Bruce's World of Watches

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

Zodiac

By Bruce Shawkey

The company was founded in Le Locle, Switzerland in 1882 by Ariste Calame (left) We know little about the man, except that his family roots in Switzerland went back to the 16th century and came from a long line of “mechanically minded“ ancestors. He was born in 1839, and so started his company at a relatively later age (45) than did many of his contemporaries in the watch manufacturing world. Ariste "officially" retired from the company in 1890, but unofficially continued to run the company until his son, Louis-Ariste Calame (1875-1955) took over the company in 1895.

Ariste used the name Zodiac on several of his models, but it was not until 1908 that son Louis registered the brand name. But the company name remained Ariste Calame (and later Calame and Cie.) into the 1950s.) During this time (1882-1908) Calame subsisted largely on manufacturing movements and movement parts for other companies, notably Favre-Perret and Seiko of Japan, believe it or not. Many Seiko collectors believe the company is a fairly recent phenomenon, but in fact was founded in 1881. In those early years Seiko bought from several Swiss companies for watches, parts, and machinery. Zodiac also manufactured its own calibers for the production of pocket watches.

Between 1908 and 1914 the company at its height employed about 50 people. These watches were obviously pocket watches, as I can no evidence of wristwatch production. Certainly Zodiac pocket watches recased at a later date by a jeweler or other third party exist in the marketplace. World War I and the years that followed, up until the 1930s, appear to have lean times for Zodiac. I can find no evidence that a wristwatch ever left the factory during the 1920s, even though wristwatches were becoming an accepted fashion item, certainly in Europe and, to a lesser degree, in the United States.

In November 1923, one of Louis's sons, Rene A. Calame, joined the firm and is generally credited with saving the company from extinction. We do not know when the first wristwatch left the factory in its completed form. Probably the first factory-cased wristwatches did not come out of Zodiac until the mid-1930s. The company patented a unique shockproofing system that utilized a Z-shape spring clip over the balance. The entire watch is

shown at right, along with the movement being shown in detail. (The word below Zodiac on the wristwatch - INCASSABLE - translates to “unbreakable.”) In 1937, Zodiac created another innovation - an eight-day wrist watch movement (below, left). It was 10.5 lignes in size, featured a damaskeened finish, and was inscribed with the number 1551. I have never seen an actual watch containing this movement.

The company also claims during this time to have manufactured one of Switzerland's first automatic wristwatch movements. I have never seen an example of it, nor is does there seem to be any corroborating evidence as to its existence. History has a way of getting twisted, and I personally believe that what some historians (including owner Fossil) are referring to is the Autographic with the Caliber 1424 movement, introduced in 1949, which was one of Switzerland’s first automatic movements with a power reserve indicator. But the 1424 was not manufactured in-house. It was made by A. Schild, who used the same Caliber number.

While all of these movements (the Shock proof, eight-day, automatic) were supposedly made completely in house, none are acknowledged in any of the “standard“ movement guides (Bestfit, Marshall). Only later movements, after Zodiac switched to ebauches from other suppliers, are noted. So if anyone has an early Zodiac materials manual, I will be happy to include more details about these early movements in a followup article.

Owing to Zodiac’s failure to make any significant inroads into the American market (which was essential to any watch manufacturer's financial success) the company in the 1940s switched to ebauches from such suppliers as ETA, A. Schild and others. This allowed Zodiac to significantly reduce costs and become a “player” on the worldwide watch stage. But that would have to wait until nearly a decade later. Their ads at the time featured watches that, while quality pieces, were unremarkable in design and features. The full report on Zodiac (available at the end of this abbreviated article) shows six different Zodiac ads from this period (1940s-'50s) including the rather quirky "pharaon" model.

This would change in 1949. At the Basel Fair that year, Zodiac (still under the ownership of the Calame family) exhibited two innovative watches. One was the Autographic, the self-winding watch mentioned earlier that showed hours of power (zero to 36) remaining on the mainspring. The other innovation was the Datagraphic, a

Autographic (left) and Datograph

12-ligne calendar movement with moonphase feature. It is their Caliber 12, based on the ETA Caliber 1100. An automatic feature was eventually added, resulting in the Caliber 1402 (same caliber number as the A. Schild movement it is based on).

The Autographic, in particular, was quite innovative in that there was only one other wristwatch at the time - made by LeCoultre - that had a power reserve indicator (though other manufacturers would soon follow).

Both models proved very popular and can be found with relative ease to this day. The Datograph and Autographic caught on in the U.S. market and finally established Zodiac as a player in the world of wristwatches. (Up until this time, they were known mostly in Europe and Asia.)

Sea Wolf with metal bezel ring and ceramic

But that was just a taste of the success to come. In 1953, Zodiac unveiled the Sea Wolf which was one of the first “serious” diver's watches manufactured and marketed to the masses, that is, folks who were not necessarily professional or amateur skin divers but nevertheless wanted a rugged sports watch that would stand up to the elements.

The paperwork that accompanied the Sea Wolf proclaimed that it was “… the world's finest underwater watch. Designed for skin-diving and other water sports, the Sea Wolf is so impressively handsome, it is pridefully worn by the adventurous male day-in and day-out … in or out of the water!“

The first models featured a base metal bezel ring which, thankfully, was later upgraded to an enamel covered bezel ring. To this day, I cannot figure out why Zodiac went to the expense of putting the Sea Wolf inside a stainless steel case and then pinched pennies on a base metal bezel ring (plated with chrome). The bezel ring takes the brunt of the wear and always wore down to a brass color in a matter of months, much to the dismay of vintage collectors today.

A date feature was soon added, and eventually day AND date. Its ruggedness, combined with the fact that it was an automatic watch (the user didn't have to wind it) made it a tremendous success. In fact, to borrow a phrase from Hollywood, this was Zodiac's “breakout” watch. It was so successful, that eventually in the late 1950s, even the U.S. military took notice. As early as World War II, they had begun training specialized underwater demolition teams (UDTs). The Navy, in particular, took this training to new heights, and in 1962 established the SEAL (Sea, Air and Land) program. They needed a watch that could hold up to water pressure and temperature extremes. The Sea Wolf was perfectly suited, rated to 20 atmospheres (ATMs), equivalent to 660 feet underwater, and guaranteed to perform in temperatures ranging from zero to 40 degrees Celsius (32 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit).

The only problem was that the Department of Defense was supposed to buy only American-made watches. But the only diver watches made in America at that time were clunky, hard-to-use models (case-within-a-case design) that had to be special ordered through the glacially slow military contracting process. And, they were manual winding! So if a UDT or SEAL member made the unfortunate mistake of not winding his watch (an easy error in high-stress situations), he could miss a critical task or rendezvous.

As the late Marvin Whitney states in his book, “Military Timepieces,” most military units, fortunately, had certain “discretionary funds” at their disposal. And even those soldiers and sailors who didn't have a Sea Wolf purchased for them would go to their local base exchange and buy one out of their own pocket! And so the Sea Wolf soon found itself on the wrists of many military men - divers and non-divers alike. The success of the Sea Wolf eventually led to the development of the Super Sea Wolf. A patented stem/crown system and an improved case back design increased its water pressure rating to 75 ATMs, or 2,442 feet.

Chronographs (two- and three-register models) also began to appear with relative frequency during the 1950s and ‘60s, as well as a novelty watch called the Pharaon which played on Zodiac’s name showing the 12 signs of the zodiac around the bezel.

To backtrack a bit, and bring us current with corporate history, Rene Calame's father, Louis-Ariste, died in 1955 at the age of 80 and is said to have remained on Zodiac's board of directors up until his death. Rene's son, Pierre, born in 1934, also joined the firm somewhere around this time. This is also the time that Zodiac adopted the trademark logo that many of us are familiar with - the cross inside the circle.

The 1960s were boom times for Zodiac. They continued to exploit their niche in rugged sport watches by coming out with new models. The Sea Wolf was further refined with an extra 24-hour GMT hand, and called the Aerospace. A further refinement led to the Aerospace Jet, which featured true 24-hour hands (the hands traversed the dial once in 24 hours). Chronographs also continued strong.

