Ulysse Nardin

By Bruce Shawkey

First, the pronunciation. It's you-LEESE-nahr-DAN. Many people pronounce it you-LISSEE-nahr-din, like the legendary Greek king of Ithaca, or the novel by James Joyce. Pronounce it correctly, and you'll increase your cred with fellow watch collectors!  

Follow along with as I present this abbreviated history of Ulysse Nardin. The full report on this company is available via the link at the end of this article.

    The company was founded in 1846 by Ulysse Nardin (Fig. 1), born 1823 in Le Locle, Switzerland.

Ulysse Nardin

Showing an early interest in watches and watchmaking, he first trained with his father, Leonard-Frederic, the first watch specialist of the Nardin family, who worked on watches for many manufacturers in the Neuchatel region. He acquired a special skill for minute repeaters and alarm watches.

    Ulysse soon displayed a strong passion for his father's work. In these years of the mid-19th century, the art of watches was enjoying a strong expansion: chronometers, high-class watches with alarms and various complications had achieved a popularity unthinkable only a few years earlier.

    In 1839, Ulysse began to work as an apprentice with Frederic-William DuBois, who specialized in marine chronometers and astronomical clocks. A few years later, in 1846, Nardin began to use his own name for the watches he produced. In 1876, Ulysse Nardin died at age 53, and his son Paul-David Nardin, succeeded him as the head of the company which continued to expand.

    Along with pocket watches, the Ulysse Nardin company created exclusive marine chronometers that soon be-came legend. Nardin marine chronometers would eventually become the timepiece of choice for the Navies of more than 50 countries worldwide. Today, they are among the most prized marine chronometers among people who collect them.

    The earliest Nardin wrist watches I am able to find were produced in the 1910s. Like many of that time, they look like converted pocket watches. (below)

Early Nardin wristwatch

Early Nardin wristwatch

There is precious little information on the company's early years producing wrist watches. Most records were lost or destroyed during the 1960s and '70s when the company was falling into ruin. All we have left are early catalogs from the company and from auction houses. They tell a story of both common and innovative case designs.

Circa 1928, 18kt white or yellow gold. Watch on the right has articulating lugs

The golden age for Nardin wristwatches (as with most manufacturers) was the 1930s through the 1950s. During this golden-age period, we see case designs with marvelous design and sculpting. This is why many are drawn to this brand, because of the case architecture which is dramatic without being ostentatious or gaudy.

l to r: circa 1930, luminous dial, hands, available 14kt yellow and pink gold, or 18kt yellow or white gold; asymmetrical, hooded lugs, circa 1939, circa 1930, two-tone 18kt gold; circa 1939, stepped bezel and recessed crown, 18kt yellow or pink gold

The period of the mid 1950s—early ‘60s were an interesting time for Nardin. The company was trying to make inroads into the lucrative U.S. market. Their strategy to a large extent involved selling through jobber and mail order catalogs. One such company was "HAGNS" which offered an extensive line of Ulysse Nardin watches. I was fortunate enough to find a few loose catalog pages, and offer a few images for your perusal. Model names were very likely made up by the catalog company. The Nardin factory, to my knowledge, always used Reference numbers to refer to their models during this period , not model names. Many more pictures from the HAGNS and other catalogs are shown are shown in the full report available in PDF format via the link at the end of this article. 

Various '50s models with original catalog prices

The arrival of the quartz age in the early- to mid-1970s delivered the final blow to the company. The descendants of the company's founder perhaps did not realize the consequences that such innovations would bring about in this field. In the early l980s, the company was put up for sale.

The Rebirth of Ulysse Nardin

In 1983, Rolf W. Schnyder, along with several investors, bought the company and transformed it into a profitable business again.Now, gone were the days of catalog sales. Ulysse Nardin would become Schnyder's vision of Haute Horlogerie.

Most of the movements -- especially the complicated ones -- would now be manufactured inhouse, according to the company. About the only tradition that has been carried on is that the company is still headquartered in Le Locle, where it was founded. The watches that Ulysse Nardin has produced since 1983 have been as much (or perhaps more) works of art as they are timepieces. There is hardly a "Nardin" from this new generation that cannot be easily identified even from afar.

