Martel

 By Bruce Shawkey

Found this ad in the Nov./Dec. 1956 issue of Swiss Horological Journal for Martel watches:

Founded in 1911 in Le Locle by Georges Pellaton-Steudler, Martel Watch Co. was a specialty maker of repetition and chronograph movements. This category was rapidly rising, especially in Le Locle, and Martel soon became a favored producer. By 1916, the Martel Watch Co. had been established in Ponts-de-Martel by Pellaton-Steudler, though the Le Locle office remained active as well through the 1920s.

As early as 1917, Martel began specializing in chronograph movements, working with Universal for a movement that the company boasted was the world's first wrist chronograph. These were mono-pusher movements with the chronograph pusher integrated into the crown as on pocket chronographs. In 1932, Universal launched what they claimed was the world's first two-pusher wrist watch chronograph. With its dual-subdial design and pushers at 2 00 and 4 00, these remain the template for all future chronograph watches. 

Here are some ads and pictures of Martel watches over the decades: