Vulcain Watches

Founded in 1858 and internationally renowned, particularly thanks to the 1947 presentation of the world's first mechanical alarm wristwatch, the famous Cricket, the company is once again producing Vulcain alarm wristwatches. The company presented its new collections, all equipped with the Cricket movement that made a major contribution to establishing the company's international reputation. The Cricket watch was also nicknamed "The Presidents' Watch", since Eisenhower, Nixon and Johnson were all loyal customers and eminent ambassadors for the Cricket. This model, which has made its mark on watchmaking history, owes its name to its distinctive sound resembling the strident cry of the chirpy insect. Bernard R. Fleury and Alain Claude, respectively President and CEO and Technical Director of the new entity have launched the production of 5,000 Vulcain watches this year and plan to increase production progressively to reach 10,000 a year in the medium term. The United States, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Switzerland are the first markets targeted by the new management team. The company has chosen not to exhibit at the spring trade fairs this year, preferring to focus its efforts on product developments and host its clients at the company head office in Le Locle.1947 will remain a significant milestone in watchmaking history. 55 years ago, the first genuinely functional mechanical alarm wristwatch was presented by Vulcain. For the very first time, watchmakers and scientists had succeeded in achieving what many researchers had attempted before them: a mechanical alarm wristwatch powerful enough to actually wake up its owner.
For Vulcain, a company founded in 1858, the year 1947 was to mark the start of a new era. As soon the first alarm wristwatch models were presented, the whole world appeared to be clamouring for what would become "The Presidents' Watch". More than 50 years later, the watch Manufacture intends to rebuild on the foundations of this exceptional legacy to write a major new chapter in the history of the Vulcain brand.
It is in Le Locle, strategically located in the Neuchatel Jura region with its deep historical watchmaking roots that the company has decided to establish itself in order to revive the Vulcain brand and relaunch production of the Cricket movements in their original functions.
The new Vulcain philosophy is not to move mountains, nor to cultivate unbridled ambitions for the company. On the contrary, since the brand has not been particularly active during the past decade, it must first be revived before relaunching. It is through a policy based on a long-term vision that the new firm intends to regain a niche position in the watchmaking world of tomorrow.
The new company - In September 2001, Production & Marketing Horloger SA (PMH SA), based in Le Locle, acquired the Vulcain and Cricket brands as well as exclusive operating rights and production tools to the famous Cricket mechanical alarm movement.
President and CEO Bernard R. Fleury and Technical Director Alain Claude are the two main figures at the head of PMH SA. In light of the fine quality of the product and the exceptional horological heritage it represents, both men wished to revive the Cricket calibre and to give the Vulcain brand a new lease on life. PMH SA was set up on the basis of this determination.
Despite the brand's rich past, the new company does not intend to implement a backward-looking policy, either in marketing or sales terms. Bernard R. Fleury and Alain Claude are not devoting their energies to replicating what was done fifty years ago. Quite clearly, it is on the strength of the mechanical alarm calibre that the new company must be built, but they intend to use it as a springboard towards new horizons. Nonetheless, the rebirth announced in the spring of 2002 naturally needed to clearly express the strong ties between the brand's heyday in the past century and the new entity.

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Anonimo Professionale Chrono Mod. 6002 Watch

Automatic chronograph movement. Dubois-Depraz module 2038 manufactured upon Anonimo specifications with rotation of the chronograph functions module to position the stem at 4:00 and push buttons at 10:00 and 8:00. Base module ETA 2892A2 or SW300; 47 jewels, colimaçon finish, adjusted 4 positions, 28.800 A/h. Power reserve 40 hours. Watch displays hours, minutes, small seconds at 9:00; dial centre chronograph second hand. Minute counter at 3:00; hour counter at 12:00; Under dial magnified date window at 6:00 . Watch case is sand-blasted and satinated AISI316 Plus stainless steel, 45.00mm diameter, maximum diameter at the protection crown tool 46.40mm; polished and satinated bezel and back cover. The locking system of the bezel and back cover works with external female thread bars, easily replaceable and connected to the back cover, and rotation hinges at 9:00. Special thread bars, Thorx key. Great dimensions crown, comfortable hold, with innovative locking system in protected position at 4:00 and warning red signal. Automatic helium expulsion valve. Conceived and designed by Anonimo the screw locked push-buttons are also screw locked mounted on case with an innovative watertight system. Unlike the traditional chronograph buttons this innovative locking system prevents not only unintentional chronograph operation but most of all it assures their waterproof. Extra thick domed sapphire crystal. Dial displays hour minute and chronograph indexes treated with luminous coating for superior day/night readability. Luminous coating treated baton hands and thread central seconds hand. Under dial magnified date window at 6:00. Wrist strap manufactured and hand finished in patented Opera Kodiak process calfskin to allow for extended immersion in fresh and sea water (24 continuous hours). Anonimo engraved on reverse of exclusive stainless steel buckle. Water resistance to 120 ATM (121 ATA).

