The history of Buhre watch company began in 1815 in Saint Petersburg. It was established by Carl Buhre. Later his son Paul started to assist the farther with watches and after some time he took the family's business in his hands. In 1874 Paul Buhre acquired a large watch factory in one of Swiss watch industry centers Le Locle. In 1899 Trade House "Paul Buhre " was honored a title "supplier of emperor court". From 1887 to 1917 the office of their majesty bought about 15 000 watches. More than 80 % were with "Paul Buhre" logo. In the beginning of last century Paul Buhre watches were so popular, that in many stories about the Russian life the watches and chronographs, carriage and wall clocks, alarm clocks and gold repeaters "from Buhre" were mentioned as a sign of that epoch. Thanks to many Russian writers this name practically became nominal. For example, famous Anton Chekhov mentioned "watches from Paul Buhre" more than 20 times in his compositions. It is easy to explain, why the products under this brand stand separate from the watches made by other few tens firms: good marketing, orientation to a high status and wide levels of customers. When the watches moved from the category of luxury to necessity, Paul Buhre firm met it on a good position. It hold 50% Russian market of inexpensive watches, at that moment they were mainly pocketwatches as wristwatches just slowly began to enter the life. For rich customers the complicated movements (repeaters, chronographs, calendars) were ordered from Swiss firms and in 1916 Buhre company obtained a Swiss patent for a chronograph of their own development. Paul Buhre watches were honored the highest rewards on national and international exhibitions, including the World exhibitions in Paris (in 1889 -a silver medal, 1900 - a gold one). It is symbolic, that Paul Buhre watches (gold one, used by last Russian tzar for about one-and-a-half decades, and marine silver one) were found in 1918 in Ekaterinburg among the items of shot Nikolai II. The revolution of 1917 put an end to the firm's business in Russia, but the time did not stop on their watches. There was a wall-clock by Paul Buhre in the office of Vladimir Lenin. in the Kremlin. Iosif Stalin and Nikita Khrushchev governed the time with their pocket Buhres. For many years the movements and parts, arrested at the Buhre's factories in 1917, were used in Soviet Russia for assembling reward watches. In 2004 Trade House for the revival of Paul Buhre's traditions was found in Russia. And it is symbolic, that in 2005, the year of the 190 anniversary of the firm, the first novelties under the revived brand were released successfully. It makes us sure in the revival of one more old Russian tradition to check time with Paul Buhre watches .

V. Skurlov