Schnyder died in April of 2011 at age 75. But his legacy of creating a "new" Ulysse Nardin lives on. Since 2014, it has been a subsidiary of the French luxury group Kering. Nardin’s CEO is Patrick Pruniaux, a veteran of the Kering group with an interest in watches since his teens.

Prices start in the $7,000 range for something in a basic timekeeper up to $20,000 and beyond for something complicated. The price for the limited edition Blast Hourstriker 45mm with tourbillion movement isn't even listed, being supplied only on inquiry!

It is not my intention to go into all the current models in this abbreviated article. Nor do I elaborate on the current models in the expanded article. This is something beyond the scope my interest and beyond the pocketbook of the average collector. My interest is in VINTAGE (pre-1983) Ulysse Nardin. And I offer just a glimpse of modern Nardin models only to illustrate the vast difference between vintage and "new" watches. The vintage Nardins are not cheap, but they are a frickin' bargain compared with post-'83 models and that is one reason they are highly collectible!

Here is another article I wrote on Ulysse Nardin:

Ulysse Nardin got its start in 1846 manufacturing ships' chronometers. This is before they started making pocket watches, and way, way before they made wristwatches. Many chronometer collectors highly prize Nardin chronometers for their rarity and accuracy, even after all these years and decades. Die-hard Nardin chronometer collectors even know the correct pronunciation of Ulysse is "u LEASE."

Here's 1928 ad for Ulysse Nardin watches from Jewelers Circuler Keystone magazine:

Here are a couple of ads from the 1950s for Ulysse Nardin watches:

Here are addition images of Ulysse Nardin watches:

1955

Election

 Election was founded circa 1850 as A. (for Alphonse) Braunschweig in La Chaux de Fonds. In 1906, Alphonse’s son, Arnold, took over the company at age 22 after the father died in a freak accident while on a trip to Tyrol. A year later, the brand name Election was registered. 

The company took a Grand Prize at the Berne Exhibition in 1914, and that is why the words “Grand Prix” appear on many of their watch dials and in many ads for Election.

Two ads for election, circa 1950s. Ad at left

is courtesy Bill Strickland

Also, the numeral 1914 is engraved on the backs of many Election watches. More than one seller and auction house has confused that number as a reference (model) number, and even a year of production!

The back of a typical Election watch. 

1914 refers to the year the company won a Grand Prize award

In 1920, the company added “Election” to their name, and by 1932 dropped the Braunschweig name and became Nouvelle Fabrique Election, or Election for short. They made many of their own movements, some of which were sold as ebauches (rough movements) to other companies, including Longines. The "Grand Prix" became their most famous signature and is found on many of their dials, though as far as I can tell it's simply a reference to the 1914 award and not necessarily a model line. Election was listed in various directories 1950-1954.

Various Election models. From upper left: Chronograph with Landeron movement;

triple date, triple register, co-branded Cuervos y Sobrino (Havana); bottom: 18kt oversized 

case; fancy lugs stainless steel; waterproof model.

Here are some additional Election images through the decades:

1955

In 1950, Marvin watch company acquired Election and many of the Election branded watches used Marvin movements after that, including the Marvin Cal. 700 and 700C (calendar) which, ironically, are both based on the Election Caliber 875. And Marvin eventually became part of the MSR Group, which at one time included Marvin, Phenix, and Vulcain, among other brands. The brand largely disappeared after the 1960s, but examples do pop up now and again, like the "Saucer" and the mechanical digital pictured:

Saucer "lugless" designed model and Direct Read model, both late '60s or very early '70s

Election is found in directories as late as 1973 (http://www.mikrolisk.de/), but I can find no evidence that the brand was marketed after that, and no evidence that it is currently marketed.

Here are additional articles I've written on Election: 

Election was founded by Alphonse Braunschweig in La Chaux de Fonds in 1848. Alphonse’s sons, Arnold, Lucien, and Georges took over the company after Alphonse died in a freak accident while on a trip to Tyrol. 