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Glycine Airman 7 Crosswise Circle SL Watch

53mm. ETA 2893-2 automatic. strainless steel case. sapphire crystal. Oscillating weight on ball bearing is rhodium coated, decorated "Côtes de Genève", and bears the engraving of an airplane. 38 hours power reserve. Leather strap.

The History of Glycine
Glycine watch was established in Bienne, Switzerland in 1914, Glycine has maintained through the years a select line of timepieces, based on the strong foundations of the brand and reflecting their times.
Glycine stands for a combination of tradition and trend, for the classic art of watchmaking and modern design.
Glycine contains a rich assortment of exquisite mechanical watches, featuring outstanding large-diameter cases, has made its way around the world.
Glycine as been a pioneer in the field of world time watches since 1953, Glycine has continuously developed its AIRMAN line and today offers a smart selection of aviator watches to professionals and amateurs.
Through the quality of Glycine products and a reliable network of after-sale service, Glycine is continuing a ninety-year tradition of excellence in the art of watchmaking.

The Beginning: The history of a passion
Since its founding by Eugène Meylan in 1914, Glycine has been producing watches at its factory in Bienne, Switzerland.
Meylan was an uncompromising watch engineer who strove for perfection and nothing less. He had a profound understanding of both the market demands and the possibilities offered by the technological advances of the time. Very soon, he succeeded in producing extremely precise, small movements for ladies watches, enabling Glycine to put on the market the finest miniature movements, clad in precious gold and platinum cases, often studded with diamonds.
Glycine became a supplier to the wealthy people who valued highly these works of fine craftsmanship. However, Meylan did not stop there. Around 1931, he presented to the world market a well-functioning self-winding watch, entirely of his own invention, a sensational performance that, for lack of capital, could not be exploited commercially. Some of these GLYCINE Eugène Meylan SA self-winding watches can still be found in the collectors' market.
The year 1934 saw the launch of a chronometer range, a line of watches passing the exacting tests of the Official Swiss Quality Control. The depression years of the 30s and the approaching world war took a heavy toll on the company as Switzerland was cut off from nearly all its traditional export markets.
Yet Glycine survived and even managed to be one of only 29 exhibitors at the Basel Fair in 1938, an annual event the firm has not missed since.

After WW II
In 1945, with the war over and access to world markets again possible, the industry took a deep breath.
Immediately, Glycine geared up production and rapidly presented a complete range of automatic (self-winding) watches, making use of the most advanced technologies.
1952 saw the birth of the famous VACUUM chronometers, watches known for their incredible resistance to water and shocks, designed for long-term use under hostile conditions. They performed well beyond expectations.
In 1953, the AIRMAN line was presented to the world market and immediately received an enthusiastic welcome. Now, in addition to regular local time, world time was available at a glance.
The steadily growing class of jet-setters and frequent travelers readily took to the convenience of having two time zones on their wrist.
The AIRMAN line has never been absent from the Glycine selection, and is, today more than ever, the spearhead of the range.

The crisis
In the 70s, the Swiss watch industry – late in introducing quartz movements - was hit by the proliferation of quartz watches from the Far East.
The technological revolution brought about by the quartz movement, together with the world-wide recession and a massive increase in value of the Swiss franc, pushed many manufacturers to the brink of disaster.
The products that had earned Glycine such an excellent reputation, namely high-quality mechanical watches and above all automatic watches, were suddenly no longer in general demand. Customers everywhere were buying Japanese quartz watches or American digital LED watches. The lucrative business with highly-regarded automatic watches was over, and these were now being sold off at give-away prices.
The market went through a turnaround in its values, a tendency which further intensified as the price for the initially exorbitantly expensive quartz watches consistently dropped to a level where it finally drove even the cheap pin-pallet (Roskopf) mechanical movements out of the market. Many market shares were lost, the industry entered into a crisis that lasted six years and cost roughly 60,000 jobs.
Glycine too suffered heavily but managed to survive. In 1984, soldering on with a reduced staff, Glycine was sold to Hans Brechbühler, who had been working for years with Glycine in a loose cooperation based on the joint development and exchange of watch models.

