Golay-Buchel & Co – Favorite Service, Catalogue No 5 B
Catalogue No 5 B – Favorite Service is a historical illustrated catalogue of watchmaking tools, machinery and accessories issued by Golay-Buchel & Co of Lausanne, Switzerland.
The catalogue documents equipment and supplies for watchmaking and small mechanical work. It provides a view of the tools, machines and accessories offered by the Swiss company under its Favorite house brand.
According to the publisher's note, the original catalogue was probably produced around 1950–1960. Its exact publication date could not be established.
This edition was reprinted by Historische Uhrenbücher / Verlag Florian Stern, Berlin, in 2022.
Reading Sample
Contents of the Book
Catalogue No 5 B is an illustrated product catalogue rather than a textbook divided into instructional chapters. It consists of multilingual alphabetical indexes and the original Favorite Service catalogue.
Its documented contents and structure include:
- Golay-Buchel & Co introductory pages
- Company information from Lausanne, Switzerland
- Descriptions of watchmakers' materials and tools
- Information presented in French, English, German and Spanish
- A location plan and invitation to visit the company in Lausanne
- Multilingual alphabetical indexes
- French – Répertoire français
- English
- German – Deutsch
- Spanish – Español
- Italian – Italiano
- Favorite Service illustrated catalogue
- Tools for watchmaking
- Machinery for small mechanical work
- Accessories and supplies for the relevant trades
- Original catalogue pagination beginning at page 300
The alphabetical indexes provide references to the original catalogue pages. The French index, titled Répertoire français, is accompanied by corresponding indexes for the other four languages.
Watchmaking Tools and Machinery from Lausanne
Golay-Buchel et Cie S.A. was founded in 1887 and operated in Lausanne, Switzerland, until its dissolution in 2016.
The company manufactured and traded stones and pearls for jewellery and watchmaking. It also supplied machinery, tools and accessories for small mechanical work to the watchmaking, jewellery and related industries.
Catalogue No 5 B documents this latter part of the company's business. The catalogue's house brand was Favorite, reflected in the designation Favorite Service.
Five-Language Alphabetical Indexes
A notable feature of Catalogue No 5 B is its multilingual organization. The indexes cover five languages:
- French
- English
- German
- Spanish
- Italian
The introductory company pages are presented in French, English, German and Spanish. The alphabetical indexes additionally include Italian.
This arrangement allows readers to consult historical tool and equipment terminology in several languages and locate entries through the catalogue's original page references.
Original Pagination Beginning at Page 300
Unlike a separately numbered catalogue beginning at page one, Catalogue No 5 B starts with the original page number 300.
The publisher explains that this is because the catalogue covers the company's machinery, tools and accessories for small mechanical work.
The original numbering continues into the 500s and includes supplementary lettered pages, such as 318A and 318B.
These page references are retained as part of the historical catalogue structure and are used by the alphabetical indexes.
Reprint by Historische Uhrenbücher, 2022
The present reprint was published by Historische Uhrenbücher / Verlag Florian Stern in Berlin in 2022.
The original catalogue was digitized by Michael Stern and printed by WMD.
According to the publisher's note, no legal successor to the original catalogue could be identified. The publisher also states that the catalogue was probably produced around 1950–1960, without a verifiable exact publication year.
Catalogue No 5 B preserves the historical Favorite Service catalogue as a source for studying watchmaking tools, machinery, accessories and multilingual trade terminology.
Book details
Languages: French, English, Spanish, Italian, German
Author: Golay-Buchel & Co, Lausanne, probably around 1950/1960
ISBN: 978-3-939315-86-5 / 9783939315865
Details: Reprint Berlin 2022, 304 pages with numerous illustrations, dimensions 305 × 221 mm, Softcover