Election is another one of those brands that was fairly well known in the '50s and '60s post-war boom, but that faded into obscurity and is known today only by collectors of vintage timepieces.

An early Election man's wrist watch with unsigned dial is seen below:

The company took a Grand Prize at the Berne Exhibition in 1914, by which time Election was one of the largest watch manufacturers in La Chaux-de-Fonds. The prize award is why the words “Grand Prix” appear in many ads for Election, and the numeral 1914 is engraved on the backs of many Election watches. More than one seller and auction house has confused that number as a Reference (model) number, and even as a year of production. But is simply a reference to their 1914 award.

Tragedy would strike the Braunschweig family again when Arnold, born 1884, died in the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. In 1920, the company added “Election” to their name and became "Les Fils de L. Braunschweig, Fabrique Election." Another early wristwatch (below left) bears a striking resemblance to a Gruen Quadron of the same name:

The Election contains a small round movement, while the Quadron,, of course featured a formed movements that filled (or nearly filled) the entire case cavity.

A rare '30s tonneau   

The Great Depression hurt Election earlier and harder than other Swiss companies. A rare Election from the ‘30s is seen at left. By mid-1930 the factory was on the brink of bankruptcy. Some patents were reassigned to the banks, and the company and all its assets were put up for sale. With no buyer, the company closed on November 2, 1931 and was ordered to be liquidated.

With the company bankrupt, the Braunschweig family began raising funds to re-start. In 1931 the family created a new company, Nouvelle SA des Montres Election, and dropped the Braunschweig name. The revived company was able to purchase many of the assets (equipment and trademarks) of the old company which had gone unsold and thus they regained some of their previous market share. In the  1940s, Election followed the branding trend of other companies, producing watches under the Electron, Selection, and Grand Prix brands as well as Election. The Grand Prix brand lasted through the 1950s and was almost as well-known as the primary Election brand. They made many of their own movements, some of which were sold as ebauches (rough movements) to other companies, including Longines. The "Grand Prix" became their most famous signature and is found on many of their dials. Though by this time it was a model line in addition to being a sub-signature referring to their 1914 award.

The '40s and beyond:

Here is a rare 1940s model with regulator dial I found on the Internet:

A rare 1940s regulator dial.  

Here are a couple of war-time Election models from a 1942 issue of Europa Star magazine, including a chronograph. Election continued production during the war, and did not produce Ordnance for either side:

By 1945, René Didisheim became President, with Lucien Braunschweig taking the role of Secretary. Election was listed in various directories 1950-1954. Election was among the companies adopting the ultrasonic cleaning and hermetically sealed case trend of the 1950s.

Election worked closely with Marvin in the post-war period, and the two companies shared some watch movements. For example, Election's Cal. 875 became Marvin's Cal. 700 in the 1960s. This movement was later also used by Longines as Cal. 490. Similarly, Marvin's rectangular Cal. 160 became Election's Cal. 275. The Election brand was well represented in Asia and Latin America, where it was often partnered with Girard-Perregaux.

At this point, we’ll look at some vintage advertisements from Election’s heyday in the 1940s and ‘50s.

 

One advertisement in 1960 (left) called attention to an Election Grand Prix watch that was carried by crew members of the raft Tahiti Nui. This expedition attempted to discover a plausible route from Tahiti to Chile's Easter Island, 2,360 miles off the coast of Chile, and long a source of mystery as to how the island became inhabited. The ad campaign was very probably designed to compete with Eterna's Kon Tiki. 

Other model names Appearing in the 1950s included Tropical Special, Electrovar, Gold Hood (see ad above), Everlast, Timelight, Connoisseur, Evergreen, Ocean King, Everbest, Super-Electron, Carrier, Electrion, and Superdate de Luxe.

Lucien Braunschweig died in July of 1958 at the age of 73. He had guided Election and Nouvelle Election for over 50 years and was greatly involved in La Chaux-de-Fonds commercial activities as well.

In the 1960s, Election emphasized their high-jewel watches. The Supermatic 41 (left) had a 41-jewel movement with date and central seconds. 

