Excelsior Park

 By Bruce Shawkey

Found this ad in the Sept./Oct. 1954 issue of Swiss Horological Journal for an Excelsior Park "Bolsa Watch," but the watch is not shown in the ad. "Bolsa" is Spanish for "purse," so I have to assume Excelsior Park was going to launch a purse model, but never did. Instead, the ad shows a two-register chronograph and a stopwatch. Excelsior Park chronographs, of course, are quite desirable among vintage watch collectors.

Excelsior Park was founded in St-Imier in 1866, the brand has rather vague origins. The name "Joseph Bonnie" is often mentioned, but the history of the company seems unclear. The brand was still active as late as 1983, but disappeared after that.

More info from Chat GPT:

The Excelsior Watch Company was a Swiss watch company that was founded in 1888 by Johann Stüdeli and a group of investors in the town of Biel/Bienne, Switzerland. The company quickly gained a reputation for producing high-quality mechanical watches, and it became one of the leading watchmakers in Switzerland in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. One of the company's most significant achievements was the development of the "Grande Sonnerie" complication, which allowed a watch to chime the time in different ways (e.g., every hour, every quarter hour, etc.) automatically. The Grande Sonnerie complication was a major technical achievement in the watchmaking world, and it helped establish Excelsior as a leading innovator in the industry.

Excelsior also played an important role in the development of chronographs, particularly in the field of sports timing. In the early 20th century, the company produced several watches that were specifically designed for use in sports timing, including the "Monte Carlo" and "Chrono-Tachymeter" models.Despite its early success, the company faced financial difficulties in the mid-20th century, and it eventually went bankrupt in 1983. However, the Excelsior name has been revived in recent years by a group of watch enthusiasts who are dedicated to preserving the company's legacy and producing high-quality timepieces in the Excelsior tradition.