Who among watch lovers and collectors today does not know such a brand as “Pavel Bure”? Probably everyone. But not everyone imagines the history of the origin and development of this enterprise, and probably the scale of its activity, which is necessary for everyone. This information is also useful because such watches are not only known all over the world, but some of them are of enormous value in our time.

A very well-known watch brand (and a watch manufacturer of the same name) began its most interesting history back in 1815 in the city of St. Petersburg. Watchmaker Karl Bure and his son moved there from Revel. Pavel, Karl's son, practically grew up near the clock and everything connected with it, and after a few years he began to successfully help his father in business. And in 1876, Pavel Karlovich was awarded the title of “hereditary” honorary citizen, which his son, Pavel, was then able to inherit. Pavel Pavlovich Bure successfully graduated from the Peter and Paul Commercial School and already at the age of 26 (in 1868) managed to become a full-fledged partner of his father.

And already in 1874, Pavel Jr. was able to buy a fairly large watch production factory not just anywhere, but in Switzerland (the city of Locle). Since 1880, he has worked as an appraiser for the Emperor, which gave him the right to use the state coat of arms on his shop window. In addition, he was also a technician at the Hermitage and part-time consul in the Venetian Republic, a supplier for the Supreme Court and a merchant of the first guild.

And somewhere in the 80s of the century before last, the Pavel Bure company appeared, with which the history and development of Russian watchmaking as a whole is associated. But the business needed to be expanded, and stores were quickly opened in Moscow and Kyiv. By 1899, Bure's company was awarded the title "Supplier to the Imperial Court."

During the reign of Tsar Alexander III (which is 13 years), he presented 3,477 gift watches to various gentlemen for a total amount of 277,472 rubles (really cosmic at that time). Of these watches, the vast majority were from the Bure company. And by the end of the 1890s, Pavel Bure managed to sell his watches worth 60 thousand rubles annually to the royal court. In total, he supplied the royal court with 12 thousand watches!

In those days, officials and artists had a real boom in Bure watches, even Chaliapin wore them, by the way, his watches at that time cost 450 rubles and had a gold case and were decorated with rubies and diamonds! This watch can now be seen in the Kremlin museums.

In addition to famous people, Pavel Bure also made more modest versions - for military personnel and railway workers. He even made the world's first real wristwatch - commissioned by the Main Artillery Directorate (in 1904). In those days, Pavel Bure watches were so popular that they took part in secular and other life almost everywhere.

Under his brand, watches, various chronographs, travel and wall holders, alarm clocks and even gold repeaters were often mentioned - this is the assortment that was in production in the 90s of the 19th century only in this watch company.

Some of Bure's competitors, such as Winter, Omega and Moser, had their own factories in Russia, where they assembled many watches from components brought from abroad, but even they could not compete with Bure, because he carried out the right marketing, producing watches for different needs and different wallets, and it was he who turned watches from luxury into an everyday item, due to which he was able to produce a colossal number of his watches. His inexpensive watch cost only two rubles!

That is why Pavel Bure was able to increase his share in the Russian market of inexpensive watches to 50 percent. The complex mechanisms of its production - repeaters, as well as chronographs with calendars - were purchased by famous watch manufacturers in Switzerland. In 1916, Pavel Bure even managed to obtain Swiss patent No. 74144, under which he registered the chronograph mechanism of his design. His watches received the highest marks and were awarded at various exhibitions, and even at the international exhibition in Paris in 1900 - a gold medal.

But in 1917, as a result of the revolution, the Pavel Bure company ceased to exist in Russia, and its losses from this amounted to 7,000,000 gold rubles. But still having a lot of production capacity in Switzerland, the company survived and moved to Le Locle, where it continued production, but at that time there was no longer a main market. But despite this, the Bure company very soon became one of the most famous watch manufacturers in Switzerland, and at the same time the logo changed from Cyrillic to Latin.

And only in 2004 this brand returned to Russia again. And today the Pavel Bure logo is associated with perfect precision and stylish design, prestige and status.

The chronology of the amazing watch workshop of Pavel Bure begins in 1815, so far away today. The majestic city of St. Petersburg willingly accepted both Bure - father Karl and his son Pavel, who quickly matured in parallel with the rapid development of his father's business. Subsequently, Pavel Karlovich will become a faithful assistant, and then a continuer of his father’s fascinating craft.