In 1969, the company introduced what would become another signature watch, the AstrographicSST. It
combined the water-resistant features of a sport watch with “mystery” hands that appeared to float on the dial of the watch (actually they were painted or decaled onto clear plastic discs which, in turn, were mounted on the watch's center post). The “SST” stood for “split second timing,” a fancy name for a high-beat movement running at 10 pulses per second versus the usual five beats. It sold back in its day for around $150 in stainless steel. It is often confused with the Autographic, due to the similarities of the names. But there is no mistaking the two when you see them side by side! The Autographic is a wind indicator watch, while the Astrographic has a mystery dial.

The cushion shape Astrographic was the first design that came out, and remains the most desired by collectors today. But another case design emerged, the round, which is also referred to as the oval due to the squashed saucer-like shape of the bezel. A rare variation emerged with jump hour and digital seconds.

The 1970s and beyond

Olympos (left), and Corsair

The 1970s ushered in what would be the final hour for Zodiac as a family-run business. But the decade began with a few “highs,“ notably the introduction of another “trademark” watch of Zodiac's, the Olympos (image next page). It took the idea of the Astrographic (mystery dial) and slimmed it down to a more dressy watch. It is unmistakable with any other watch due to its asymmetrical shape, mystery hands, and crown at the 2:00 position. It is also automatic. It can be found to this day with relative ease.

Another watch, the “Corsair,” featured a hexagon-shaped case and automatic movement with date. Corsair means pirate, or pirate ship, and Zodiac most likely chose the name because it has a pleasing sound.

But beginning in the mid 1970s, the company produced watches that were dropped almost as quickly as they were introduced - obscure mechanical monstrosities with bulbous cases better suited to a weight-lifting room than a wrist! Also, electric and quartz models that were clunky and badly designed. These were last gasps to try and make something -- anything -- to compete against the onslaught of Timex and cheap Swiss imports.

In 1978, Pierre Calame, presiding over his final annual meeting, gave a somber speech about the “natural selection” process that was taking place within the Swiss watch industry. That year, the Dixi Group of Le Locle, bought a controlling interest in Zodiac, and took Zodiac over completely in 1979. Dixi Group, then headed by Paul Castella, is a large consortium of Swiss companies specializing in machine parts, micromechanisms and medical equipment, among other things. The company, with roots going back to the late 1800s, was no stranger to watches. In fact, they had been founded by the watch manufacturer Le Phare for the production of machine tools.

So while Dixi saved the brand name, it was the end of Zodiac as a family-run business. Ironically, Rene Calame, the man who had turned Zodiac from a relatively unknown company into a brand leader, passed away that same year at age 76. Pierre, meanwhile, apparently disappeared into relative obscurity.

The history of Zodiac for the next 11 years remains somewhat of a mystery. It seems clear that what began in 1979 was an experiment in "managing" the brand by marketing specialists rather than watchmakers. Dixi just didn't know how to position the brand.

Finally in 1990, Willy Gad Monnier (right), a former Tag Heuer executive, bought the Zodiac brand. But we don't know know if Monnier bought it from Dixi, or whether there was another owner of the Zodiac brand between 1979 and 1990.

Zodiac watches under Monnier took on a “Tag Heuer” look. Not surprising, given Monnier’s background. Most of the Zodiacs from the Monnier years are forgotten with the possible exception of the "Point" series where an extra dot appears on the dials along with numerals and markers. With the Point series, Monnier sought to create a tiered system of technical watches, with a specific focus on divers and chronographs. The Point series is shown in the full report, available at the end of this full report.

No one seems to know the whereabouts of Mr. Monnier. At last mention in 2018, he was reported in bad health and has presumably died. He failed to find a niche, and the company went bankrupt in 1997. The brand was next bought in 1998 by Genender International (a U.S. company based in Wheeling, Ill.). Genender currently supplies a number of "fashion brands" of watches.

To the disappointment of many, Genender discontinued the Sea Wolf model, and most automatic watches as well as all automatic chronographs. Then, in October 2000, Genender introduced the Sea Wolf II, an aggressive

evolution of the long-standing Sea Wolf diver’s watch. But it was only available in a quartz model, and the rotating time ring was located under the crystal and turned by use of an extra crown. They also introduced the Astrographic 2000, a sleek updated version of one of the most known and

favorite models ever in the Zodiac line. This watch, like its predecessor, was a mystery dial model. The Astrographic 2000 with its ETA 2824-2 automatic movement, was well received by the watch industry and was written up in several publications.