Election was unable to compete in the 1970s. Most of the company's trademarks expired during the decade as they fell into disuse, including their most famous trademark, Grand Prix. The company remained in business through the 1980s. I can find no evidence that the brand was marketed after that. The brand is all but forgotten, except to collectors of vintage Election. Below are some examples of vintage Election watches.

L to R: Two chronographs with Valjoux 22 movement; black dial, subsigned Cuervo y Sobrinos, a luxury jeweler based in pre-Castro Cuba; bullseye dial.

L to R: fancy split lugs; saucer bezel circa ‘70s; round 18kt gold.

Here is another article I wrote about Election:

Watch manufacturers would do just about anything to sell a watch, especially during the post-WWII boom where competition was fierce. In the March/April 1954 issue of Swiss Horological Journal, Election ran an advertisement promoting its new "Grand Prix" model, capitalizing on the macho sport of Grand Prix auto racing. Grand Prix racing has its roots in organized automobile racing that began in France as early as 1894. It quickly evolved from simple road races from one town to the next, to endurance tests for car and driver. Innovation and the drive of competition soon saw speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour, but because early races took place on open roads, accidents occurred frequently, resulting in deaths both of drivers and of spectators.

The Election "Grand Prix" was an automatic watch with sweep second hand, and raised markers and logo. The stylized ad featured a backdrop of an airfield, suggesting that the "Grand Prix" would be suitable for aircraft personnel. Election was founded in 1904 by the Braunschweig family of Hamburg, Here is an image of that ad:

here are some additional ads for Election:

 

Helvetia

 By Bruce Shawkey

In April 1892 the Swiss watch company Louis Brandt & Frere registered the name “Helvetia” as one of their brand names. Yes, THAT Louis Brandt, who founded Omega, along with brother Cesar. Helvetia (pronounced hel-VEESH-ah) was the personified female symbol for Switzerland, much the same way Lady Liberty is a symbol for the United States. Helvetia goes way back to when Switzerland was part of Roman empire, and for whatever reason, the symbol stuck. Anyway, two years later in 1894 (Louis) Brandt also registered the name “Omega” and applied it to a new range of higher quality lever movement watches they had developed. Helvetia at the time used cheaper cylinder movements. The Omega brand became so popular that Brandt decided to spin off Helvetia along with several other brands into a new company called "Société d’Horlogerie La Générale" or General Watch Co. in its American translation. Louis’ brother Cesar, was made a principal in the company.

Helvetia soon became the flagship brand of General and the company started putting better quality lever escapement movements inside their cases (circa 1895). Their early history as cylinder watches I think is what gives Helvetia a bad rep among collectors. But as far as I know, Helvetia used lever escapement movements from this point forward.

Helvetia wrist watches appeared as early as 1909. During the Great War, General produced Helvetia watches of the hunter or half hunter types that included a hinged lid to protect the crystal and hands of the watch from damage.

Helvetia trench watch with hunter case, copyright https://www.helvetiahistory.co.uk/history, used with permission,

After WWI, General began pushing the brand name Helvetia to the fore. They introduced some of their first dress watches, and developed a shock protecting mechanism into their movements. From this point forward, almost all General’s watches bore the name Helvetia. Before this, the dials had been mostly left without signature.

In 1929, they produced a waterproof watch in a case with gaskets in the stem and case back. In 1932 they produced a watch with a large, twin-window, twin-wheel, date feature at 12 o’clock, claiming the world’s first "Big Date" watch. 

Helvetia "Big Date" copyright https://www.helvetiahistory.co.uk/history, used with permission,

We normally associate this feature with the more expensive brands such as Glashutte and Lange & Sohn, but reportedly Helvetia was the first.

The second world war was another time of expansion for the company. They supplied pocket watches to the British and the German armies. Also, they supplied wristwatches to Germany and, at the end of the war, to Allied forces, as well as special wrist timers to the Royal Navy. After the war, they changed their name to Montres Helvetia Société d'Horlogerie La Générale to emphasize the prominence of the Helvetia brand. From this date forward, they are usually referred to as Montres Helvetia S.A. or Helvetia Watch Co.