Purchase of a watch factory

In turn, his son Pavel Pavlovich also did not stand aside. In 1874, he became the owner of a reputable watch manufactory located in the very center of the legendary Swiss industry - the small town of Le Locle. Bure set to work with all possible zeal. First, Moscow and Kiev brand stores were opened, and in 1899 the Pavel Bure company received the most prestigious status of supplier to the Imperial Court.

A masterpiece watch for Chaliapin

To say that Bure's watch was a success would be an understatement. Among aristocrats and high officials of that era, owning a Bure watch was a sign of good form. The famous Fyodor Chaliapin, for example, was given a luxury watch from Bure in 1903. The gift cost serious money at that time - as much as 450 rubles - since the gold watch case was encrusted with precious stones. While fulfilling government contracts, Pavel Bure's company also produced ordinary models in simple metal cases for the needs of the military and railway departments.

Russian life at the beginning of the last century is literally permeated with frequent references to the filigree products of Pavel Bure. Literature, science, theater - everywhere the clock left a bright mark. These could be chronographs or purely home watches, large wall-mounted items for public places or compact travel watches, as well as alarm clocks. Gold-plated repeaters were also made. The company's capital store became a meeting place for writers. On the brilliant pages of A.P. Chekhov, for example, you can find more than 20 various references to the famous Bure clock.

First of many

The glory of Bure is still colossal. At the same time, it cannot be said that his products were decidedly better in quality than all the others. At the turn of the two centuries, other, no less eminent watchmakers also worked successfully in Russia. You can recall such famous brands as Moser, Winter, Omega. The secret of Bure's triumph lies, it seems to us, in counting on mass buyers, and not just a select few. At that time, watches were turning from an expensive luxury into a truly necessary item. Not prone to arrogance, Pavel Bure offered options accessible to almost everyone.

Accessibility is the key to success

Products of the brand, equipped with metal cases and assembled in Russia, found their way into the pockets of ordinary average people. The cost of these models started at two rubles, which were quite affordable at that time. Perhaps this is precisely why Pavel Bure’s company owned about half of the entire national market at that time. It is clear that for the rich and wealthy, the company offered high-quality Swiss movements, housed in premium cases made of precious metals.

Through the Bolshevik Revolution

The revolution of 1917 put an end to the Russian activities of the Pavel Bure company. The company survived because the main watch production was still in Switzerland. I had to move the company's head office to the quiet city of Le Locle. Probably, it is deeply indicative of the fact that number 88964 remained with Nicholas II until his last hour. The products of Pavel Bure served the new authorities well: wall clocks from this company hung in the Kremlin office of Vladimir Lenin. Pocket “Pavel Bure” was readily used by Joseph Stalin. The tradition of finding out the time “by the Storm” turned out to be stronger than drastic historical upheavals...

The history of the Bure watch company began in 1815 in St. Petersburg, where Karl Bure moved from Revel with his son. Pavel Karlovich grew up with his father's watch business and over time became an assistant and successor to his business. In the Reference Book on Merchants of 1865, Pavel Karlovich Bure is mentioned as “a Revel guild worker, 55 years old, a merchant since 1839.” At the request of the Dukes of Leuchtenberg, Their Imperial Highnesses Princes Eugene and Sergei Maximilianovich, in 1876, Pavel Karlovich Bure was awarded the title of hereditary honorary citizen “for the conscientious and diligent, while maintaining official interest, fulfillment since 1839 of the obligations assumed for the Court in Bose of the late Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna ( daughter of Emperor Nicholas I) and at the Sergievskaya dacha.” His title and business were inherited by his eldest son, Pavel Pavlovich Bure, who graduated from the Peter and Paul Commercial School and became his father’s partner at the age of 26 in 1868. In 1874, he acquired a large watch factory in the heart of the Swiss watch industry, Locle. In 1880, he was an appraiser at the Cabinet of His Imperial Majesty. This title gave the right to have the state emblem on the display window. He is also a technician at the Imperial Hermitage and Consul of the Republic of Venezuela, supplier to the Supreme Court since 1879 and merchant of the 1st Guild since 1884. In the last thirty years before the revolution, the company became that “Paul Bure”, without whom a conversation about the history of Russian watchmaking is unthinkable. To expand the business, a store was opened in Moscow, and then in Kyiv. In 1899, the company was awarded the title Supplier of the Imperial Court.

