BELOW COST VINTAGE BELFORTE MILITARY GENTS WRISTWATCH (SOLD)

BRAND/JENAMA: AUTHENTIC BELFORTE MILITARY GENTS WRISTWATCH

MADE IN/BUATAN: USA

CIRCA/TAHUN: 1950's

MODEL: MILITARY

CRYSTAL/CERMIN: ACRYLIC

MOVEMENT/ENJIN: BENRUS 17 JEWELS MANUAL WINDING MOVEMENT

DIAL COLOR: GOLD CHAMPAGNE/WARNA KEEMASAN

FUNCTION/FUNGSI: MILITARY

HANDS/JARUM: GOLD TONE/ KEEMASAN

MARKERS/TANDA WAKTU: GOLD TONE ARABIC & ARROW/KEEMASAN ARABIC & ANAK PANAH

BEZEL: UNIQUE COINED EDGE

CASING : GOLD TOP & STAINLESS STEEL BACK / KEEMASAN ATAS DAN BELAKANG KELULI

LUGS: 18mm

MEASUREMENT/UKURAN: 36mm DIAMETER INCLUDING CROWN and 41mm LUG TO LUG

DITANDA/ENGARVED BACK CASING: ANTIMAGNETIC, SHOCK ABSORBING, WATERPROOF

CROWN: UNSIGNED GOLD PLATED/ SADUR EMAS

STRAP/TALI: NEW GENUINE BROWN LEATHER/ KULIT ASLI WARNA COKLAT BARU

SIZE STRAP/SAIZ TALI: 8.5"

WORKING CONDITION, KEEPING TIME, DISCONTINUED MODEL & HARD TO FIND

PRICE/HARGA: SOLD TO TN. HJ RAIS FROM JLN KLG LAMA, KL

BRIEF HISTORY OF BENRUS, SOVEREIGN AND BELFORTE WATCHES

Benrus Watch Company was an American (family run) company. It was founded in New York City in 1921 by three brothers - Benjamin, Ralph, and Oscar Lazrus. The ambitious brothers were Romanian immigrants. The name "BENRUS" was a combination of Benjamin Lazrus first and last names. Hence "BEN"jamin laz"RUS". On 14 May 1923, Lazarus acquired the legal protection of the trademark Benrus from the Swiss federal office for intellectual property.

The original company headquarters were located in the Hippodrome building on 44th street in Manhattan. While some watch assembly took place there, but the bulk of the manufacture took place in Switzerland. Benrus owned a factory in la Choux de Fond where watches were assembled. This was run by the first woman to run a major Swiss company. At the time all Swiss watches and parts were controlled by the Swiss cartel who provided Benrus with the movements and parts. Benrus also had a factory in Waterbury CT which is where they made the cases for Benrus watches. The company would later own factories in France, St. Thomas, and Virgin Islands in the late 50's early 60's. The WWII years were a period of gigantic growth for Benrus. Contrary to popular belief, Benrus, like many other watch manufacturers of the time, manufactured watches for WWII servicemen. Most US companies (including watch companies) were brought into the war effort to produce items for military use. Benrus was no different. They had top secret government assignments to manufacture timing devices for use in bombs and weapons. They also continued to sell watches to civilians as they were still able to ship their Swiss movements by sea via Lisbon. The extremely limited supply of affordable watches meant big profits for the company as consumers snapped up whatever watches Benrus could make.

Post-War, Benrus designers went to work fashioning beautiful and dazzling watches that expressed post war civilian life. The resulting designs from Benrus were unique and exaggerated. Designs from this period, with fancy bezels and lugs. The company produced memorable watches like the "Embraceable" - a one piece watch that was slipped on like a bracelet, and also the "Citation" which was named after a famous racehorse of the time. It was a very exciting time for the Benrus Watch Company who played a large role in the Retro-Modern period as we know it. Watches from this period are becoming very collectible today.

Production steadily expanded throughout the 1940's and into the 1950's. Supplies of high quality Swiss movements were not only readily available, but were also inexpensive for Benrus to buy. This was due to high volume and a strong relationship with the Swiss cartel. Benrus even had a German company supplying ebauche movements and parts. The company was positioned perfectly... just as with cars and houses, America was ready to buy a new watch. By the beginning of the 1950s, Benrus was the 3rd largest watch producer in the United States, second to Hamilton Watch, and Bulova. They had also earned a strong reputation for making quality timepieces.

Other brands that sold under the Benrus name were

SOVEREIGN
BELFORTE

In the 1960's through the late 70's, Benrus made military issue watches used by the Army and Navy. These were issued to servicemen fighting in the Vietnam War.

Early in the 1960's Ben and Ralph Lazrus were in their 70's and ready for retirement. By the mid to late 70's Benrus Incorporated was a diversified manufacturer of a number of consumer products. Companies included: Benrus Watch Co. Watches, Wells, Inc. Jewelry, and Destino, Ltd. - Christian Dior Products. An attempt to consolidate all the various manufacturing enterprises under one roof proved to be a much more expensive move than anyone calculated, and a final blow to the company which subsequently filed bankrupt in 1977.

The company was then sold, and after passing through several more hands, came under the ownership of the Hampden Company, which also owned "Fantasy Diamonds", with factories in both the Virgin Islands and Chicago. An attempt was made to bring back the Benrus brand under Hampden/Fantasy, which was somewhat successful but short lived. Among others, a reissue of Vietnam service watches proved very popular.