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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →François Borgel changed how a watch case could be assembled: instead of opening the case through a removable back, his design inserted the movement from the front in a threaded carrier. Later, the Taubert family continued the business and developed additional sealing features, including a flexible winding-stem seal and a decagonal screw case. These were important advances in keeping out dust and damp, but they are not equivalent to modern water-resistance ratings.
What was a Borgel watch case?
A specialist history of the case maker describes Borgel’s screw case as a one-piece outer case without a conventional opening back. The movement sat in a carrier ring with external threads; the ring screwed into the case from the front, with the bezel at the carrier’s outer end. By avoiding an ordinary removable back, the construction reduced routes through which dust and damp could enter. The specialist account associates the best-known screw case with 1891 patents, including Swiss patent CH 4145 for an improved watch case. Vintage Watch Straps’ history of Borgel and Taubert
The date is not entirely settled in the available historical accounts. Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie places Borgel’s first screw-down, water-resistant case in 1880, while the specialist patent history centers the familiar design on 1891. Those dates may refer to different stages, but that has not been established; the 1880 date should therefore be treated as an attributed timeline claim rather than a reconciled patent chronology. Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie timeline
How did the business pass from Borgel to Taubert?
After François Borgel died in 1912, his daughter Louisa continued the firm. The Taubert family acquired the business in 1924 and continued case production in Geneva as Taubert & Fils. The successor firm retained the FB-key trademark, so a Borgel mark on a watch case does not, by itself, prove that the case was made during François Borgel’s lifetime. Vintage Watch Straps’ history of Borgel and Taubert
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How did Taubert improve the sealing?
1929: a flexible winding-stem seal
According to the specialist history, Taubert & Fils applied for Swiss patent CH 130942 on 18 January 1928; it was granted on 15 January 1929. The design combined a screw-in back, a movement carrier ring, a gasket at the back joint and a flexible seal around the winding stem. The account describes the production seal as cork, softened before fitting. This addressed a potential entry point around the stem as well as the joint between the case and its back. Vintage Watch Straps’ history of Borgel and Taubert
1932: the decagonal screw case
Taubert’s later decagonal case used ten flats around screw components, giving a tool a firm grip to tighten or release the back or bezel. The case was tightened against a gasket. Swiss patent CH 156807 was filed on 8 May 1931 and granted on 31 August 1932; the specialist history also lists British patent GB 385,509. This was Taubert’s development within the Borgel business lineage, not a design that should be attributed personally to François Borgel. Vintage Watch Straps’ history of Borgel and Taubert
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How the Borgel and Taubert designs differ
| Feature | Borgel screw case | Taubert developments |
|---|---|---|
| Movement entry | Movement in a threaded carrier inserted from the front; no conventional opening back. | Carrier-ring construction continued; the 1929 design combined it with a screw-in back. |
| How components secure | The carrier’s external threads screwed into the outer case. | The 1929 design used a screw-in back; the later decagonal case added flats for a tool to grip and tighten or release screw components. |
| Sealing features | The architecture reduced routes for dust and damp; the account does not specify a flexible stem seal for this design. | The 1929 design included a gasket at the back joint and a flexible winding-stem seal, described as cork in production. The decagonal case tightened against a gasket. |
| Patent chronology in the specialist account | Best-known design associated with 1891 patents, including CH 4145; FHH separately dates a first screw-down case to 1880. | CH 130942 granted in 1929; CH 156807 granted in 1932, following a 1931 filing. |
| Maker attribution | François Borgel’s case-making work. | Taubert & Fils, the successor firm acquired by the Taubert family in 1924. |
These are design stages, not a measured ranking: no shared test results establish how much more resistant one case was than another.
Which watches used Taubert cases?
The specialist account names Mido, Movado, West End, Ulysse Nardin, Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin among firms supplied or served by the case maker. That association does not mean every watch from any of those brands used a Taubert case; the case and its marks need to be assessed on the individual watch. Vintage Watch Straps’ history of Borgel and Taubert
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A surviving example recorded by Antiquorum is a circa-1935 Jaeger-LeCoultre with a Frères Borgel case based on Swiss patent CH 156807. The auction catalogue identifies the case as stainless steel. It documents a later case in a finished watch, but does not establish the watch’s present availability or condition. Antiquorum catalogue record
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why “waterproof” does not mean safe to immerse today
Historical descriptions of these cases as “waterproof” or water-resistant belong to their period and should not be read as a modern pressure-test result. No modern pressure-test data for the vintage examples discussed here is established. A case design intended to limit moisture entry is not proof that an individual antique watch remains sealed, especially after decades of wear, repairs or storage.
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The Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property says Swissreg contains published Swiss patent applications and assigned patent records, with searches that can provide bibliographic information and legal status. The cited early patent claims here are reported through the specialist historical account rather than verified against the original full patent texts. Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property: searching for patents
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What to check when identifying a Borgel or Taubert case
- Look for the case mark and construction, not the watch brand alone; multiple brands used cases from the maker, but not across every model.
- Distinguish a Borgel-era case from later Taubert & Fils work. The continued FB-key mark can appear after the 1924 transfer.
- On a decagonal case, inspect the ten flats associated with gripping and turning screw components.
- For a collectible watch, verify the specific example’s condition and service history. Do not infer present-day immersion safety from its historical case design or terminology.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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