During the reign of Alexander III (1881-1894), 3,477 gift watches worth 277,472 rubles were awarded from His Majesty’s Cabinet. The overwhelming number of them were from the Bure company. At the end of the 1890s, the company supplied watches worth 50-60 thousand rubles per year to the Imperial Court alone. In total, of the 15 thousand watches purchased through His Majesty’s Cabinet in the 30 pre-revolutionary years, more than 80 percent were “from Bure”. In the papers of His Majesty's Cabinet there are petitions from the Bure company for permission to import into Russia watches with the image of the state emblem on the cover. In the bureaucratic and artistic circles, they were as attentive to the price of gift Bure as they once were to the rank according to Peter’s Table of Ranks. Fyodor Chaliapin refused to accept the gold “Paul Bure”, given to him for his participation in a concert for the imperial family during the celebration of the 290th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty in 1903. The reason, as indicated by officials of His Majesty's Cabinet, is that the singer had the same watch for 150 rubles that he received at last year's concert. After the incident, the watch was sent “to increase in price”, and the gold case was decorated with rubies and diamonds. The cost rose to 450 rubles, and Fyodor Ivanovich accepted them. This is how archival documents interpret this episode. In his later memoirs, Fyodor Ivanovich presented his refusal of the tsar’s gift as a struggle against the rotten tsarist regime, and does not mention receiving a more expensive option. The singer’s expression is well known: “Only birds sing for free.” Nowadays, these Chaliapin watches are in the museums of the Moscow Kremlin, where they were given by the singer’s descendants. According to government orders, watches were also made in simple metal cases. We are talking about prize-winning army watches, railway watches and, of course, the world's first real wristwatches. This watch was ordered by the Main Artillery Directorate in 1904 in connection with the Russo-Japanese War. There were so many Pavel Bure watches that it is difficult to find a story from Russian life at the beginning of the last century where things would have happened without them. Walkers and chronographs, road watches and wall clocks from the presences, alarm clocks and golden repeaters - the whole history is literally riddled with references to “Pavel Storm”.

Not without the participation of writers, this name almost became a common noun. For example, in the works of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov alone, the “Bure Clock” appears more than 20 times. One can only be very surprised why a bold writer’s pen, like Pushkin’s, was not found, so that it was customary to write “bure” with a lowercase letter, like “breguet”. Connoisseurs of antique watches find it difficult to explain why Bure's watches were somehow better than the watches of other watch companies operating in Russia at the turn of the century. Some of them, like Bure, had their own factories in Russia, where watches were assembled from parts brought from abroad. However, neither Winter, nor Omega, nor even Moser could compete with the Bure company. The reasons must be sought in proper marketing, orientation toward high status, targeting the broadest segments of buyers, and not just in the support of the Court and government orders. At that time, when watches turned from a luxury into a necessity, Pavel Bure sold watches for everyone. The Pavel Bure brand was also worn by medium-sized pocket watches in a simple metal case (of those assembled in the company’s own factories). Prices for Pavel Bure watches started at just two rubles. The company owned 50 percent of the Russian market for inexpensive watches. For wealthier buyers, the same mechanisms were inserted into silver and gold cases. Complex movements (repeaters, chronographs, calendars) were ordered from the most reputable watch companies in Switzerland. And in 1916, Pavel Bure received Swiss patent No. 74144 for a chronograph mechanism of its own design. The Pavel Bure watch received the highest awards at many national and international exhibitions, including the World Exhibitions in Paris: in 1889 - a silver medal, and in 1900 - a gold medal.

