By Bruce Shawkey
Venus was founded in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, in 1902 by Paul Arthur Schwarz and his wife Olga Etienne-Schwarz. Most any seasoned collector recognizes Venus for their manufacture of chronograph movements, sold to other watch companies. The Ranftt website records 22 separate Calibers of Venus chronographs made between the 1930s and ‘50s, some of which are still in use today.
But did you know that Venus was also a manufacturer of finished watches signed with their own company name? They were regular exhibitors at the Basel Exposition in the 1950s, and ran ads in the trade magazines, notably Swiss Watch and Jewelry Journal. Here are a couple of those ads below.
I have seen numerous examples of many types of watches, including multi-date and even dive watches. Vintages can be seen all way into the 1960s. Below is a nice clean specimen from the late 1950s or early '60s.
Cases are typically chrome or other type of base metal, but I have seen a few karat gold cases as well. Ironically, most movements I've seen in non-chronograph specimens are sourced from other ebauche suppliers, such as Fontainemelon and others. Specimens typically reside in dealers' "bargain boxes" at watch shows and flea markets, so they can often be picked up quite inexpensively.
Venus eventually became part of the Ebauches SA consortium that was absorbed by the Swatch Group. The brand was brought back to life in 2011, with offices in Geneve, and watches (mostly with Ronda quartz movements, but a few mechanical) are showcased at www.montresvenus.com. Here is an example from the current day collection. Even though it's denoted as part of their "Classico" collection, you'll note the typeface bears no resemblance to the original. The "onion crown" also is not something Venus ever used on its wristwatches, at least to my knowledge.
The movement is an ETA Cablier 2824-2 automatic. Prospective buyers are directed to a network of retailers located in South America, Europe, and Asia.
Thanks for your interest, and look for more obscure brands in the future!
Bruce
Do you want to know more about some of the oddball watch brands like Venus? Check out my new book, The Golden Age of the Swiss Wristwatch.
The time period after WWII up until about 1960 saw dozens and dozens of watch companies come out of the woodwork and produce some of the most beautiful ads ever seen. Many of the companies you no doubt have heard of, like Omega, Breitling, and Heuer. But how about Sinex, Recta, Erguel, and Mildia? Or my personal favorite, the "Vampire" model from the Pronto Watch Co.! I've collected some of the best ads and compiled them into a 300+ page book, complete with the histories of these companies. The price is $39.95 plus shipping.
For more information, and to order a copy, go to this link:
Bruce
