Ever heard of GHC Watch Co. ?

[morningtundra]

I recently picked up a cheap eBay Chrono. Bit of a foolish impulse buy (it just looked sad and lost and in need of a home).

Google doesn't seem to know anything about this manufacturer. I'm hoping someone may know something about GHC or point me to a starting point.

I haven't been able to get it open and guessing it's early 70's (?) from the shape of the hands.

This community seems to have hit it out of the park on my last ID request, so I'm hoping someone can do it again :-)

Thanks for looking!

[is that my watch]

will have a look in to it think it has a Valjoux 7733 movement bonhams sold one a while back for £200

[is that my watch]

try looking under "Gorgerat Horological Co"

edit also look under

kelek. La Chaux-de-Fonds

also

http://watchipedia.wikidot.com/brand-k:kelek with this link in it ... http://forum.horlogerie-suisse.com/v...php?f=9&t=9352

[morningtundra]

I doubt Bonhams would want to touch this one... The chrome plating is in pretty bad shape. And I'm not sure if the crown has been replaced or just the plating has been rubbed off through winding.

I mailed it off to a watchmaker today to see if he can get it open and running properly. I hope to get a movement pic from him.

Thanks

[morningtundra]

try looking under "Gorgerat Horological Co"

edit also look under

kelek. La Chaux-de-Fonds

also

http://watchipedia.wikidot.com/brand-k:kelek

Wow, that was quick! Thanks!

... out of curiosity, how did you get from GHC to Gorgerat Horological Co.?

[is that my watch]

Wow, that was quick! Thanks!
... out of curiosity, how did you get from GHC to Gorgerat Horological Co.?

not sure went down the swiss miss route guess movement guessed aged and it remind me of a kelek so various google searches with a mix of the words got me a few hits on similar looking watches one gave me Gorgerat Horological Co which then directly related to kelek that gave me the rest as corgerat was to do with kelek , think it was in the link I gave. might cut and paste it here as the link seems to have double wrote sections which is a bit annoying

[is that my watch]

discovered this brand during its centenary in 1996 in BASEL

Although the date of 1896 appears in the brochures and advertisements,
KELEK was created in 1960: KELEK SA or Société jean-Raoul GORGERAT-KELEK SA .



The brand is also represented by the symbol of a schematized hourglass.



History tells us that the watchmaking beginnings of this company date back to 1896 - La Chaux-de-fonds and the Founder Ernest GORGERAT.


E. GORGERAT is moving quickly abroad to the
first customer in LONDON and then to important relations with JAPAN and a well-known house HATTORI (SEIKOSHA and a little later SEIKO).

Son Raoul returns to the company in 1905 and will do some internships in England and Germany before the Great War.

Jean-Raoul, who took over the company in 1953, said that between 1914 and 1918, the watchmaking company of his grandfather and his father made a thousand movements and watches a month, of which a fairly large number of complications Repetitions: watches for mutilated warfare etc ...)

Chronograph of 1975 - Caliber Valjoux 7734


The company will adapt to all the upsetting of Swiss watchmaking in the interwar period (the arrival of the wristwatch , The chronographs, the regression of watch exports in 1921, the creation of a Trust of drafts and approval in 1927, the creation in 1931 of the ASUAG general society of watchmaking Switzerland.

1939-1945, it can be considered that the race for the " The armament of the armed forces will help the pursuit of affairs by the needs of the belligerents.

GORGERAT will continue to work with its Japanese client.

After 1945, we converted to the chain.

Jean-Raoul GORGERAT, a graduate in business and economics, took over the company in 1953



- despite the reluctance of his technicians, a movement assembly line was set up in collaboration with the Fabrique d ' Sketches of Fontaimelon.
Creation in 1960 of KELEK

J. R. GORGERAT will lead a "DISSIDENCE" against the price control practiced by the agents of FIDHOR / FH, and will create a joint production structure under the name of SAGITER.
word composed of the first letter of the next seven social reasons:
S andoz A etos G orgerat I nvicta T echnos E ska R teenager

opposite the status STATE / FH and prices dams in order to bring competitive prices and truly industrial.

1970s
Chrono Sandoz KELEK KELEK direct reading (digital) 1970s automatic In 1970, the company was entrusted to Gabriel FEUVRIER returned in 1969. This man: Patron Watchmaker, Clockmaker Patron This one will work from the start with the company DUBOIS-DEPRAZ . This will allow important developments of complicated mechanisms Caliber 12 of DD in the 90s KELEK is one of the most important Swiss manufacturers of automatic mechanical chronographs. Some templates references Cal 88 VX - Cal 10 000 - Cal 10371 - 10520-10310 Cal DK 75 U - 76 - 78-79 - 81-87 Cal 2700-5100 - 5200-5300 - 5500-5600 Cal 7750-7758 Cal 130 - 150 - 151 153 Watch 2892-2 caliber automatic repeat 1995 and many others ... caliber 2152 24 1989 automatic watch bracelet, perpetual calendar, time day, 52 weeks, months, year, vintage, seasons, 24 hours Lunar phases, 6 correctors, Gold 18 carats. This brief history is drawn in part from a book by Roland CARRERA, Journalist and Historian in Clockmaking small note the word: KELEK is a Palindrome that is to say the word reads in both directions Chrono Mechanical barrel caliber 2000 - year 2000 A typical watch contains about 95 pieces A great Complication KELEK bracelet: 920 pieces A Great Pocket Complication: 1340 pieces and displays 13 functions But one of my favorites, By its KELEK dial of 1973 and the TDBK 1376 - presentation in Basel in 1973 - car part realized by Brac - chrono part realized by Dubois Dépraz for Kelek - modular design - the smallest car time at the time - marketed by Ténor & Dorly And Kelek. In fact it will soon be extended to other brands like Minerva (and yes ...), Précimax or Whaltam (which had become Swiss at that time). - 2 versions: 1376 with digital display, 1369 with classic display - 23000 calibres produced, so it is not frankly speaking a rarity - poor reliability because of a very average car part. Small anecdote, I had found in a Indian market a mono-push chrono of the years 60/70, after reflection I had not bought this watch. (Genre Chrono-STOP Omega) Two days later I went back to this market, but I did not find the stall again. Bummer ... and regretssss friendly KELEK 1996 , the a Centennial Watch KELEK 1993

[morningtundra]

The link in there is a gem...

http://forum.horlogerie-suisse.com/v...php?f=9&t=9352

Some nice retro photos of the Kelek factory and the founder Ernest Gorgerat. The Seiko connection was interesting. Didn't expect that!

[is that my watch]

The link in there is a gem...

http://forum.horlogerie-suisse.com/v...php?f=9&t=9352

Some nice retro photos of the Kelek factory and the founder Ernest Gorgerat. The Seiko connection was interesting. Didn't expect that!

yeah looks like the link I used was pulled from there with out the pic's as that link is a better one think will delete the other one from my book marks and add that one instead for future reference

[morningtundra]

This piece is back from a service (clean, lube, adjust). I asked specifically for no cosmetic (refinishing) work, just get it running properly (the chrono didn't run or reset properly).

Turns out it didn't need any parts (but he threw in some new spring bars). The price was very reasonable for a vintage chronograph. You can PM me if you want price details.

They received it 6/28 and I got it back 7/21. Excellent turn around time (given the July 4th holiday week in the middle).

I sent it to,

Shant's Clock and Watch Repair
8. E. Holly Street
Pasadena CA91103

T 626 304 4874

The watchmaker is a friendly chap. Very responsive to emails and phone calls. I know the work was relatively modest (service only) but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend him or use him again.



The burred screw heads were there before I sent it to him...