Bernhard H. Mayer Jewelry & Watches
Although its name may now conjure images of luxury Swiss timepieces — the minimalist Le Classique watch, the versatile Victor Chronograph — Bernhard H. Mayer began as a very different venture prior to earning its reputation for vintage luxury watches: a German coin mint. Now under the stewardship of its fourth generation, the company traces its roots back to the German town of Pforzheim, where, in 1871, the Mayer family began manufacturing tools for coin minting.
By the end of the 19th century, the coin minting endeavor at Bernhard H. Mayer had evolved to include the production of carved pocket-watch covers (thanks to the creative eye of Bernhard H. Mayer I) as well as coins and medals, including commemorative ones for the likes of Pope John Paul II, John F. Kennedy and Princess Diana and official coins for royal houses, central banks and governments. In 1936, the house was tapped to create the medals for the Summer and Winter Olympic Games in Germany. Ten years later, the family factory was destroyed by bombing during World War II.
Bernhard H. Mayer reopened its new doors in Pforzheim 16 years later and continued manufacturing coins and watch covers, but it wasn’t until the turn of the next century that the house would begin producing the kind of timepieces it makes today.
In the 1990s, the Mayer family began to manufacture gold coins for a limited collection of luxury coin watches made by Corum. (The Swiss watchmaker had long been in the coin watch business by then.) Not long afterward, in 2000, Bernhard H. Mayer partnered with the Swiss manufacturer Cimier. Mayer subsequently moved production of the brand’s watches to Switzerland, where it continues today under the eye of experienced craftsmen trained in the Swiss tradition (and working under the strict guidelines of the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry).
Browse a collection of vintage Bernhard H. Mayer watches on 1stDibs.
2010s German Contemporary Bernhard H. Mayer Jewelry & Watches
Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Bernhard H. Mayer Jewelry & Watches
2010s German Contemporary Bernhard H. Mayer Jewelry & Watches
Steel, Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Bernhard H. Mayer Jewelry & Watches
Steel, Stainless Steel
2010s Bernhard H. Mayer Jewelry & Watches
20th Century Swiss Contemporary Bernhard H. Mayer Jewelry & Watches
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Late 20th Century Swiss Bernhard H. Mayer Jewelry & Watches
Sterling Silver
1990s Bernhard H. Mayer Jewelry & Watches
18k Gold, Stainless Steel
Mid-20th Century Swiss Modern Bernhard H. Mayer Jewelry & Watches
Steel, Stainless Steel
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Bernhard H. Mayer Jewelry & Watches
White Diamond, Platinum
1970s Swiss Vintage Bernhard H. Mayer Jewelry & Watches
Stainless Steel, Steel
1950s Vintage Bernhard H. Mayer Jewelry & Watches
Stainless Steel
20th Century Swiss Bernhard H. Mayer Jewelry & Watches
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Mid-20th Century American Art Deco Bernhard H. Mayer Jewelry & Watches
Diamond, Platinum
20th Century Swiss Modern Bernhard H. Mayer Jewelry & Watches
14k Gold, Yellow Gold
1980s French Vintage Bernhard H. Mayer Jewelry & Watches
18k Gold, White Gold, Yellow Gold
21st Century and Contemporary Bernhard H. Mayer Jewelry & Watches
2010s Italian Bernhard H. Mayer Jewelry & Watches
Steel, Stainless Steel
2010s Bernhard H. Mayer Jewelry & Watches
2010s Italian Aesthetic Movement Bernhard H. Mayer Jewelry & Watches
2010s Italian Bernhard H. Mayer Jewelry & Watches
Diamond, Yellow Gold
2010s Italian Bernhard H. Mayer Jewelry & Watches
Rose Gold, Steel, Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Bernhard H. Mayer Jewelry & Watches
Rose Gold, Steel, Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Bernhard H. Mayer Jewelry & Watches
PVD-Coated, Steel, Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Bernhard H. Mayer Jewelry & Watches
Steel, Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Bernhard H. Mayer Jewelry & Watches
Pearl, Steel, Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Bernhard H. Mayer Jewelry & Watches
Steel, Stainless Steel
2010s Italian Bernhard H. Mayer Jewelry & Watches
Diamond, Pearl, Steel, Stainless Steel