It appeared Genender had a good thing going. But in August of 2001, they sold the brand to Fossil Inc., along with remaining inventory and parts, for $4.7 million. (One of the few times the price for a watch company has been publicly revealed.) Fossil saved the brand, but the purists out there were aghast at the prospect of Zodiac becoming a plastic watch. Thankfully, Fossil didn’t go that far. But when I last wrote about Zodiac back in 2003, their website was cheesy and contained a collection of middle- and upper-middle-priced men's sport watches. Absent were the models that made Zodiac famous ... the Sea Wolf, Astrographic, Olympos, etc.

That has changed. The Sea Wolf is back, albeit renamed the Super Sea Wolf, with automatic mechanical movement and water resistant to 20 ATMs. The Olympos is also back, with automatic movement with a date (the original did not have a date). The watch retains its original pentagon shape (though super-sized at 37mm), and they even placed the crown at 2:00 like the original. They even have a few 50th anniversary Super Sea Wolfs left from their 2018 rollout. One is named for Andy Mann, an award-winning underwater photographer who was a brand ambassador for Zodiac watches for a time. A watch dial features a 12:00 marker in the shape of a shark fin. The watch is pictured in the full report on Zodiac, availalble at the end of this article.

The "Grandrally" is their chronograph line and all in the collection feature quartz movements. A "Grandville" collection is Zodiac's time-only collection -- a sort of "no frills" hybrid between dress and sport watches with quartz (Ronda) movements. Fossil has currently suspended production of this model line, but you can find them on various overstock and closeout websites for around the $300 mark.

Most Zodiac purists want nothing to do with the new Fossil Zodiac watches. But for the average consumer who likes the vintage look without all the hassles of owning an actual vintage watch (restoration, servicing, etc.) the new Zodiacs are a good choice.

Wednesday, September 8, 2021

Mozart's Pocket Watch

Condensed from an article in the Sept./Oct. 1957 issue of Swiss Horological Journal.

By Bruce Shawkey

Somewhere in the world, treasured perhaps by a private collector among other rare timepieces, or possibly lying forgotten in some watchmaker’s shop, is a timepiece of great historical importance. It is, in fact, the pocket watch of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Empress Maria Teresa presented the watch to Mozart in 1771 as a gift for a serenade he was commissioned to write, "Ascanio in Alba," for the wedding of her son, Archduke Ferdinand of Austria. Mozart was 15 years old at the time.

It was a gold watch which had her enameled portrait on the back surrounded with a number of diamonds. The watch has a verge movement signed by the eminent French maker, Jean Antoine Lepine of Paris, who served as

watchmaker to Louis XV, Louis XVI and to Napoleon I. One can only the imagine the extravagence of such a gift. A watch in those times, especially one in a gold case, might cost a year's wages of a common laborer. Only royalty or the rich carried watches in those times. And we have to wonder what a boy of 15 would do with a pocket watch. It's been suggested that Mozart's father preserved the watch for him until 1786. That is the year that was engraved on the inside back of the watch along with the inscription “W.A. Mozart.”

By that time, Mozart was 30 years old, married with several children. Although he had achieved fame in musical circles, he was probably the only important musician of his time without a patron and a source of steady income. He had numerous debts, his wife was expecting another child, and to compound matters he had fallen into a period of loneliness and mental depression.

A short time after 1786 -- we don't know the exact date -- Mozart was forced to sell the watch to an acquaintance named Josef Strobl, a shopkeeper on the outskirts of Vienna. The country shopkeeper treasured the timepiece during his lifetime.

As history records, Mozart died in 1791 at age 35. Meanwhile, Strobl’s will specified the watch be kept in the Strobl family. But in 1855, a grandchild sold the watch to Julius Hall of Stahlberg. A year later it was sold again, this time to an art dealer by the name of Josef Wagner. Two years later, in 1858, it was purchased from Wagner by Ignaz Pfeffer, wealthy owner of a bath house in Budapest, who added it to his collection of timepieces. It remained in Pfeffer's collection until his death in 1892. The watch was bequeathed to the "Internationale Stiftung Mozarteum" (Mozart Museum) in Salzburg. There, the watch resided safely for a number of decades, and presumably this is when the only known photograph of the watch was taken (left).

