Eppler Wilhelm Schwenningen Altersbestimmung - Sammler-Uhren

Eppler Wilhelm Schwenningen Age determination

Who or what was "Wilhelm Eppler"?

It was not a large factory brand , but a local watchmaker/dealer who:

  • Swiss blanks ( Ébauches ) were purchased (e.g. from A. Schild, FHF, Unitas, Rebberg/Aegler),
  • She assembled and regulated them in Germany and sold them under her own name.
  • Engravings are usually:

    “W. Eppler Watchmaker”, “Wilh. Eppler”, “Eppler – [Place name]”.

This business model is therefore similar to that of many German master watchmakers (like Koopmann in Bremen or Lidecke in Geestemünde).

Wilhelm Eppler GmbH Watch Factory

Wilhelm Eppler founded a small company in Schwenningen in October 1921 , manufacturing electromechanical systems (headphones, loudspeakers). In 1927, he acquired the Würthner watch factory in Bad Dürrheim. Since two of the partners had previously worked at Junghans developing wristwatch movements, it can be assumed that the company also produced its own movements. manufactured clockworks . In 1935 the company moved to Schwenningen.

At the end of the 1970s, with 120 employees, up to 500,000 [units of measurement] were produced annually. The company manufactured watches . The market collapsed during the quartz crisis, and the company went bankrupt in 1998.

⚙️ 2. Time frame and work number system

There was no individual Eppler numbering system – the visible five- to seven-digit numbers are the serial numbers of the Swiss movements .
 

Guidelines for dating:

Serial number (approximately) Caliber / Manufacturer (typical) Period remark
100,000 – 250,000 Aegler (Rebberg-Werke) 1900 – 1910 Early pocket watches, 15 rubies
250,000 – 500,000 A. Schild / FHF 29 / Rebberg 1910 – 1920 Manual winding, enamel dial
500,000 – 800,000 A. Schild (AS 340 to 970) 1920 – 1930 Wristwatches before World War II
800,000 – 1,000,000 A. Schild AS 970 / 1130 1930 – 1940 “15 Jewels – Swiss Made”, usually steel case
1,000,000 – 1,300,000 FHF / ETA 1080 1940 – 1950 Shockproof post-war works

 

Identifying features for visual dating

feature Temporal assignment
Enamel dial, Roman numerals before 1915
Arabic numerals, no luminous material 1910 – 1920
Luminous numerals (radium) – “Luminous” from 1915
Central second instead of small second after 1925
visible "Incabloc" shock protection after 1950
Silver case (800/900 hallmark, crescent moon + crown) until 1930
Nickel / steel case “Staybrite” from 1930

Typical calibers used by Eppler

caliber Manufacturer Construction period remark
Vineyard 10½ / 11''' Aegler (Biel) 1900–1915 as with early Rolex/Patria
AS 340 / AS 420 Adolf Schild SA 1915–1930 Wristwatches, small seconds
AS 970 / AS 1130 Adolf Schild SA 1930–1950 Eppler's most frequent work, 15–17 rubies
FHF 29 / ETA 1080 Fabrique Fontainemelon / ETA 1940s late manual winding mechanisms

 

Exemplary dates

engraving Factory Serial number Estimated year Description
“W. Eppler – Esslingen” AS 340 342,815 circa 1923 Manual winding, small seconds at 6 o'clock
“Wilh. Eppler – Bremen” AS 970 681 240 ca. 1935–1938 15 rubies, anti-magnetic
“W. Eppler – Germany” AS 1130 1,062,512 ca. 1948–1950 Post-war series, shock protection
“W. Eppler – Automatic” ETA 2472 1,285,420 circa 1958
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