The come-back
Following the purchase of Glycine in 1984, Brechbühler, who had been a specialist in private label business, switched over to the brand watch business, an entirely new experience for him. Progressively, new products were developed that enabled Glycine to work successfully in countries such as Scandinavia, Italy, Holland, Belgium and Germany.
A quartz collection was created and an international network of agencies sprang to life again. Extremely resistant watches, such as the TJALK and HEAVY DUTY models, were launched and added to the prestige of the brand.
The market accepted with pleasure the GOLDSHIELD line, featuring a standard of goldplating much higher than anything the competitors could present. The sophisticated super-thin AMARANTH watches received an enthusiastic welcome in Italy and the USA.
The new strategies began to pay off in the early 1990s when Brechbühler's daughter Katherina, born in 1962, joined the company and successfully implemented her own brand concept, resulting in mechanical products being increasingly integrated into the company’s collections. This strategy proved effective in positioning Glycine as a specialist, with a long tradition in the field of mechanical watches.
After an initial success in Germany, the first to really accept the mechanical watches on a large scale, the new range of its products spread to other countries.

Mechanics in the ascendant, the giants take over
The markets were now ready for watches of real value, and Glycine made the most of it.
In quick succession, a rich assortment of mechanical watches, with steadily growing diameters, was presented to the market, from the 37 mm COMBAT to the 42 mm OBSERVER, the 44 and 46 mm INCURSORE, the 48 mm KMU and, to top it off, the 52 mm F 104, one of the biggest wrist watches ever produced.
Chronographs with the famous V 7750 and 7751 movements were added, such as the classic 46 mm STRATOFORTE, the giant GRAND CARRE 3810 and the elegant barrel-shaped ALTUS, inspired by a successful model of the 50s.
All these big size watches gave the company the status of a daring innovator that did not hesitate to push the size of its watches beyond every dimension known so far.
AIRMAN forever
Already in 1953, production of its first Airman model began, a watch that has become legendary. The design and features of this watch had been worked out in close cooperation with pilots of civil and military aviation.

Undoubtedly this line gave the status of a pioneer in the field of world time watches. Over the years Airman models have never been absent, even during the period when quartz movements dominated the world market. In reply to market demand, two AIRMAN models with ETA quartz movements were launched, gaining particular success in Japan and USA, where demand for real world time watches had not faded.
The year 1998 brought the long-awaited rebirth of this leader, with model ref. 3764, AIRMAN 2000. By using an exquisite ETA movement 2893-2, a three-time-zone timekeeper was created, unique in the field of 24-hour watches. The following year, the AIRMAN line was enlarged by a jumbo 46 mm watch, featuring a special locking system on the revolving top ring.
At Basel Fair 2002, a genuine world novelty was offered to the public under the name of AIRMAN 7, a watch featuring three independent self-winding movements, showing time simultaneously in four different time zones on three independent dials. The case measures a stunning 53 mm in diameter yet fits well on an average wrist. Its sapphire glass back allows for a fascinating view of three finely embellished self-winding movements.
Responding to a general demand from many markets, a replica of the first original Airman of the 50s was launched under the label Airman 8, ref. 3831 and immediately enjoyed great popularity. 2004 saw the launch of Airman 9, a model combining all the features of a chronograph with those of a world time watch: a complete time-keeper evidencing the three central pillars of the company: INNOVATION – TECHNOLOGY AND TRADITION. In 2005, as a high-point of 50-years evolution, the Airman family stepped into the field of precious metal by offering to the clientele a limited edition of Airman 7 in 18 ct rose gold, a real nonpareil among world-time watches. At the Basel Fair 2006 the new edition of the Airman SST is presented. The Airman SST D24 simultaneously displays three optional 24 hour time zones – an absolute rarity on the market.
Today, being active world-wide means steadily growing a network of agencies, allowing the company to increase production while maintaining the quality of its products. Widespread and reliable after-sale service remains an important factor in the company's growth, and they are taking utmost care to provide impeccable performance in this field. Offering excellent value at reasonable prices is an important part of this companies philosophy. The company's strong foundation, coupled with its emphasis on rugged and reliable products of classic and elegant styling, make it a respected name in Swiss watchmaking today.