During World War II, the Mozart watch, together with other treasures of the Mozarteum, were crated and stored away for safekeeping from the Nazis. Safe though the crates were from bombings, they encountered other hazards. At some time during the summer of 1945, the boxes were broken into and several valuable items were pilfered, including the watch. Since its disappearance in '45, the watch has not resurfaced, and a treasured artifact of musical and horological history has disappeared. It remains the hope of the Mozarteum that some day someone will return the watch to the museum. The Mozart watch belongs not to the solitary collector, but the worlds of music and horology.

Saturday, August 7, 2021

Certina

By Bruce Shawkey

There are certain watch brands that vintage watch collectors just don’t want you to know about! They like the idea of fishing in uncrowded streams and rivers, while the masses troll in futility for bargains in the overfished waters of brands like Rolex and Omega.

One of those brands is Certina. Despite a long history and the fact that they made most, if not all, of their movements in house (a rarity among watch manufacturers) vintage Certina watches for years barely registered a blip on collectors’ radar screens when I last wrote about them in 2007.

That has changed. Many collectors today are eagerly seeking vintage Certina watches for their quality, and relative low price. Despite upward pressure, many pieces on eBay and other venues still go for less than $200

The story of Certina begins in 1888, when brothers Adolph (right) and Alfred Kurth opened a small business in Grenchen, Switzerland, offering movements and supplies to the watchmaking industry. They started with three employees in a workshop annexed to the family home. The name “Kurth” and “Kurth Freres” (brothers) is important to remember. Because while most collectors know the company as “Certina,” this is merely a brand name. “Kurth Freres” was the company name, right up until 1983 when Certina became a division of Swatch Group. To this day, when ordering a part for a vintage (pre 1980s) Certina watch movement, you (or your watchmaker) must specify the appropriate Kurth movement.

Finally, by 1906, the company felt confident enough to begin making complete watches with “discrete high-quality watch movements,” according to the company’s website. That’s a

fancy way of saying their watches weren’t signed on the dials — a common practice in its day. They chose the name "Grana," a short form of "Granacus," which is Latin for Grenchen, the city where Kurth Freres was founded. The first wrist watches that appeared on the market were mostly ladies' models. A rare gent’s watch is pictured at left. It was only available in a base metal case. I suppose the Kurth brothers thought — as many companies did at that time — that men’s wrist watches were a passing fad.

At first, dials on both men’s and ladies’ were not signed. I was fortunate enough to locate a 1920s Kurth catalog of Grana watches, and by this time,

men's watches were fairly well represented (above). Probably due in part to Alfred Kurth’s sons Erwin and Hans joining the company during this time. The full version of this story contains some rare full color images of the ladies' watches which are fabulous and rival those designs of the Elgin Parisienne series.

Also, remember the Grana name. The company kept the name, “Grana” alive for many years. notably WWII British military issue watches. The “official” history of Certina from the company website states the name began to fade in 1949, but we see the name pop up into the 1950s and beyond. And Swatch Group (which currently owns Certina) retains the Grana trademark to this day.

The year 1938 marked the company’s 50th anniversary, and they went looking for a new brand name. They chose “Certina,” a word that is pronounced the same in most any language, and which is derived from the root Latin word certus meaning “sure.” The name was trademarked in 1939.

Early Grana and even early Certina watches are difficult to find in the United States. Their primary market up until 1952 was Europe, emphasis on Great Britain. There is no evidence that Certina watches were even distributed in America prior to ‘52 when the Illinois Watch Case Co. (a division of Elgin) cased a few models and offered them for sale. More on this later.

A rare example of an early Certina, probably a late ’30s wire-lug specimen, is shown at left. It has a partial dust cover that protects critical parts of the movement, and an extremely tight snapback cover. It shows that Kurth was already thinking about water/dust protection.

Another Certina model line, the “Labora,” (circa '40s into the '50s) was pitched as a working man's wrist watch (labor, get it?), and offered a screwback case for better protection from dirt and moisture. An ad for the Labora (from a 1946 Swiss trade journal) is seen below.