The revolution of 1917 put an end to the affairs of the Pavel Bure company in Russia. This cost the company 7 million gold rubles in losses and 10 buildings. It is symbolic that the “Pavel Bure” watch - gold (No. 88964, which served the emperor for almost a decade and a half) and silver marine - were with Nicholas II until his death in Yekaterinburg. The new government also liked the “Bure” watch. Chairman of the Petrograd Military Revolutionary Committee Nikolai Podvoisky led the October revolution using gold pocket “Pavel Bure”, which was later called the Revolution Watch. In Vladimir Lenin’s office in the Kremlin, round wall “Bure” hung on the wall. For many years, Joseph Stalin and Nikita Khrushchev controlled the passage of time using pocket “Pavel Bure”. It should be noted that the Pavel Bure company did not end its existence in 1917. It was saved by the fact that the main production facilities were located in Switzerland. And with the transfer of the headquarters from Petrograd to Le Locle, Switzerland, normal work was resumed. Although the first years were very difficult, since the main sales market, the Russian one, was lost. But the company was able not only to survive, but also to significantly increase the geography of supplies and become one of the leading watch companies in Switzerland. In order for Pavel Bure watches to be recognized by consumers all over the world, the logo was changed from Cyrillic to Latin Paul Buhre. The watch was awarded more than 500 prizes from Swiss observatories for its precision and was successfully sold all over the world. For many years in the middle of the last century they were supplied to the English court. The brand returned to Russia in 2004 through the efforts of the Trading House to revive the traditions of watchmaker Pavel Karlovich Bure. And the very next year, in the year of the company’s 190th anniversary, the first new items were released under the revived brand, conveying the classic spirit of the company’s ancient masterpieces. Particular attention is paid to the high reliability and quality characteristic of the pre-revolutionary “Bure”. Only time-tested, best Swiss mechanics are installed in watches. Starting with the production of inexpensive models in steel cases, in just a few years the company included in its product range products in noble silver, gold and platinum with complex and unique calibers. And the interest with which new items “from Bure” were received by people of different generations in many countries of the world inspires confidence in the revival of another ancient tradition - telling the time by “Pavel Bure”.

V. Skurlov

Pavel Pavlovich Bure became his father's partner at the age of 26. He studied at the Peter and Paul Commercial School and had a better idea than his father and grandfather of how to turn a workshop into a large business. He acquired a small watch factory in Le Locle, a town in the French part of Switzerland, which is often called the heart of the watch industry. After this investment, Bure's business went uphill: he became an appraiser in the emperor's cabinet, and this title allowed him to place the state emblem on the window of a watch store. A couple of years later he became a technician at the Hermitage and consul of the Venetian Republic. And in 1884, he finally received the honorary title of merchant of the first guild.

The business was actively developing, but for an unknown reason in 1888, Bure sold the factory to his companions, the Swiss Georg Pfund and the Frenchman Paul Girard, and he retired. Apparently, he left the business due to illness - he died four years later.

Pfund and Girard established the Pavel Bure trading house with an authorized capital of 30,000 rubles. There was no point in changing the name: the surname Bure gave the right to depict the Russian coat of arms on the clock. The new owners took advantage of flaws in Russian customs policy, which impose high duties only on finished products. For example, on a pocket watch, depending on the case, the duty ranged from 1 ruble 30 kopecks (in a steel case) to 6 rubles 30 kopecks (in a gold case), while for the same watch disassembled only 75 kopecks were charged per pound of parts . The partners opened several workshops in Russia to assemble watches from parts produced by the plant in Switzerland. They decided to reduce costs through child and female labor. For a 10-hour working day they were paid no more than 60 kopecks.

The Pavel Bure watches were inferior in quality to Tissot or Patek Philippe, but they cost only 2 rubles, and almost anyone could afford them. There were other models decorated with gold and diamonds, prices for which reached 750 rubles.

In 1899, the Pavel Bure Trading House became the official supplier of watches to the imperial court. By this time, the number of products manufactured by the factory for high-ranking persons of the Russian Empire was becoming enormous. This brought the company 50,000 - 60,000 rubles annually.

Thanks to the assortment suitable for a wide variety of audiences, the brand has become not only widely known, but also a true symbol of the era. For example, in Chekhov's works, the Bure clock is mentioned more than 20 times. And later they were mentioned by Ilf and Petrov in The Golden Calf.