The 1950s were probably the last hurrah for Helvetia. They turned their attention more toward dress watches, as evidenced by this pictured ad in a 1953 issue of Swiss Horological Journal.

Swiss Horological Journal Nov./Dec. 1953

They again became quite innovative with some interesting dial and case designs. This was the beginning of the widespread use of automatic movements, and Helvetia followed suit, using some of their own movements, as well as ebauches (rough movements) from ETA and A. Schild. They even produced watches in karat gold cases, something they had not done before,

Dog ear lugs, 14kt gold case

Chronograph with Valjoux 23 movement

The 1960s began a downward spiral for Helvetia, first with having to compete with cheap Japanese imports and then in the ‘70s-'80s with the quartz invasion. In an attempt to modernize, Helvetia adopted a more streamlined logo. 

Automatic, new logo

In 1965, catchy model names were added such as the Waterstar, Cosmotimer, and Depthograph.

"Depthograph" with built-in depth gauge

Despite their still being quality watches, Helvetia struggled. They became part of a consortium (SGT, short for Société des Garde-Temps S.A.) Other companies in the consortium included Avia, Degoumois & Co., Silvana, Eugene Vuilleumier, William Mathez and Fleurier. This was a common practice in those days for watch companies to band together to reduce operating expenses. By the early ‘70s, Helvetia ceased production of all in-house movements.

In 1973 at the annual general meeting of Helvetia S.A., it was decided to dissolve the company. This was not the end for the Helvetia name however. Silvana S.A. held its own annual general meeting on the same day as Helvetia's, and Silvana S.A. changed its name to Helvetia S.A. This is not as unusual as it might sound, as both companies were part of the same SGT consortium and most of the companies’ directors sat on both boards. This appears to be little more than a paper exercise designed to shuffle assets.

In any event, SGT could not hold off the quartz invasion of the 1980s, and began selling off its brands one by one. The Helvetia name was eventually picked up by a jeweler in Vienna, Austria, who still sells some watches with the Helvetia logo. But they are watches in name only, using generic movements and cases.

Vintage examples, meanwhile, seem to draw little interest among today’s collectors. Sellers ask big bucks on eBay, but they bring no action and often sell for a fraction of the asking price. The exception are the WWI era military watches, but they are in a separate collector niche. That is why, in my opinion, Helvetia wristwatches, for the most part, represent a good value.

For more detailed information, please check out this website, devoted to the company’s history and watches. I have based this abbreviated history in large part on the information contained on that website.

Here's another article I wrote on Helvetia:

In April 1892 the Swiss watch company Louis Brandt & Frere registered the name “Helvetia” as one of their brand names. Yes, THAT Louis Brandt, who founded Omega, along with brother Cesar. Helvetia (pronounced hel-VEESH-ah) was the personified female symbol for Switzerland, much the same way Lady Liberty is a symbol for the United States. Helvetia goes way back to when Switzerland was part of Roman empire, and for whatever reason, the symbol stuck. Anyway, two years later in 1894 (Louis) Brandt also registered the name “Omega” and applied it to a new range of higher quality lever movement watches they had developed. Helvetia at the time used cheaper cylinder movements. The Omega brand became so popular that Brandt decided to spin off Helvetia along with several other brands into a new company called "Société d’Horlogerie La Générale" or General Watch Co. in its American translation. Louis’ brother Cesar, was made a principal in the company.

Helvetia soon became the flagship brand of General and the company started putting better quality lever escapement movements inside their cases (circa 1895). Their early history as cylinder watches I think is what gives Helvetia a bad rep among collectors. But as far as I know, Helvetia used lever escapement movements from this point forward.

Helvetia wrist watches appeared as early as 1909. During the Great War, General produced Helvetia watches of the hunter or half hunter types that included a hinged lid to protect the crystal and hands of the watch from damage.

Helvetia trench watch with hunter case, copyright https://www.helvetiahistory.co.uk/history, used with permission,

After WWI, General began pushing the brand name Helvetia to the fore. They introduced some of their first dress watches, and developed a shock protecting mechanism into their movements. From this point forward, almost all General’s watches bore the name Helvetia. Before this, the dials had been mostly left without signature.