OK, remember I said we’d revisit the Grana brand name? It appears again in a big way during and for the first few years after WWII with the British Ministry of Defense (MoD). Remember, Kurth was still not established in the United States until after 1952, so it missed out on military contracts with the United States. It turns out Kurth won a contract for a general service watch to the MoD, and supplied a humble 15-jewel model with sub seconds and the traditional “broad arrow” on the dial (right).

Today, it is one watch comprising the so-called "Dirty Dozen," (referring to a classic WWII movie starring Lee Marvin) a term coined by modern-day military watch collectors to denote all the general service watches commissioned by the MoD from various suppliers during World War II. To collect all 12 is considered a Holy Grail achievement among vintage military watch collectors. The Grana is the rarest of the bunch, with estimates of fewer than 1,500 pieces supplied.

To continue with the chronology, Kurth developed its first automatic movement, the Caliber 360, in 1951. Winding in one direction only, it differed little from its competitors. The first full-rotor movement, the 11-1/2 ligne, Caliber 25-45, was also introduced in 1951 and featured a unique double-lever switcher that functions like the more common switching rocker found in other automatic calibers. The coupling wheel which disconnects the automatic drive during hand winding, also has a unique design. A date version of this Caliber, designated the 25-451, was also introduced and given the name "Certidate."

The 25-45 had a long production run, and was used not only in Certina watches, but sold as ebauches (rough movements) to other watch manufacturers. I recently sold a Gubelin automatic that was equipped with a Kurth 25-45, and the smooth accurate mechanics were a perfect mate to the gorgeous case and dial of the watch. When you wind the watch by hand, it’s as smooth as a baby’s bottom and requires very little torque.

Somewhere around this time, Kurth also developed a new logo for Certina. It is a “C” inside of a larger “C,” with both letters set at opposing angles. I’m just speculating here, but I believe the larger C stands for Certina, while the smaller inside C is a representation of the rotor inside an automatic watch.

We also know that as early as the late 1930s, Certina started experimenting with case designs that would protect the watch movement from the elements. Unlike other brands, however, Kurth used these designs not only in sports models, but dress models as well. The early Certina (long rectangle) model above is an example. It has a partial dust cover that protects certain vital parts of the movement, and an extremely tight snapback case.

You can witness their evolution in watertight case design by our next example, shown at left. Again, it bridges the gap between sport and dress watches. It features a gold-capped case, and at first glance looks very much like a dress watch. But when you flip it over, the back reveals separate bracket pieces located on the top and bottom that compress the back against the bezel as the screws are tightened. A special crystal has a lip all around the edges, and is compressed against a gasket which, in turn, is pressed against the case.

The original dial reveals the letters “EA” in script below the signature. The "EA," stands for "Elgin American" or “Export America” (historians differ) signifying the case was made by the Illinois Watch Case Co. (owned by Elgin) and intended for the U.S. market. By most accounts, this was Certina's initial foray into the U.S. market in 1953.

In 1959, Certina introduced its first "DS" model standing for “double-security.” Example at

right. It featured a reinforced case design, and a special suspension for the movement. Multiple models were soon rolled out (manual, automatic, date models, chronograph, divers’ models, and so forth) and soon the DS series became Certina’s signature line. An upgraded “DS-2” series was introduced in 1968 and featured several technical innovations. Swatch maintains the DS series in Certina’s sport line of watches to this day. They are up to generation “DS 8” in the progression of technical improvements.

In 1971, Certina joined General Watch Holding Co., a subsidiary of the ASUAG consortium. This was common practice during the turbulent times of cheap Japanese imports that were disrupting the Swiss market. Additional members were Edox/Era, Endura, Eterna, Longines, Mido, Rado, Rotary and Technos. But General could not withstand the onslaught of the quartz invasion of the late '70s and early '80s, and they began selling off their brands one by one. As noted earlier, Swatch Group acquired Certina in 1983. Since then, Swatch Group has resurrected many of Certina's model names of old. In my humble opinion, their achievements over the last 40 or so years have been mostly flash over substance. Their watches are all fitted with ebauches from ETA, which is now another one of the Swatch affiliates. Press releases play on the brand's heritage, and are filled with news about celebrity endorsements rather than technological advances. One example is the Powermatic 80, announced in 2014 as a technological breakthrough. It now powers the lion’s share of Certina’s automatic watches. It's just a basic ETA Caliber 2824 with a power reserve of 80 hours upgraded from 38 hours. Big whoop! I'll admit I am biased toward the Certina watches of old (’60s and before), but there's just something unsettling about the post-1983 Certina watches. They simply lack the soul of the vintage Certinas. Don't get me wrong. I completely understand that Certina watches with the modern ETA and Valjoux (chronograph) movements are better in almost every way from the Kurth movements of old. I just like vintage watches!

