Coggiola Watches: Vintage English Movements Revived

Let's congratulate Ancienne LeBrassus a.k.a. Sebastián Salvadó to his new venture, opening the brand Coggiola Watches in Rome.
Sebastián is taking English vintage movements, cleaning them up without debasing the vintage finishing and putting them in simple modern cases to keep your eyes on those typically English movements.




The Coggiola Press release follows:

The philosophy behind Coggiola Watch Roma is very simple: Restore exceptional English timepieces for contemporary use as wristwatches. English watches were almost entirely hand made until the early 20th century. Rarely are any two English watches identical, each was the result of a complex network of outworkers who handcrafted each individual piece. The recent work of Daniels and Smith teaches us to appreciate the refined aesthetic vocabulary of the English watch. My aim is to make these past masterpieces available to contemporary enthusiasts.




Coggiola Watch Roma’s design aesthetic is minimalist, offering visibly manufactured textures which allow the English identity of the timepieces to take center stage. The case materials I use are Brass, Bronze, Aluminum, and compounds such as Acetal or Celluloid. The motivation behind using these materials is to create a unique case that responds the wearer’s lifestyle and environment. The gradual patina and markings which accumulate on the watch work to highlight the vibrant permanence of the gold-frosted movements.



Each watch is a one-off piece, made here in Rome, Italy. I manufacture the case, dial, hands, crown, setting levers, stems, screws, and buckle. I create each component by traditional turning on a lathe or mill. Depending on the state of the sourced movements, I carry out any of the following when needed: The manufacture of new balance staff, fix pivots and broken jewels, change mainspring, restore the finish on components, and cleaning.





In order to keep these pieces elegant and wearable, I limit the watch size to a maximum of 44mm diameter. They are not ‘hockey pucks’ as most marriage pieces of poor taste tend to be. The Brass pieces pictured here are 44mm, while the Aluminum pictured is 40mm in diameter.




The leather straps are also handmade here in Rome by Fabio Rebischini of ColaReb.
While it takes me currently between 5-8 weeks to restore and manufacture a piece, I purposely price my watches affordably so that a variety of collectors and enthusiasts of English timepieces can have access to them.