Gevril is a watch company steeped in history and it is continuing to flourish over 250 years since its inception.
The company was founded in 1758 by Jacques Gevril, who was a gifted Swiss watchmaker at the time. Following a trip to Madrid with colleague Pierre Jaquet-Droz, Gevril was appointed Royal Watchmaker by the Spanish king.
He remained in Spain for many years and his skills were passed down to several future generations, including Moyse Gevril and Daniel Gevril.
Such was the quality of Gevril’s work that today Gevril pocket watches are highly collectable, and there’s even one in the Wilsdorf family collection.
The key to the company’s modern success can be dated back to 2001 when businessman Samuel Friedmann purchased the Gevril brand. Although Friedmann kept the factory in Switzerland, its headquarters were moved to New York.
It is New York that inspires the company’s modern watch collections, most of which are named after prominent Manhattan neighbourhoods and landmarks. For instance, the signature collection is called Avenue of Americas, which follows the same art deco style of the 1930s as the architecture on the famous Manhattan road.
The Avenue of Americas collection is rectangular and comes in 316L stainless steel, 18k rose gold and 18k yellow gold ion plating. It’s Swiss made with a water resistance of 5 bar and a case thickness of 13.5mm.
Another highlight from the Gevril range is another Manhattan-inspired collection called the Columbus Circle, which is based on a roundabout on the corner of Central Park. The 45mm round case contains a dial comprised of concentric rings and wheels (displaying the day and date), at the centre of which is a stationary disk displaying the astrological symbols of the days of the week.