Here are previous articles I've writen on Certina:

I came across an ad in the March/April 1954 issue of Swiss Horological Journal, announcing a new automatic watch. I was a very simple model with sweep seconds hand hand and date. It didn't even have a model name. Certina simply ran the ad to keep the brand name alive in jewelers' minds. Even Coca Cola runs print ad from time to time! Certina, as most collectors know, was founded by brothers Adolf and Alfred Kurth in Grenchen in 1888. The brand name is from the Latin root "certus" meaning "certain." They made great watches in the day. Today, they are part of Swatch Group.

Sunday, July 11, 2021

Oris

When searching for a reasonably priced vintage mechanical wristwatch, today's collectors invariably come across the brand "Oris."

What many may not realize is that Oris watches have been around for more than 100 years. Their market niche up until fairly recently has been the low- to medium-priced market, starting out with pin pallet movements which, surprisingly, kept excellent time (even winning chronometer awards) through careful design and manufacture.

The company was founded in 1904 by Paul Cattin and Georges Christian at Hölstein, Switzerland.

Paul Cattin

Georges Christian

They built upon the remainder of a failed company founded two years earlier called Lohner and Nagelin, which had trademarked the name "Oris" in 1903. It is said they chose that name after a nearby brook. These were perilous times for the Swiss watch manufacturing industry, which had for some time been moving from a "cottage industry" of literally hundreds of manufacturers to a concentration of a few dozen. Cattin and Christian decided to make Roskopf-style watches, basically throw-away timepieces for the masses.

Soon their 22 employees were taking orders for all the watches they could produce. By 1911, the company had 300 workers and was the largest employer in Hölstein. It has been estimated by one source that Oris has produced well over 96 million watches since its inception, and many of those are the early pin-lever (Roskopf) pocket watches.

As is the case with most watch companies, we do not know when Oris introduced its first wristwatch for men. The official Oris website pins the year at 1925, with the company attaching fittings to pocket watches to transform them into wrist.

An early Oris "wrist" watch adapted from a pocket watch

In 1938, Oris introduced the watch that defines the company more than any other: The "Big Crown" pointer calendar model. It was initially introduced as a watch for airplane pilots, who could adjust the watch with its telltale oversized crown while wearing leather gloves.

Production during WWII concentrated on small clocks rather than watches, but production and sales of wristwatches remained an important part of production through the 1940s, with American companies constrained by wartime production. So it is not surprising to find a 1945 ad (below) in the International Horological Review showing an alarm clock in addition to sport and dress models for men and women.

In 1952, Oris launched its first automatic movement, the Caliber 601, a 12-ligne size movement with 17 jewels and a power reserve indicator. It was of their own (pin-lever escapement) design and not built on an ebauche from another manufacturer.

In 1956, Oris decided it wanted to switch to jeweled lever escapements in its movements in place of pin-lever. But there was a problem. In 1934, the Swiss government passed the so-called "Watch Statute," a peculiar law designed to protect and regulate the industry that prevented watch companies from introducing new technologies without permission from the government. Many of Oris's competitors had adopted such technology before the law was passed, and now Oris wanted to catch up. It took 10 years to get approval so that Oris could start using jeweled lever escapements in its watch movements.

In 1970, Oris became part of ASUAG, which would eventually become Swatch Group. The timing couldn’t be worse, as the quartz crisis gripped the Swiss watch industry. Oris, no longer independent, endured a difficult decade during which production plummeted and staff numbers dipped from 900 to only a few dozen. Oris struggled with only the name kept alive to sell a few quartz watches, 1950s reproductions, and some rather cheesy looking novelty watches, mostly to the Asian markets.

