The DAVOSA Logo

The DAVOSA star is actually a stylized compass rose, a historical nautical symbol that protects the bearer and ensures that he or she follows the right path to return home without harm; for DAVOSA, a symbol of arriving safely at your destination or achieving what you have planned, regardless of adversity and obstacles. The compass rose: a symbol for water sports, for resilience, for dependability, and for an adventurous spirit.

1881

The Hasler family consisted of four brothers. In 1881, the youngest brother, Abel Frédéric Hasler (born in 1861), began manufacturing a small series of silver pocket watch cases with the greatest precision craftsmanship. Six of his sons went on to inherit his watchmaking talent.

1946

For one of his sons, Paul Hasler (1883-1977), watchmaking became both a passion and a vocation. Even as a small child he was fascinated by the complicated watches he found on his father’s workbench. He went on to found his own company, ‘Paul Hasler Terminages d’Horlogerie’, which specialised in watch assembly for prestigious timepiece brands. David Hasler (1897-1951), who had been working for his brother Paul as technical director for many years, bought a stake of the company in 1946. This move marked the beginning of ‘Hasler Frères’.

1970

Business prospered and in 1961 a third generation of Haslers, Wilfred and Eric Hasler, joined the business as joint partners. During the 1970s, Swiss watchmaking came under intense pressure from the Far East as the technical revolution brought about by the introduction of the quartz watch ousted traditional mechanics almost entirely. In response to this new market demand, ‘Hasler & Co S.A.’, a legal entity since 1974, began incorporating quartz watches into its product range.

1993

1993 marked the start of the sustainable development of the DAVOSA brand. 1993 was also the year in which ‘Hasler & Co S.A.’ began cooperating with watch distributor Bohle GmbH, active in the German market since the 1960s. The mechanical watch was already experiencing something of a renaissance, so a select collection of mechanical timepieces under the brand name DAVOSA was an instant success. Further collections followed on from this initial triumph.

2000

Corinna Bohle took over strategic brand development for DAVOSA in 2000. One result of the new brand positioning and a special milestone in the history of the brand was the first limited series DAVOSA Panamericana, issued in 2002. The series can now be found in the portfolios of prestigious watch collectors around the globe.

Today the DAVOSA brand, managed as an independent, family-run company, has a strong worldwide presence and has become an integral part of the mechanical watch world.