Georges Frederic Roskopf
Georges Frédéric Roskopf ( born May 15, 1813 in Niederweiler as Georg Friedrich Roskopf, † April 14, 1889 in Bern ) was a German -Swiss watchmaker. Roskopf is considered the inventor of the " pin lever - clock " with pin lever escapement.
Biography
In 1829 Roskopf came to La Chaux -de-Fonds to learn French and began a commercial apprenticeship at F. Mairet & Sandoz, a dealer for watch parts. He then completed from 1833 to 1835 an apprenticeship as a watchmaker at J. Beaver. In 1835 he married Françoise Robert Theurer, wealthy widow of Théophile Lorimier. 1835 founded Roskopf Établisseur a repair shop that he had to sell in 1850. From 1851 on, he worked with the brothers Gutmann. In 1855 Roskopf founded with his son, Fritz Edouard and Henri -Edouard Gindraux the company Roskopf, Gindraux & Co.. In 1857, the co-owner left the company. Fritz Edouard Roskopf founded his own workshop and Gindraux became director of the School of Watchmaking in Neuchâtel.
From 1860, its first own variant of the pin lever escapement was used to reduce the manufacturing cost. He was thus able to offer a watch that cost only 20 francs, which corresponded to the weekly wage of a worker. As of 1867, the low-priced pocket watch, Prolétaire ' with only 57 items was sold, was awarded a bronze medal for the pin lever at the Paris World Fair of 1867. For this watch model, he received the Belgian Patent No. 21988 of 3 August 1867, the exterior design, U.S. Patent No. 75 463 by March 10, 1868 for the pin lever escapement and French Patent No. 80611 of March 25, 1868 for a clock with a pin lever escapement in its own modular factory plate. In Switzerland it was missing for a patent novelty, since the invention of the pin lever escapement by Louis Perron was already known there.
Louis Breguet in 1868 wrote a laudatory letter about pin lever to the Société pour l' Encouragement de l'Industrie en France national. In 1869 he was awarded a silver medal at the World Exhibition in Amsterdam. The successor model was followed in 1870 with a mounting of the housing base with a hinge and was sold for 25 francs. This clock had an enlarged barrel and a coil spring according to a patent by Adrien Philippe, paid for the royalties.
The pin lever watches were built under license by other manufacturers. In addition, pin lever watches were copied from various watchmakers and the fake watches were Roskopf K. & Cie, Oter Roskopf, Sistema Roskopf, J. W. Roskopf Roskopf or sold under brand names such as A. Rosskopf & Co, Louis Roskopf jr.
In La Chaux -de-Fonds industrial mass production, however, was perceived as a threat for the manual production, which was reflected in public hostility Roskopfs. After the death of his wife in 1872 he married again in 1873, moved to Bern and sold the company together with the patents to the company will Frères & Cie. Their owners were Charles and Eugène Charles Léon Schmid and brothers will. Charles Wille was married to the granddaughter of Roskopfs first wife. In 1874 Roskopf took in Cernier to the Swiss citizenship.
After the death Roskopfs several brands of companies that claimed to be the legitimate successor emerged. Among other things, sold Fritz Edouard Roskopf and his son Louis -Frédéric pin lever watches under the brands FE Roskopf, Louis Roskopf SA, Petit Fils pin lever or pin lever Nieto. After expiration of the patents Watches Watch Co., Oris, Dubois Frères and Vittori were prepared from the pin lever - type by the Reconvillier.