Private | |
Industry | Watchmaking |
---|---|
Founded | 1921, New York, United States of America |
Founder | Lazrus brothers |
Headquarters | United States of America |
Worldwide | |
Website | benrus.com |
Benrus Watch Co International Warranty Conditions apply to watches sold or presented for repair under warranty in any country except the United States of America and Canada (those two countries, please refer to the Limited Warranty ). Bulova Watch Identification Guide. Identification of a watch is a process, typically done as follows: First, establish that the watch is, in fact a Bulova. Second, attempt to identify the model by matching the case to known examples (or to identification resources).
Benrus is an American watchmaking and lifestyle company founded as a watch repair shop in New York City in 1921 by Romanian-American Benjamin Lazrus and his two brothers.[1][2] Benrus watches were worn for decades by the U.S. military from World War II through Vietnam.[3]
- 3Legal
History[edit]
In the 1920s the company transitioned from watch repair to the manufacture of watchcases and assembly of completed watches using imported internal components from La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland.[1] During World War II, the company stopped manufacturing watches and switched to the manufacture of timing systems (e.g. fuses) used in munitions.[1][4] In the 1940s and 1950s, Benrus released the Sky Chief (a chronograph), the Dial-a-Rama, the Wrist Alarm and a bracelet watch called Embraceable.[1]
In the early 1950s, Benrus failed in a hostile takeover of Hamilton,[1] and subsequently lost a legal battle with Hamilton in which Benrus had acquired Hamilton stock for the stated purpose of investment but for the actual purpose of control.[5] The decision in this case has become a part of the United States Department of Justice Antitrust Manual with regard to the establishment of preliminary injunctions in antitrust cases.[6]
In the 1960s, the company introduced self-winding watches and entered into the automobile market with steering wheel-mounted self-winding clocks.[1] Also in this decade, Jerry Lewis was hired as a pitchman for the company's Belforte brand.[1]
In the early 1960s, the Federal Trade Commission determined that Benrus' marketing practices—specifically, its published list prices--were misleading for a substantial minority (about 14%) of potential customers at the time.[1][7]
The company was sold to Victor Kiam, later of Remington Razors, in 1967.[1] Over the next ten years, the company suffered in competition against inexpensive Japanese wristwatches, adopting a strategy of diversification into military timepieces and costume jewelry.[1] Nonetheless, Benrus filed for bankruptcy in 1977.[1][a] The company emerged from this after a reorganization which involved entering into a joint venture agreement with the Wells and Roka Watch Company.[8] Thereafter, the company marketed watches under the two tradenames of Benrus and Sovereign, contingent on royalty payments through the joint venture.,[8] Benrus filed for bankruptcy once more in 1981, due to defaulting of its royalty payments.[8] By 1984, the company had taken on the name Wells-Benrus Corp. and was operating under a bankruptcy agreement where the company owed $12 million to Victor Kiam and sought to borrow additional funds to maintain operations.[9] The Wells-Benrus company was based in Middlebury, Connecticut.[9]
The Benrus brand was acquired from the Wells-Benrus company by Clinton Watch Company of Chicago, which renamed its business Benrus Watch Company. Irving Wein, the owner, brought Benrus distribution to large retailers such as Walmart, Kmart, Sears, JC Penney, as well as major catalogs such as Spiegel and JC Penney. The Benrus brand thrived during the 1980s and 1990s until it was sold to Gruen Watch Co. which was soon acquired by M.Z. Berger, a watch importer which had previously acquired the Elgin and Waltham brands.
Notable campaigns[edit]
- In 1926, the company's marketing campaign revolved around Charles Lindbergh who, at the time, was one of the world's biggest celebrities[3]
- Benrus developed the 'sports aviation' watch model promoted by Babe Ruth[3]
- In 2015, Benrus hired Camille Kostek to become its brand ambassador in their transition into becoming a full-pledge lifestyle company[10]
Legal[edit]
Trademark[edit]
According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Benrus is owned by Benrus Holdings, LLC [11]A luxury wristwatch company, released two watches, N°1 and Philo.[1] In 2014, Giovanni Feroce acquired the license and trademarks for Benrus with the intention of transforming Benrus into a lifestyle brand with wristwatches as the core element.[12] In 2017, Feroce lost control of the trademarks when he failed to make payments to the previous owners.[13]The new ownership group of the Benrus trademarks was granted a temporary restraining order by Superior Court Judge Michael Silverstein barring any interference with the brand from Feroce's former company.According to court documents, Feroce and his entity are 'temporarily restrained from utilizing, advertising, selling, marketing, disposing, transferring and encumbering any goods bearing the Mark (Benrus) and/or related Intellectual Property.' Feroce and his entity are blocked from the usage of the benrus.com URL.[13] A receiver was appointed by the court to liquidate the assets of the former business with numerous creditors seeking payment.[14] In 2018, the Buffalo Bills sued Benrus and Feroce for breach of contract, alleging nonpayment of $1M from a sponsorship agreement.[15]
References[edit]
- ^ abcdefghijkl'Vintage Benrus Wristwatches'. Collectors Weekly. Retrieved 2016-12-26.
