Glycine

 By Bruce Shawkey

 Glycine was founded by Eugène Meylan in 1914 in Biel/Bienne. They made many nice models through the years, but like many watch companies, they are known for a single watch: the Airman  (left), introduced in 1953.

In 1959, Glycine introduced another model, lesser known to collectors, with  a vacuum-sealed case. The design featured a one-piece case with a flat crystal, held against a thick gasket ring by bezel clamps, and an oversized crown with three round gaskets. This provided an airless environment inside the watch, preventing lubrication from drying out and preventing condensation from entering the case.

Meanwhile, the Airman was selected by the Air Force and made available to pilots at exchange stores on military bases to simultaneously know the time at home and the local time while in combat.

Here are some Glycine models over the years, as seen in company catalogs. 

1920s

1939

In a bizarre turn of events, on September 24, 1955, the body of Glycine founder Eugène Meylan was found stoned to death in a remote path east of Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Edouard Glatz, a mechanic apprentice, confessed to killing Meylan. Glatz claimed he drank a pint of wine at an establishment with Meylan and accompanied Meylan to a train station, where Meylan planned to take the first train to Zürich. According to Glatz, the station had not yet opened and the pair took off on an obscure path to wait. Glatz admitted he punched Meylan to the ground, kicked him in the head, stoned him to death, and robbed him. In January 1956, Glatz was found guilty of murder and sentenced to five months in prison.

    In 1965, Astronaut Pete Conrad wore his Glycine Airman for the Gemini 5 spaceflight and again in 1966 for Gemini 11.Through a relationship with Boeing, Glycine introduced the Airman SST (left) in 1967, inspired by supersonic transport aircraft. It featured a tonneau-shaped case, orange dial, and internal rotating bezel. Due to their orange dials, the watches are referred to as pumpkins by some collectors.

During the 1970s, Glycine introduced quartz watches in order to survive, as did many watch companies. In 1984, Hans Brechbühler, a businessman in the watch industry, purchased Glycine. Brechbühler's youngest daughter, Katharina, joined Glycine in 1992. Four years later, Glycine launched its first website. In 2000, the father-and-daughter duo released the Airman 7. It was the first watch available with four time zones (for the four time zones of the contiguous United States).

Katharina assumed sole control of Glycine in 2005 with a goal to restore Glycine to mechanical watches. largely on mechanical offerings. After Hans Brechbühler died in 2010, Katharina sold Glycine to Altus Uhren Holding AG. Katharina remained with the company to supervise design.

Under Altus, Glycine re-released the Airman in its original 36 millimeter case size as the Airman No. 1 and released a 60th anniversary Airman AM/PM model. In 2016, Invicta Watch Group purchased Glycine for an undisclosed amount, with Invicta promising Glycine will maintain its independence while Invicta assists with marketing and distribution.

Here are some additional ads for Glycine: