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The history of Gevril

Posted on September 03 2019

The history of Gevril watches is a story that combines an illustrious watchmaking past with an innovative modern revitalization. The company origins date back to the mid-18th century and Jacques Gevril, the gifted Swiss watchmaker who is the founder and inspiration of the eponymous brand. Today the Gevril name endures thanks to the vision of Swiss horologist and businessman, Samuel Friedmann, who lifted the brand to its current heights as an established Swiss watch company.


In the 1990s a Swiss distributor acquired rights to the Gevril name, eventually launching a series of Gevril watches at the Basel Fair in 1995. But the brand’s true renaissance occurred in 2001 when Samuel Friedmann, a Swiss businessman with a passion for watches, purchased the Gevril brand. Friedmann, who grew up in Lugano, Switzerland, understood the significance of the Gevril name and wanted to see it prosper in the world of contemporary watchmaking. He was determined to return the brand to its previous brilliance.

History and Tradition Meet Exclusivity and Glamor

The history of Gevril watches is a story that combines an illustrious watchmaking past with an innovative modern revitalization. The company origins date back to the mid-18th century and Jacques Gevril, the gifted Swiss watchmaker who is the founder and inspiration of the eponymous brand. Today the Gevril name endures thanks to the vision of Swiss horologist Samuel Friedmann, who lifted the brand to its current heights as an established Swiss watch company.

Gevril Traditions

Jacques Gevril was an up-and-coming watch and clockmaker in 1758 when he accompanied his colleague Pierre Jaquet-Droz on a trip to Madrid. There, the men presented a selection of complex musical automata to King Ferdinand VI. The king was so impressed he bought every piece. Jaquet-Droz returned home the following year but Gevril remained in Spain to fortify his reputation as a master watchmaker and was appointed Royal Watchmaker by the king. Gevril lived in Spain for many years thereafter, refining his craft and producing watches for the Crown.

Gevril’s traditions were survived by future generations of Gevril watchmakers including Moyse Gevril and Daniel Gevril, who built their reputations on horological innovations and artistic enameling techniques. Today Gevril pocket watches are highly collectible: one is even located in the Muséum Genève and another is part of the collection of the Wilsdorf family, founders of Rolex.

Gevril Renaissance

Samuel Friedmann, Owner and President of Gevril WatchesIn the 1990s a Swiss distributor acquired rights to the Gevril name, eventually launching a series of Gevril watches at the Basel Fair in 1995. But the brand’s true renaissance occurred in 2001 when Samuel Friedmann, a Swiss businessman with a passion for watches, purchased the Gevril brand. Friedmann, who grew up in Lugano, Switzerland, understood the significance of the Gevril name and wanted to see it prosper in the world of contemporary watchmaking. He was determined to return the brand to its previous brilliance. 

Friedmann kept the factory – Gevril Horlogerie – in Switzerland, where the company continued to assemble approximately 6,000 strictly Swiss made mechanical watches each year, primarily limited editions in either 18 kt. gold or stainless steel. Gevril headquarters, however, was moved to New York.

New York City and the Gevril Avenue of Americas

New York City provides the stimulus for Gevril’s modern watch collections, most of which are named after prominent Manhattan neighborhoods and landmarks. The signature collection is called Avenue of Americas. Also known as Sixth Avenue, the Avenue of the Americas is a grand thoroughfare in lower Manhattan that runs northbound through the center of the city from Tribeca to the southern border of Central Park. Among the rich array of buildings on the street are landmarks including Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall. Like so much of New York City’s skyline, the architectural style of the 1930s is prominently displayed on Sixth Avenue.

The same art deco design style of the ’30s guides the design of the Avenue of Americas line, a collection of discerning men’s and women’s luxury watches with rectangular curved cases, guilloché dials with stylized art deco numerals and mechanical movements. The current Avenue of Americas watch collection includes the following variants.Avenue of Americas Serenade

A dual-time-zone watch is one of the most practical and attractive complications in horology, designed for travelers and anyone who makes the jump from one time zone to another on a regular basis. Set in the classic Avenue of Americas case, the Serenade also features day-and-night indicators for each of the two time zones as well as a date function at six o’clock. Like others in the Avenue of Americas line, the Serenade dials have silver guilloché, Arabic scripted numerals, cathedral hands and a 34 x 44 mm curved, rectangular case. Cases are available in stainless steel, 18 kt. rose gold and 18 kt. white gold. The automatic movement features a white-gold rotor; the matching folding clasps are also made of white gold.