An Old Friend Rediscovered - from WUS

I thought you might like to see this. It is the first Borgel watch that I ever bought.

I was impressed with the dial, but when I got it I realised that the original onion crown was badly worn down, which rather spoiled its appearance. Being new to this style of watch I hadn't realised when I looked at the pictures, and it was only as I gained knowledge that I realised just how badly worn it was, so the watch lingered in a box.

I recently managed to get it fitted with a NOS onion crown which has transformed its appearance. It's now back at the top of my favourites. I think the paint on the numerals and the hands has been redone because it doesn't register above background radiation level on my geiger counter. But it was well done and looks right I think, not too neat, just the way the original thick radium and zinc sulphide based paint would have looked.

Apart from its generally very clean appearance is is nothing special. The case measures 34¼mm across excluding the lugs and crown, so it's a reasonable size to wear today. Inside the case back are the FB-key mark of the case maker François Borgel, the assay sponsor's mark AB for Arthur Baume, and London import hallmarks for silver with the date letter "a" for 1916/17.

Any idea who the movement maker might be? Although Arthur Baume was the London importer of Longines, it's clearly not a Longines movement...

And any idea what the original crowns on these watches were made of? A jeweller once told me that they were gold, which was used because it was harder than silver. But I have my doubts. They generally look more like brass than gold to me...

A quick dig about revealed the following hardnesses: (mohs)
Silver 2.5-3.0
Gold 2.5-3.0
Brass 5.5-6.0



http://forums.watchuseek.com/f11/old-friend-rediscovered-509333-post3731467.html

very informative and interesting read...thanks