After the revolution

After the October Revolution, all watchmaking workshops were nationalized and transferred to the Trust for Precision Mechanics. Pavel Bure's losses amounted to 7 million gold rubles, and the company also lost ten buildings.

But they managed to save the business: the main production was still located in Switzerland. When the headquarters were moved to Le Locle, work resumed. Despite the fact that the first years after the revolution were difficult due to the loss of the Russian market, Bure managed to become one of the leading Swiss watch companies, and later seriously increase the geography of product supplies.

The Soviet government liked Bure products no less than the imperial court. The wall clock “Pavel Bure” hung in the Kremlin office of V.I. Lenin. Joseph Stalin and Nikita Khrushchev also had pocket watches from Bure.

What names come to mind when talking about watch brands with history? Many connoisseurs of watchmaking will name Swiss TISSOT, Breguet or PATEK PHILIPPE, but Russian manufacturers have written their names in history. We are talking about the world famous watches of the Pavel Bure company.

History of appearance

The history of Bure watches began back in 1815 in St. Petersburg, where Tallinn watchmaker Karl Bure moved to. While doing his favorite business, he instilled in his son an interest in it and bequeathed to continue his business. The son was able not only to preserve his father’s legacy, but also to increase it many times over. So, in 1874 he acquired a plant in Le Locle, Switzerland. In 1876, Pavel Karlovich became an honorary citizen of St. Petersburg thanks to his work for the imperial court. In 1899, together with his son Pavel Pavlovich, he was awarded the right to call the company a supplier to the Court of His Imperial Majesty. At the same time, stores of the Pavel Bure company were opened in Moscow and Kyiv.

From 1880 to 1914, a branded product became a necessary status accessory among officials and the aristocracy. The Imperial Court alone purchased goods worth 55–60 thousand rubles a year, an astronomical amount at that time. Needless to say, if about 80% of the products purchased by His Majesty's cabinet were watches from Bure. Among the famous owners of the branded device was Fyodor Chaliapin. He owned gold “bures”, and also, according to rumors, specially made for him and encrusted with diamonds, the price of which exceeded 450 rubles.

Having a gold or silver watch from the company has become truly prestigious. The result of such successful activity was a silver and gold medal taken at the International Exhibitions in Paris in 1889 and 1900, respectively.

It is worth saying that the company conducted extremely competent marketing, not focusing its attention only on ultra-expensive exclusive products and government orders. The company's factories also produced a huge number of high-quality and inexpensive watches in metal cases for a wide range of buyers. There were army officers, office workers, and small merchants; in general, Pavel Bure owned more than half of the mass market segment.

The revolution of 1917 put an end to the history of Pavel Bure's company in Russia. Factories, investments, and the Russian market were lost. The last Russian Emperor Nicholas II never parted with his silver watch until the very end. At the same time, the devices purchased back in tsarist times were also to the taste of the rulers of the new socialist Russia. It was by them that Nikolai Podvoisky checked the time. Wall “bures” decorated the office of the leader of the revolution, Vladimir Lenin. They say that even Joseph Stalin followed the movements of the hands of a famous brand watch.

The transition years brought the company many difficulties; it was necessary to recreate the supply chain, look for craftsmen, and, most importantly, new markets for the products. Having our own factory in Switzerland and a large number of professional personnel helped. At the same time, it was decided to rename the brand to Paul Buhre, which is more familiar to the European eye. Since then, under the new brand, the watches have received a huge number of awards and were even supplied to the English court.

Model range and cost

The Pavel Bure watch returned to Russia only in 2004. Now the Russian buyer can also appreciate the accuracy and reliability of the brand’s products. The company paid special attention to the aesthetic component of its products, producing truly unique models:

• a device with a dial made of meteorite iron;
• vintage silver pocket watch with hunting theme engraving;
• modern skeleton chronographs with cases made of precious metals;
• pocket watch of a special design for the visually impaired.

All these products are united by precision production, impeccable Swiss mechanism and Russian roots.

Not everyone can buy a quality device today. The cost of a handmade vintage model with silver plated will cost 86,000 rubles. The classic version with a stainless steel bracelet and manual winding is estimated at 74,000 rubles. An exclusive device with a meteorite dial costs 99,300 rubles.

And a well-known brand, in general, is the lot of collectors.