Men's designer watches - Vertex Watches

HERITAGE

Vertex was founded in 1912 by horological visionary, Claude Lyons. Born in London in 1885, he started working in the watch trade at the tender age of 17. Renowned for his brightness and ingenuity, he swiftly garnered an excellent reputation within the watchmaking industry.

Heritage

1912

Claude Lyons borrows £1,000 from his father-in-law, Mr Mayer, and sets up the Vertex Watch Company. It specialises in Swiss movements that are re-cased in Britain.

1915

Vertex is commissioned to produce watches for the British Military during WWI. 

1916

Vertex Watches Ltd is founded in London at 37 & 38 Hatton Gardens, and in Switzerland at 133 Rue de la Paix in La Chaux de Fonds.

1922

Aureole, a brand known for creating quality lever watches, begins producing complete watches for Vertex, as well as movements for the Platinum Ladies watch range.

1927

Vertex becomes the exclusive importer of Movado watches to the UK.

1931

Vertex collaborates with Swiss watch company, Revue Thommen, to produce a range of steel ‘All Proof’ watches.

1938

Claude Lyons’s son-in-law, Henry Lazarus joins Vertex with a view to continue the family’s horological legacy.

1940

Vertex’s Hatton Garden factory and showrooms are destroyed by enemy action.

1941

Henry Lazarus, now a Captain in the British army, is approached to help in the procurement of watches for the British Military, due to his unique understanding of the Swiss watch industry.

1943

Vertex receives the navigation watch specs and production starts in Switzerland across 4 factories.

1944

Vertex begins large-scale production of the Cal 59 W.W.W. navigation watch. It is the sole British-based manufacturer amongst the original twelve “dirty dozen” watch brands to provide timepieces to the British soldiers during WWII.

1944

4652 W.W.W Cal 59s are delivered during the preparations for D-Day.

1945

Vertex are commissioned to produce a mono-pusher timing watch, for ordnance disposal, but due to post-war rationing the watch is never produced.

1951

Vertex becomes the exclusive importer of Revue Thommen manufactured watches to the UK.

1954

For over 50 years the Vertex Clock keeps time at Hatton Garden.

1956

Vertex creates co-branded timepieces as “Vertex Revue” in order to capitalise on the brands’ respective reputations.

1960

Vertex launches a range of diving and sports watches with a unique, inlaid luminova.

1972

Vertex falls victim to the “quartz crisis” - a largescale disruption in the horological industry caused by the advent of quartz watches. This, compounded with the expiration of Vertex’s lease in Hatton garden, forces Henry to close the company.

RESURRECTION

2015

One hundred years since Claude Lyons founded the company, Vertex is revived and re-incorporated by his great-grandson, Don Cochrane, marking a new era in watchmaking.

2016

Vertex announces the M100. The first new Vertex for 45 years, based on the Cal 59 from WW2.

2017

Vertex re-launch at Aspley House, home of the Duke of Wellington, in London.

2018

The Vertex full-page print adverts win SILVER for ‘Best Art Direction’ and BRONZE for ‘Best Writing’ at the Creative Circle Awards.