The Gevril watch company was begun by Jacques Gevril in the mid-1700s in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland's center of watch-making for centuries. He was a sought-after master of horology, and he created his first chronometer in 1743 and his first repetition dial in 1744. Most notably, he was called upon by the King of Spain in 1758 to produce a personal timepiece, which went over so well that Gevril was appointed as Royal Swiss Watchmaker to the Spanish Crown.
The Gevril family tradition of watchmaking was passed onto Jacques's son, Moyse Gevril, and in 1784 he achieved the status of Master Clockmaker. During the 1800s, the Gevril family expanded their art to include enameling as well as the creation of dials for their watches. Gevriltimepieces are displayed in museums across Europe--most notably the Museum Geneve and the Rolex Museum (where a Gevril pocket watch is displayed in the collection personally selected by the Wilsdorf family, the founder of Rolex).
Today's signature Avenue of Americas line is based on a case design from the 1920, which was discovered after going through Gevril's raft of historical documents and design books. It has a retro look, but is updated with a bevelled dial with raised, hand-painted numbers and straight chrono pushers for a contemporary feel.
Creating a Gevril timepiece is exhaustive, and Gevril expends years into the design and manufacture of its rare and enduring timepiece collections. It manufactures only limited edition collections, with 6,000 Gevril watches created each year and each line limited to 500 (stainless steel) or 100 (gold) pieces. The company also sources only the best materials and accoutrements, including 316L stainless steel, natural mother-of-pearl dials, Wesselton diamonds calibrated by CNC machines and Louisiana crocodile skin.