Coppel Watches Madrid

The old Coppel Clock Shop was sited in number 25 and 27 of Fuencarral Street,  (later became number 15 after Gran Via Street was opened).

The 20s.  27 Fuencarral street (further 15 number)

It was a factory and watch shop founded in 1887 by Charles Coppe. A foreigner settled in Spain since 1879 (it seems it had german origin as it was in Geman where he coursed his engineering studies).
Coppel watches quickly became famous in Spain, being considered  as "the best mounted and most famous of Madrid". Specialized in wall and pocket clocks, owed his prestige to its affordable prices linked to a high quality. The production was under the leadership of a technical director of an important Swiss Clock Marking and also Coppel offered a warrantee collecting  from his customers any watch that went wrong, without questioning its deterioration.
He had fifty-five employees, including spanish, german and french.

Its was a nice shop sited in Fuencarral street, in which facade was hunging a fantastic clock described as "wonderful work of mechanics built in their shops". He exhibited in his shop an average of more than four thousand watches that were constantly renewed. Coppel began with his factory at number 25 but such was the demand that he had to expand to number 25 and 27 for storage and exhibition.
In the 20s, Coppel release Press advertisements announcing its Fuencarral 15 shop (before 25-27 and now disappeared), Mayor 6 (after that was Busian Jewellery and Padilla Perfume) and in the 50s, also Gran Via ground floor (Av. José Antonio 55, disappeared). In the 60s refurbishes the local in Fuencarral street with a radical aesthetic change in style. (See HISTORY for ads at the end of this post)
The company remained as a family business through three generations. (grandparents, parents and grandchids), becaming a public limited company on March 12th, 1924.
Afterwards (and apparently by press advertisements) left  the manufacturing and commercialized  Swiss watch brands. It was spitted into Alfono Coppel in Mayor Street and Carlos Coppel in Fuencarral Street.
The 4th November 1997 it was presented the dissolution keeping the trademark registration.
For many establishments in Madrid, especially in the early twentieth century, Coppel supplied watches to decorate their premises. Some of them still remain. We will go trough this in next posts.

6 Mayor Street Nowadays

15 Fuencarral street nowadays

You can find below a Coppel History we have selected trough advertisements:
Thanks to ABC Newspapers Library. 

-8 junio 1910. ¡Gran Surtido!
http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/madrid/blanco.y.negro/1910/06/08/005.html

-24 noviembre 1948. Tres Fechas memorables de Coppel
http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/madrid/abc/1948/11/24/006.html

-21 julio 1953. Un señor Reloj
http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/madrid/abc/1953/07/21/002.html

-8 de febrero del 1956 69 aniversario
http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/madrid/abc/1956/02/08/006.html

-12 marzo de 1959. Alfonso Coppel y Carlos Coppel distribuidores CYMA
http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/madrid/abc/1959/03/12/018.html

 -16 de noviembre de 1960 . REFORMA DE FUENCARRAL 15
http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/madrid/abc/1960/11/16/023.html

-9 mayo de 1963- ¡BODAS DE PLATINO!
http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/madrid/abc/1963/05/09/026.html

-31 diciembre 1965. Para las fiestas y los Reyes
http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/madrid/abc/1965/12/22/019.html

-06 diciembre 1967. Últmos anuncios
http://hemeroteca.abc.es/nav/Navigate.exe/hemeroteca/madrid/abc/1967/12/06/015.html


For further information:
-Revista Mundo Nuevo. 21 de Agosto 1901. Número 398
-La ilustración Española y Americana nº XXIII