- ^Haines, Reyne; Dean, Judy (6 March 2011). Warman's Watches Field Guide (2nd ed.). Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications. p. 31. ISBN978-1-4402-1439-4. OCLC751133291.
- ^ abc'HISTORY'. Benrus. Retrieved 2019-03-12.
- ^United States. Congress. Joint Economic Committee. Subcommittee on Foreign Economic Policy (1956). Defense Essentiality and Foreign Economic Policy (Case Study: The Watch Industry and Precision Skills) (Report). p. 158. Retrieved 2016-12-26 – via Google Books.
- ^'2-P: Hamilton Watch Co. v. Benrus Watch Co. (D. Conn.)'. Merger Case Digest 1982. American Bar Association. 1984. p. 464 – via Google Books.
- ^Antitrust Division (April 2015). 'Chapter IV - Litigation (Part B.2.a)'. Division Manual(PDF). United States Department of Justice. p. IV-15. Retrieved 2016-12-24.
- ^Levine, Aaron (2000). 'Advertising and Marketing (section: Moving Toward a Quantitative Measure for the Reasonable Man)'. Case Studies in Jewish Business Ethics. Volume 22 of Library of Jewish law and ethics. New York: Yeshiva University Press (dist by KTAV). pp. 41–42. ISBN9780881256642. OCLC42578744 – via Google Books.
- ^ abcBabitt, Roy (19 August 1981). 'MATTER OF BENRUS WATCH CO., INC'. United States Bankruptcy Court, S.D. New York. Retrieved 2016-12-26 – via Leagle.
- ^ ab'The financially ailing Wells-Benrus Corp., which owes $12 million...' United Press International. 6 March 1985. Retrieved 2016-12-26.
- ^'BENRUS Announces Camille Kostek as Brand Ambassador'. Market Wired. April 27, 2015.
- ^http://tmsearch.uspto.gov
- ^Gomelsky, Victoria (2 September 2014). 'A Comeback for the Military Watch'. The New York Times. Retrieved 2016-12-26.
- ^ abFenton, Josh. 'New BENRUS Owners Are Granted Restraining Order Against Feroce'. GoLocalProv. Retrieved 2018-04-03.
- ^Milkovits, Amanda. 'Creditors swarm over Feroce's financials, as former Benrus CEO still plans run for governor'. providencejournal.com. Retrieved 2018-04-03.
- ^'Bills sue sponsor of huge New Era Field clocks, alleging nonpayment of $1M'. The Buffalo News. 2018-04-03. Retrieved 2018-04-03.
Notes[edit]
- ^There is an 8-K filing related to the bankruptcy filing, as noted at https://www.sec.gov/news/digest/1977/dig091977.pdf (top of page 4)
See also[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Benrus&oldid=919762901'
Instructions for using our serial number look-up tables
This page contains INSTRUCTIONS for using the serial number look-up tables that are found on many of our watch company history pages. The example below uses information from the American Waltham Watch Company, but that is just an example. You should consult the serial number table for the specific brand of watch movement you are trying to date by selecting a company from the menu on the left.
Not all vintage watches can be dated using the serial number. Some American watch brands did not use a consistent series of serial numbers, but most of the big manufacturers did. Most vintage Swiss pocket watches did NOT have serial numbers and can't be dated by this method.
Can't find YOUR exact serial number in our lookup tables?
Many watch companies made hundreds of thousands of watches, and some companies made millions of watches! It would be impractical to list the individual serial numbers of EVERY watch made... that would make some really long pages! Our serial number tables list RANGES of serial numbers. So to determine when your watch was manufactured, you will need to find where your serial number fits within the range of numbers.
