MIMO

By Bruce Shawkey

MIMO was founded in 1889 by Otto Graef,  in La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland. MIMO is an acronym for the company's actual name, Manufacture Internationale de Montres en Or. For years, MIMO was an "invisible" company, supplying ebauches (rough movements) and components to the watch trade. By the 1920s and '30s, MIMO was coming out with wristwatches bearing the company name on the dials. The company had a number of innovative movements, including one with an 8-day reserve, and calibers with digital displays.

The company did so well, that some time in the 1930s (the exact year is disputed) the Graef family bought Girard-Perregaux. Both brands did very well, with GP selling primarily in the United States, and MIMO doing well in Europe.

Evidence suggests that Graef dropped the MIMO brand after WWII, presumably because it was not profitable, and concentrated on the GP brand. Demand for watches in the United States was extremely high after the war because Hamilton, Elgin, and Waltham had all been devoted 100 percent to making ordnance for the war. Further, the American companies had not yet produced an automatic movement, and GP had several calibers, including the highly successful Gyromatic, introduced in 1956.

But I digress. My theory is that the Graef family held on to the MIMO trademark, even though they didn't market it, or register it.

Here are some additional images of Mimo watches from the 1920s, including one with an 8-day run time:

We jump to the 1960s, and the Mimo brand reappears in this automatic watch:

I find it interesting that on this particular model, the company used a water-resistant case design that they had used all the way back in the 1940s with some of its GP models. The two-piece case uses a flanged crystal and gasket between the bezel and the case to keep out moisture. The case and bezel are held together under pressure by the use of four threaded miniature bolts that screw through the bezel just under the lugs on the backside of the watch. The screws make contact with the case and hold the entire watch tightly together:

The case back is stamped "7046" which is presumably a reference (model) number assigned to the watch.

This case design is based on the "Schmitz Freres" patent of 1937 for a waterproof case, and not coincidentally, was used by Girard Perregaux in the 1940s on several of its models.

In any event, it appears that the reintroduction of the MIMO brand was not a success. This is the only post-1940s example of a MIMO watch I have ever seen.

Venus

By Bruce Shawkey

Venus was founded in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, in 1902 by Paul Arthur Schwarz and his wife Olga Etienne-Schwarz. Most any seasoned collector recognizes Venus for their manufacture of chronograph movements, sold to other watch companies. The Ranftt website records 22 separate Calibers of Venus chronographs made between the 1930s and ‘50s, some of which are still in use today.

But did you  know that Venus was also a manufacturer of finished watches signed with their own company name? They were regular exhibitors at the Basel Exposition in the 1950s, and ran ads in the trade magazines, notably Swiss Watch and Jewelry Journal. Here are a couple of those ads below.

I have seen numerous examples of many types of watches, including multi-date and even dive watches. Vintages can be seen all way into the 1960s. Below is a nice clean specimen from the late 1950s or early '60s. 

Cases are typically chrome or other type of base metal, but I have seen a few karat gold cases as well. Ironically, most movements I've seen in non-chronograph specimens are sourced from other ebauche suppliers, such as Fontainemelon and others.  Specimens typically reside in dealers' "bargain boxes" at watch shows and flea markets, so they can often be picked up quite inexpensively.

Venus eventually became part of the Ebauches SA consortium that was absorbed by the Swatch Group. The brand was brought back to life in 2011, with offices in Geneve, and watches (mostly with Ronda quartz movements, but a few mechanical) are showcased at www.montresvenus.com. Here is an example from the current day collection. Even though it's denoted as part of their "Classico" collection, you'll note the typeface bears no resemblance to the original. The "onion crown" also is not something Venus ever used on its wristwatches, at least to my knowledge.

The movement is an ETA Cablier 2824-2 automatic. Prospective buyers are directed to a network of retailers located in South America, Europe, and Asia.

Do you want to know more about some of the oddball watch brands like Venus? Check out my new book, The Golden Age of the Swiss Wristwatch. 

The time period after WWII up until about 1960 saw dozens and dozens of watch companies come out of the woodwork and produce some of the most beautiful ads ever seen. Many of the companies you no doubt have heard of, like Omega, Breitling, and Heuer. But how about Sinex, Recta, Erguel, and Mildia? Or my personal favorite, the "Vampire" model from the Pronto Watch Co.! I've collected some of the best ads and compiled them into a 300+ page book, complete with the histories of these companies. The price is $39.95 plus shipping. 

For more information, and to order a copy, go to this link:

Thanks for your interest, and look for more obscure brands in the future!


Bruce