By Bruce Shawkey
This is an article that originally appeared in a 1984 issue of the NAWCC Bulletin. It still holds up today.
Tracking down the origins of brand names is oftentimes as much art as it is science. No definitive history exists, only clues scattered here and there, many times contradicting one another. Such is the case with the Wakmann Watch Co.
Some preliminary research indicated that Wakmann exploded onto the watch scene in 1947, when they formed a partnership with Breitling Watch Co., to be Breitling‘s exclusive sales agency in the U.S. During their heyday of the 1960s, the companies were virtually indistinguishable from one another, at least in the American market. With few exceptions, every watch that bore the Wakmann name would have an exact counterpart bearing the Breitling name, and vice versa.
Just as quickly, Wakmann virtually disappeared during the 1970s when Breitling began floundering and eventually went bankrupt in 1979. (Breitling was resurrected that same year by Ernst Schneider of the Sicura watch company.)
Wakmann was founded in 1925 at Solothurn, Switzerland by by Iko Wakmann and Charles Gigandet. It was known then, and for many years, as Gigandet-Wakmann The company first produced clocks — primarily for aircraft. There was no wristwatch production in the beginning, at least that I am aware.
Simultaneous to the establishment of the facility at Solothurn, or shortly thereafter, a New York facility was also established for the sale and distribution of clocks to aircraft manufacturers in America, a key market. The aircraft industry was still a fledgling industry at that time. Many of the major players were located in the East. (Curtiss, for example, was located in Buffalo, New York, and was the largest supplier of World War I aircraft). So New York was a logical location, and Wakmann clocks soon began appearing in the cockpits of many airplanes.
As early as the 1940s, Mr. Wakmann enjoyed a close business association with Willy Breitling and the Breitling Co. as a source of some of its aircraft clocks. The Breitling Co. was still relatively unknown in America and wanted to establish a U.S. distributor network, with an eye toward wristwatches. They chose Wakmann as their exclusive distributor because of its already respected name within the aeronautics industry, and because of their previous dealings with aircraft clocks. In 1947, the partnership became official with the formation of Breitling Watch Corp. of America, with Wakmann as its exclusive distributor. And that date, as far I can tell from available sources, is the first time the name Wakmann would be seen on a wristwatch dial.
It was, as the saying goes, a match made in heaven. Breitling made inroads into a country heretofore unexploited. And Wakmann had a whole new product to offer a ready-made audience. With their ties to aircraft manufacturers, Wakmann began marketing watches (mostly chronographs) to pilots, first officers, and flight engineers. And because so many civilian flyers come from a military background, the watches by Wakmann and Breitling caught on with the military as well. While the watches were not offered under direct contract with the Department of Defense, many pilots and other military personnel bought Wakmann and Breitling watches with money out their own pockets.
Some early Wakmann watches are seen below:
We do know, however, that the Wakmann Co. was offered at least one official contract with the Department of Defense. In the 1950s, Wakmann was awarded a contract to supply military watch cases (Fig. 1). These were undoubtedly Korean-war era. They had a dull gray finish and were designed to house 6/0 size movements that were supplied by Hamilton, Waltham, Elgin, and Bulova. (The same movements that were supplied for World War II). Images is seen below:
Of course, from start to finish, Wakmann put its emphasis on chronographs, stopwatches and aircraft clocks. The few catalogs I have unearthed from the 1960s are heavy into these types of timepieces, and it‘s understandable given Wakmann‘s primary market.
The initial price of the 785 (triple/triple) was $110; $150 if you wanted the waterproof‖ case. It was quite a sum in its day — equivalent to about $630 today ($860 for the upgraded version). Nevertheless, the 785 quickly became a huge hit with Wakmann, eventuallybeing named the Emperor. As mentioned earlier, the name Gigandet, which was prominently displayed on other watch dials, was also added to some the dials on the 785/Emperor. The watchwould eventually be offered in three casematerials: chrome, gold electroplated (both with stainless steel backs), and an all stainless version. Obviously, the allstainless version wore the best (the finishes quickly came off the chrome and electroplated versions) and today commands the most demand among collectors.
The 1962 catalog featured 32 wristwatches in addition to stopwatches and aircraft clocks.
Then there was the famous Gulf Oil gasoline promotions of the 1960s and early 70s. Customers of Gulf Oil could order a special edition of the 785 at a reduced price in exchange for so many fill-ups on their gas tanks. I don‘t believe the watch had the Gulf logo on the dial (at least I‘ve never seen one).
Lastly, I surprised to find a New York phone number for Wakmann. I phoned and had a short but interesting conversation with the one remaining employee of Wakmann, who simply answers the phone, "3898," which is the last four digits of the phone number.
This sole employee is an in-law of one of the original partners involved in the Breitling-Wakmann venture set up in 1947. But my hopes of gaining insight into the history of Wakmann were quickly dashed. No records. No old catalogs. Just a few tidbits spoken between he and his father-in-law. He makes a livable wage fixing and restoring Wakmann aircraft clocks, which are still ticking away in vintage aircraft.
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