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Oris WilliamsF1 Team Chronograph Watch

45.00 mm. Automatic winding chronograph base ETA 7750. Centre hands for hours, minutes and chronograph 1/4 seconds, 2 subsidiary dials for 30 minutes and 12 hours counter, date window, date corrector, fine timing device and stop-second. 01 673 7563 4184-07 4 27 01Sapphire, flat, anti-reflective coating inside. Stainless steel, fixed with screws, see-through mineral glass. Multi-piece stainless steel case, tachymeter scale top ring, flexible lugs. Black dial printed carbon fibre structure. 42 hour power reserve. Black rubber strap, stainless steel folding clasp. 01 673 7563 4184-07 4 27 01.

In Oris watches 100-year history the watchmakers of Oris have lived through both turbulent and quiet times. Discover the worlds of Oris and the success story with Oris mechanical watches all across the world. The story takes you on a journey through time from the foundation of the Hölstein manufacturer to today’s dynamic organisation.Oris is based in the picturesque village of Hölstein in the North-west of Switzerland. The location was chosen by Paul Cattin and Georges Christian, watchmakers from Le Locle, when they founded the company in 1904. Oris is the name of a brook and valley close to Hölstein. It has its origins in the Celtish ‘Aurisa’ and Roman ‘Orusz’ meaning watercourse. Oris produces only mechanical movements. Each Ois watch has a mechanical movement at its heart, as well as a visible red rotor, the patented symbol of Oris High-Mech. This rotor is the innovation that enabled the progression from hand winding to automatic movements.5 reasons to own an Oris watch.1. Purely Mechanical Oris is the world’s leading manufacturer of mechanical watches up to CHF 4000 Oris produces only mechanical watches (watches without batteries) The red rotor is the symbol of Oris mechanicals and is a registered trademark.2. Characteristic Designs Oris watches have distinctive faces and functions. Oris design is clean and follows the design concept form follows function.3. Swiss Quality Oris watches are manufactured by Swiss craftsmen. Oris watches are made for daily use. Oris watches meet the highest quality standards.4. Proud Heritage Oris has a proud heritage of over 100 years of watch manufacturing in Hölstein, Switzerland. Oris has always produced mechanical watches.5. Dedicated to Personalities Oris develops timepieces in collaboration with personalities from the fields of motor sport, diving, aviation and culture. These people wear and support Oris watches. Oris watches are handed down from generation to generation. Oris watches are available all around the world.

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Ball Engineer Hydrocarbon Trieste Chronograph Watch

LIMITED EDITION TO ONLY 1000 MADE WORLDWIDE! Automatic ETA 7750. Cold temperature endurance to –40° C. Chronograph, accumulated measurement up to 12 hours. Automatic helium release valve. Hours, minutes, subsidiary seconds, day and date. 50 micro gas tubes on hands and dial for night reading capability. Titanium case with unidirectional rotating stainless steel bezel. Diameter 43mm, Height 18.4mm. 4mm anti-reflective sapphire crystal. Screwed-in crowns. Water-resistant to 600m, Antimagnetic to 12,000A/m. Shock-resistant – withstands 7,500Gs shock test. Special bracelet, each segment consisting of 2 parts made with titanium and stainless steel. Box set includes rubber strap with pin buckle and changing tool and a model of the Trieste. The BALL Engineer Hydrocarbon Trieste Chronograph is an appropriate tribute to the world's deepest diving submersible. An exceptional timepiece in a limited edition of 1,000 pieces, the Trieste Chronograph sets a new standard in the most rugged BALL collection. In conjunction with US Navy engineers, the designers and crew of the Bathyscaph Trieste explored the bottom of the Marianas Trench. At nearly 36,000 feet below the sea, the extreme depths of the Marianas Trench dwarf even Mount Everest, which is just over 29,000 feet. Retired a mere 3 years after the record-breaking dive to the deepest point on Earth, the Trieste remains the only manned vehicle to ever reach the bottom of the Earth.

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