Month and Days of the Week”.

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Haas

The house was founded in Geneva in 1848 by the brothers Léopold Haas (Kembs, June 9, 1827 – Paris, February 27, 1915) and Benjamin Haas (Kembs, June 6, 1829 – Paris, 16th arr., August 11, 1925).

They are originally from Kembs in the Haut-Rhin (Alsace), a village located on the left bank of the Rhine, about twenty kilometres northwest of Basel. They are the sons of Meyer-Marc Haas (Colmar, April 5, 1797 – Colmar, December 28, 1838), merchant in Paris, and Sara Haas, née Brunschwig (Kembs, April 17, 1799 – Colmar, July 29, 1842).

The company names are chronologically:

· “B. Haas Jeune” (before 1867).

· “B. Haas Jeune & Cie” (before 1879 or from 1884).

· “Maison B. Haas Jeune”.

· “Ancienne Maison B. Haas Jeune”.

· “Haas Neveux & Co.” (1895 or 1901).

Circa 1870-1880, the addresses are:

· Geneva; 5, quai du Mont-Blanc.

· Paris; 104, boulevard Sébastopol.

· Besançon; Grande Rue.

Thanks to the company’s impeccable standards, the Haas signature has always been one of the most sought-after. The company enjoys an excellent reputation, winning numerous awards at industrial national and international exhibitions and becoming the supplier to many European royal courts (in 1868, “Fournisseur Breveté de S. M. l’Empereur” Napoléon III”).

· 1867, Paris, Universal Exhibition; bronze medal.

· 1867, Amsterdam.

· 1873, Vienne, Universal Exhibition (“Hors Concours”).

· 1878, Paris, Universal Exhibition; silver medal.

· 1881, La Chaux-de-Fonds, National Swiss Horological Exhibition.

· 1889, Paris, Universal Exhibition.

· 1891, Moscow.

· 1893, Chicago.

· 1896, Geneva, National Swiss Exhibition; gold medal.

· 1914, Bern, National Swiss Exhibition; “Grand Prix” (gold medal).

· 1929, Barcelona, International Exhibition.

Benjamin Haas was made Chevalier (Knight) of the Legion of Honour on July 7, 1874.

Haas gained a reputation as a manufacturer of fine chronometers, calendars, chronographs, repeaters and highly complicated watches. Their most notable creations were:

· A “remontoir perpétuel à décrochement” (patented in 1867 and 1873).

· A perpetual calendar (circa 1870).

· A special calendar so-called “Quantièmes Indépendants” for double-face watch (patented in 1872).

· An apparatus for electrically illuminating the time dials of watches, clocks, etc. (“Appareil destiné à l’éclairage électrique des cadrans horaires des montres, pendules, etc.”; co-patented in 1891 with Gustave Trouvé who was an electrical engineer at the manufactory).

· A perfectioned watch (patented in 1893).

· The first ultra-thin watch movements (2 mm. thick in 1896 and 1.3 mm. thick in 1914).

· A double chronograph with two 30-minute counters (circa 1910).

· An ultra-thin minute-repeater wristwatch 10’’’ movement (1918).

Since the end of the 1870’s, the company has been presenting its chronometers at the timing contest competitions of the Geneva Astronomical Observatory:

· 1878-1879; two bulletins including two 3rd prizes.

· 1890; two bulletins.

· 1892; one bulletin.

· 1893; two bulletins.

· 1894; one bulletin.

· 1896; two bulletins.

· 1897; one bulletin.

· 1898; three bulletins including one 2nd prize and two 4th prizes.

· 1899; nine bulletins including one 2nd prize and three 4th prizes.

· 1900; six bulletins including one 4th prize.

· 1901; four bulletins including one 3rd prize.

· 1902; two bulletins including one 1st prize.

· 1903; four bulletins including one 4th prize.

· 1908; one bulletin.

· 1909; one bulletin.

· 1910; one bulletin.

· 1913; three bulletins

· 1914; one bulletin including one 1st prize. (878.8 points; régleur Wehrli frères); a record that remains unmatched for almost 20 years.

Circa 1900-19020, the company produced several thin and ultra-thin watches, so-called “dress-watch”, some with horological complications, but also the “Compteur mécanique à totalisateur d’unités et de sous-multiples”, an invention patented by Georges Lafond, Paris. At this time, the company has a manufacture in La Chaux-de-Fonds.

Circa 1920-1930, the addresses are:

· Geneva; 5, quai du Mont-Blanc.

· Paris; 3, rue Scribe.

· Cannes; 33, boulevard de la Croisette.

· New York; 45 West 45th Street.

An attempt at the rebirth of the Manufacture was made, under the direction of Mr. Floquet (1987-1996), a former Director of Patek Philippe, which led to the production of some very fine wristwatches between 1991 and 1995.

In 1997, SWC Co., Ltd. (formerly Samsung Watch Co., Ltd.), Korea, acquired the name “Haas” and start the production of quartz wristwatches under the label “Haas & Cie, since 1848”. The brand is launched in Korea in 2000, in Russia and CIS region in 2002.