Serial number look-up example:
Let's say you have a Waltham watch with serial number 21,607,210 as shown in the photo below. Note that we're using the serial number from the watch movement, not from the watch case. Looking at the table of Waltham serial numbers (see example below), you can see that number 20,900,000 was made in 1917 and 21,800,000 was made in 1918 (marked in red in the table below). Since your serial number falls between those two numbers, you know that your watch was made in 1917 or 1918.
Not sure which serial number to use?
You must use the serial number from the MOVEMENT of the watch... the working part with the wheels and gears... not the serial number from the watch case. Cases and watches were often made by different companies and each usually has its own serial number. You usually have to take the back off the watch case to see the movement serial number which may appear anywhere on the watch movement.
Use the movement serial number. Do NOT use the case serial number!
This is an example only. Your movement serial number may not be in exactly the same location as the one in the photo, but you are looking for the serial number that is on the watch mechanism itself... not the serial number on the external case.
Year | S/N |
---|---|
1852 | 50 |
1853 | 400 |
1854 | 1000 |
1855 | 2500 |
1856 | 4000 |
1857 | 6000 |
1858 | 10,000 |
1859 | 15,000 |
1860 | 20,000 |
1861 | 30,000 |
1862 | 45,000 |
1863 | 65,000 |
1864 | 110,000 |
1865 | 180,000 |
1866 | 260,000 |
1867 | 330,000 |
1868 | 410,000 |
1869 | 460,000 |
1870 | 500,000 |
1871 | 540,000 |
1872 | 590,000 |
1873 | 680,000 |
1874 | 730,000 |
1875 | 810,000 |
1876 | 910,000 |
1877 | 1,000,000 |
1878 | 1,150,000 |
1879 | 1,350,000 |
1880 | 1,500,000 |
1881 | 1,670,000 |
1882 | 1,835,000 |
1883 | 2,000,000 |
1884 | 2,350,000 |
1885 | 2,650,000 |
1886 | 3,000,000 |
1887 | 3,400,000 |
Year | S/N |
---|---|
1888 | 3,800,000 |
1889 | 4,200,000 |
1890 | 4,700,000 |
1891 | 5,200,000 |
1892 | 5,800,000 |
1893 | 6,300,000 |
1894 | 6,700,000 |
1895 | 7,100,000 |
1896 | 7,450,000 |
1897 | 8,100,000 |
1898 | 8,400,000 |
1899 | 9,000,000 |
1900 | 9,500,000 |
1901 | 10,200,000 |
1902 | 11,100,000 |
1903 | 12,100,000 |
1904 | 13,500,000 |
1905 | 14,300,000 |
1906 | 14,700,000 |
1907 | 15,500,000 |
1908 | 16,400,000 |
1909 | 17,600,000 |
1910 | 17,900,000 |
1911 | 18,100,000 |
1912 | 18,200,000 |
1913 | 18,900,000 |
1914 | 19,500,000 |
1915 | 20,000,000 |
1916 | 20,500,000 |
1917 | 20,900,000 |
1918 | 21,800,000 |
1919 | 22,500,000 |
1920 | 23,400,000 |
1921 | 23,900,000 |
1922 | 24,100,000 |
1923 | 24,300,000 |
Year | S/N |
---|---|
1924 | 24,550,000 |
1925 | 24,800,000 |
1926 | 25,200,000 |
1927 | 26,100,000 |
1928 | 26,400,000 |
1929 | 26,900,000 |
1930 | 27,100,000 |
1931 | 27,300,000 |
1932 | 27,550,000 |
1933 | 27,750,000 |
1934 | 28,100,000 |
1935 | 28,600,000 |
1936 | 29,100,000 |
1937 | 29,400,000 |
1938 | 29,750,000 |
1939 | 30,050,000 |
1940 | 30,250,000 |
1941 | 30,750,000 |
1942 | 31,050,000 |
1943 | 31,400,000 |
1944 | 31,700,000 |
1945 | 32,100,000 |
1946 | 32,350,000 |
1947 | 32,750,000 |
1948 | 33,100,000 |
1949 | 33,500,000 |
1950 | 33,560,000 |
1951 | 33,600,000 |
1952 | 33,700,000 |
1953 | 33,800,000 |
1954 | 34,100,000 |
1955 | 34,450,000 |
1956 | 34,700,000 |
1957 | 35,000,000 |
- | - |
- | - |
This is an example using the Waltham serial number table. Be sure to use the table that is specific
to YOUR brand of watch when looking up your serial number.
to YOUR brand of watch when looking up your serial number.
Be sure to use the serial number on the watch movement (the mechanism).
Do not use the serial number from the watch case.
Do not use the serial number from the watch case.