In 1982, with Oris in decline, former company execs led a buyout of Oris from ASUAG/Swatch. The newly formed Oris SA was once again an independent company. Company Chairman Ulrich Herzog vowed Oris would produce only mechanical watches, a transition that wouldn’t be completed until 1992. In 1984, he introduced a new version of the Pointer Calendar model (first seen in 1938) now with a jeweled-lever escapement.

In 1991, Oris introduced its most complicated movement to date, the Caliber 581 (shown in a watch below). It is based on the ETA 2688/2671 automatic movement with a power reserve of 40 hours, and day/date calendar. Oris added a moonphase module developed by an in-house team of watchmakers.

In 1996 Oris sponsored the London Jazz Festival, marking the company’s first major partnership and the beginning of a strong connection between Oris and the jazz world. Oris gained the endorsement of jazz legend Andy Sheppard, a British saxophonist. Other legends (or their estates) would follow, including Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and arguably one of the finest jazz artists of the 20th century, Miles Davis. The Davis series is most interesting because it came in rectangular and tonneau shapes, in addition to a diamond-studded lady’s version.

One of several Miles Davis tribute watches

Today, Oris's website at www.oris.ch is replete with mostly men's models and a few ladies’ watches divided into the "collections" mentioned earlier. Prices start at around $1,500, so the "new" Oris is obviously not aiming for the lower-end of the market like the Oris of old. But I would argue they are squarely in the "popularly priced" market. Their current slogan of “Real watches for real people” seems to hit the mark. And for closeout, overstock and discontinued models, the collector of modest means can find supreme satisfaction on many “grey-market” discount and auction websites within in the three-figure range (Don’t expect a factory warranty, though!)

What to collect?

Now that you know a bit of Oris’s history, the next question becomes what to collect. It seems to me that the history of Oris can be divided into three eras: 1) pre-1966 when ALL Oris watches had pin-lever escapements; 2) 1966 to the mid-’80s when SOME watches had jeweled lever escapements; and 3) post mid-’80s to current day when ALL Oris watches have jeweled-lever escapements. It’s really up to the individual, but let me add my observations and perspectives as a collector and historian of vintage watches.

Pre-1966: It is difficult to find pre-’66 vintage Oris watches in nice condition, cosmetically and mechanically. You don’t see many in my article, because I couldn’t find any that looked half-way decent! The typical pre-1996 Oris watches you find on auctions sites and Internet sales boards look very much like the watch below. Cases were electroplated in those days and never wore very well. It’s hard to find a pre-’66 Oris that doesn’t at least have lug wear (and usually worse) unless it is new-old stock, or was worn very little by the original owner.

Typical vintage (pre 1996) Oris

Next, is what I call Oris’s transition period from 1966 to the mid-80s. When Oris won its legal battle to use jeweled-lever escapements, they were ready with a few Calibers, notably the 645 and 652. And they used other ebauches from companies as “base” movements and made in-house tweaks. But they still used a lot of pin-lever movements, and many cases were still electroplated. From my perspective, I still consider Oris watches from this period to be “vintage” and worthy of collecting, especially ones with jeweled-lever escapements. From an aesthetic viewpoint, many of these watches — especially the ‘70s — are of the clunky design variety, so if you like classically designed watches, your choices may be limited.

Finally, we have what I call Oris’s modern period, from the mid-’80s to current day. As I stated earlier, this time period is not my game. But I do think modern Oris represents a good value, and watches from this time period have great potential to become the collectible vintage watches of tomorrow, especially some of the limited-edition models.

Hey, thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this short piece on Oris, you should order my full report. It's 9 pages long and contains lots of Oris images (ads and actual watches) not seen here. The report is just $10, about the cost of a lunch at a fast food restaurant, and the report won't make you fat! Payment is via Paypal, and you can use your Paypal balance (if you have a Paypal account), or most debit/credit cards (click on the bar that reads "Pay with debit or credit card"). It will be delivered to your email inbox in PDF format, usually within one business day. You can view on your device (computer, smart phone, tablet, etc.) or print a hard copy if you wish. The file size is 1.75 megabytes, so please be sure your email server can handle a file of this size, and be check your spam folder if it isn't in your inbox! Text and images are for personal use and may not be copied without permission. Click on the button below to order.

Monday, June 28, 2021

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

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