Verger, Paris. Founded by Ferdinand Verger in 1872. In 1896 Verger registered the ?F.V.? trademark found on this watch. In 1901 he bought the former Lepine company from Roux and later bought and liquidated another company, Louis Leroy, keep-ing its trademark, which he re-registered in 1917. His two sons, Georges and Henri, succeeded him in 1911, changing the company name to Verger Frères, and the master-mark to ?V.F.? They soon counted among the most eminent jew-elers and designers in Paris. Georges is considered by many to be one of the major figures in the development of the Art Deco style in Paris. The company produced cases for the finest jewelers in the world, including Boucheron, Tiffany, La Cloche, Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Gübelin. Many of their models were quite original: the ?Bras en l?air? was offered with figures of the Buddha, a snake charmer or a Mandarin; the famous ?radiateur?, often sold as a purse clasp; the ?montres à volet? produced for Ostertag, Van Cleef & Arpels, Boucheron, Mauboussin, Gübelin and Tiffany; and the celebrated ?Montre Cadenas?, especially designed for Van Cleef & Arpels. They were instrumental in reviving the fashion for having dials and cases with miniatures painted on ivory panels. They were also the creators in the 1920?s and 1930?s of magnificent clocks with dials in pietra dura as well as the outstanding mystery clocks, which were the pride of Cartier and Vacheron & Constantin.