Swiss Precision. Dutch Heritage.
From Midwolda Workshops to Global Legacy
Since 1795, the Van Bergen family has been united by a singular obsession: the pursuit of perfect timekeeping. What began in the workshops of Midwolda and Heiligerlee (Groningen) with the creation of church bells has evolved into a legacy that spans over two centuries, several continents, and connects Dutch craftsmanship even to the very heart of American history.
Our ancestors were among Europe’s most revered bell founders and carillonneurs, creating the bronze voices that called communities to prayer, celebration, and remembrance. Their bells still ring today from cathedral towers all across the globe—mechanical symphonies that have marked the passage of centuries with unwavering precision.
Every other watch tells time. Only Van Bergen tells American history.
Creating carillon bells required not just craftsmanship, but an understanding of mathematics, acoustics, and mechanical engineering that few possessed. Each bell had to be tuned to exact specifications, cast from the finest bronze, and calibrated to create perfect harmonic resonance when played together.
These same principles—mathematical precision, material excellence, and mechanical harmony—would later become the foundation of our watchmaking philosophy. The transition from crafting monumental timepieces to personal ones was as natural as the passage of time itself.
Crossing the Atlantic: A Gift to America
In 1954, history called upon our family’s expertise for something extraordinary. The Netherlands, in gratitude for American liberation during World War II, commissioned a magnificent carillon as a gift to the United States. The Van Bergen family was chosen to contribute our centuries of knowledge to this project of international friendship.
The Netherlands Carillon stands today on a hilltop in Arlington, Virginia, overlooking the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, and the U.S. Capitol. Its 53 bronze bells ring daily: at noon, playing the anthems of America’s armed forces; at 6 PM, both the Dutch and American national anthems echo across the Potomac River, visible and audible from the monuments that define the U.S.
These are not just bells—they are monuments to freedom, crafted by hands that now create timepieces of equal significance.
Photo: David Coleman
From Carillons to Chronometers
The knowledge gained from creating instruments that mark time for nations naturally evolved into crafting timepieces for individuals. Just as our carillons required perfect pitch and timing to create harmonic resonance, our watches demand absolute precision in every component.
The checkerboard pattern on our dials recalls the mathematical relationships that create harmony in our bells. The angular geometry of our hands moves like the hammers of our carillons—precise, purposeful, and beautiful.
Our Swiss movements beat with the same obsession for accuracy that has defined our family for over two centuries.
Swiss Precision Meets Dutch Heritage
While our soul remains deeply Dutch, our heart beats Swiss. We produce our movements exclusively in close cooperation with Switzerland’s most prestigious manufactures, not out of convenience, but out of respect for the craft.
Swiss watchmaking represents the same pursuit of mechanical perfection that drove our ancestors to create bells that still ring true after centuries.
This marriage of Dutch heritage and Swiss precision creates timepieces that are both deeply rooted in tradition and uncompromisingly modern. Every Van Bergen watch is a bridge between past and future, between the bells that mark time for nations and the watches that mark time for individuals.
A Living Legacy
Today, as the Netherlands Carillon continues its daily concerts overlooking the monuments of Washington D.C., we continue the Van Bergen tradition of marking time’s most important moments. Each of our timepieces connects the wearer not just to our Dutch heritage or Swiss precision, but to a living piece of American history.
When you visit Washington, D.C., and hear the bells of the Netherlands Carillon ring across the Potomac, you’ll understand what makes Van Bergen timepieces truly unique. You’re not just wearing a watch—you’re carrying a piece of the story that connects Dutch craftsmanship to American freedom, European tradition to Swiss innovation, and personal time to historical legacy.
This is heritage you can wear, legacy you can live, and history you can hold. This is Van Bergen: Swiss Precision. Dutch Heritage.
The Van Bergen dynasty.
A timeline of craftsmanship and innovation
Shipping
The Van Bergen dynasty was originally active in the shipping industry. Heere Andries van Bergen, born in 1738, started manufacturing wooden ship parts in Northern Germany.
When he was just 16 years old, his son, Andries Heeres van Bergen (1768-1847), crafted a miniature warship, complete with sails, rigging, cannons, and all the details. This impressive model was displayed on an honorary arch during the visit of the King of Hanover to Leer.
It attracted so much attention that His Majesty, to encourage the young man’s talent, personally presented him with a sum of money (see: Nieuw Nederlandsch Biografisch Woordenboek 9).
Bell founding and clocks
In 1795, Van Bergen cast his first tower clock for Midwolda (East-Groningen) in 1795, a striking clock, and the following year the large ringing bell, as well as that of Termunten. As was customary then, he still cast the bells on the spot itself.
After casting 26 heavy-caliber bells, he entered into a partnership with a long-established bell-founding family in Jeverland at Burhave near Witmond, Germany (Mameus Fremy). This lasted until 1827, during which period they cast many bells in Germany and The Netherlands.
Internationalization
Afterward, he continued the business with his son Udo Andries van Bergen, which in 1853 passed to the grandson Andries Heeres van Bergen Jr. (born 1835).
The latter had already exhibited his products in 1851 at the World Exhibition in London, and in 1856 also established a bell foundry in Loyerberg near Oldenburg.
Global expansion
In 1862, the foundry in Midwolda was moved to Heiligerlee, where they also cast fire engines, tower clocks, and various other machinery. He also owned three brick and tile factories, which were steam-powered.
In 1893, he transferred the factories to his sons A.H. and U.J. van Bergen. They exhibited at shows in Paris, Antwerp, Philadelphia, and many others in The Netherlands, winning numerous first prizes.
Andries Heero van Bergen Jr.’s younger brothers, who worked under his leadership in the same company in Heiligerlee until 1871, restarted a bell foundry in Midwolda.
The legacy continues
The final bellfounder of the esteemed Van Bergen dynasty was Dipl. Ing. Andries Heero van Bergen, knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau. With the conclusion of the bell founding era in 1980, his grandson, R.A.U. Juchter van Bergen Quast, joined forces with E.M. Meijer to ensure the enduring legacy of craftsmanship and timekeeping.
Their focus shifted to the intricate timepieces that proudly carry forward this rich Dutch heritage, designed to become cherished symbols of your own story.