In 1929, they produced a waterproof watch in a case with gaskets in the stem and case back. In 1932 they produced a watch with a large, twin-window, twin-wheel, date feature at 12 o’clock, claiming the world’s first "Big Date" watch. 

Helvetia "Big Date" copyright https://www.helvetiahistory.co.uk/history, used with permission,

We normally associate this feature with the more expensive brands such as Glashutte and Lange & Sohn, but reportedly Helvetia was the first.

The second world war was another time of expansion for the company. They supplied pocket watches to the British and the German armies. Also, they supplied wristwatches to Germany and, at the end of the war, to Allied forces, as well as special wrist timers to the Royal Navy. After the war, they changed their name to Montres Helvetia Société d'Horlogerie La Générale to emphasize the prominence of the Helvetia brand. From this date forward, they are usually referred to as Montres Helvetia S.A. or Helvetia Watch Co.

The 1950s were probably the last hurrah for Helvetia. They turned their attention more toward dress watches, as evidenced by this pictured ad in a 1953 issue of Swiss Horological Journal.

Swiss Horological Journal Nov./Dec. 1953

They again became quite innovative with some interesting dial and case designs. This was the beginning of the widespread use of automatic movements, and Helvetia followed suit, using some of their own movements, as well as ebauches (rough movements) from ETA and A. Schild. They even produced watches in karat gold cases, something they had not done before,

Dog ear lugs, 14kt gold case

Chronograph with Valjoux 23 movement

The 1960s began a downward spiral for Helvetia, first with having to compete with cheap Japanese imports and then in the ‘70s-'80s with the quartz invasion. In an attempt to modernize, Helvetia adopted a more streamlined logo. 

Automatic, new logo

In 1965, catchy model names were added such as the Waterstar, Cosmotimer, and Depthograph.

"Depthograph" with built-in depth gauge

Despite their still being quality watches, Helvetia struggled. They became part of a consortium (SGT, short for Société des Garde-Temps S.A.) Other companies in the consortium included Avia, Degoumois & Co., Silvana, Eugene Vuilleumier, William Mathez and Fleurier. This was a common practice in those days for watch companies to band together to reduce operating expenses. By the early ‘70s, Helvetia ceased production of all in-house movements.

In 1973 at the annual general meeting of Helvetia S.A., it was decided to dissolve the company. This was not the end for the Helvetia name however. Silvana S.A. held its own annual general meeting on the same day as Helvetia's, and Silvana S.A. changed its name to Helvetia S.A. This is not as unusual as it might sound, as both companies were part of the same SGT consortium and most of the companies’ directors sat on both boards. This appears to be little more than a paper exercise designed to shuffle assets.

In any event, SGT could not hold off the quartz invasion of the 1980s, and began selling off its brands one by one. The Helvetia name was eventually picked up by a jeweler in Vienna, Austria, who still sells some watches with the Helvetia logo. But they are watches in name only, using generic movements and cases.

Vintage examples, meanwhile, seem to draw little interest among today’s collectors. Sellers ask big bucks on eBay, but they bring no action and often sell for a fraction of the asking price. The exception are the WWI era military watches, but they are in a separate collector niche. That is why, in my opinion, Helvetia wristwatches, for the most part, represent a good value.

Arly

 Arly -- This brand was founded in 1947 with offices in Switzerland, (Tramelan) and Germany. The brand appears in various registries beginning in 1950. A regular advertiser during the 1950s in Swiss Horological Journal, but not an attendee at the Basel exhibition in those days. 

Typical ad from the '40s-'50s

The current website www.arlywatch.de is maintained by R. Reuther Mechanical Watches, with headquarters Coburg, Germany.  Various vintage wristwatches are seen for sale or auction on popular websites, including chronographs and multi-date watches.

Typical Vintage Examples

Many of their current watches are a tribute to their heritage, as seen in the chronograph with dial signed "since 1947." 

Current Chronograph

Current offices are in Coberg, Germany, and interested parties are instructed on the website to contact the company directly at mail@arlywatch.de for sales information.