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The Thin Watch War | The Watch Files: January 12, 1979

February 23, 2021 By Stephen 2 Comments

On January 12, 1979, the Swiss watch industry announced the thinnest watch ever made: The Delirium, developed by Ebauches SA for Concord, Eterna, IWC, and Longines, measured just 1.98 mm thick. It wasn’t a big seller, but was a PR exercise to show the world that the Swiss were innovating like the Japanese. And the novel design paved the way for another announcement four years later, the Swatch.

Filed Under: Commentary, The Watch Files Tagged With: André Beyner, Anthony Kable, Anton Bally, ASUAG, Citizen, Citizen Exceed Gold, Concord, Delirium, Ebauches SA, Elmar Mock, Ernst Thomke, Eterna, Europa Star, Gerry Grinberg, Jean Lassale, Longines, New York Times, Paul Renggli, Renata, Seiko, Tiffany

The Day Gérald Genta Challenged the Watch Industry | The Watch Files: November 7, 1984

February 20, 2021 By Stephen Leave a Comment

On November 7, 1984, Gérald Genta finally went too far. His audacious new watch collection was a scandal at the prestigious Montres et Bijoux and he was forced to remove it from the fair. But history shows that Genta was right again, and his designs laid the foundation of today’s luxury watch industry.

Filed Under: The Watch Files Tagged With: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak, Europa Star, Gerald Genta, IWC Ingenieur, Mickey Mouse, Montres et Bijoux, Patek Philippe Nautilus, Podcast, The Watch Files

The History of the IWC Da Vinci via Europa Star

June 5, 2020 By Stephen Leave a Comment

Regular Grail Watch readers might have noticed that I have begun using the archives of Europa Star rather heavily in my research. The editors noticed as well, and have invited me to be a contributing writer to that fine journal. My first piece was published today, and delves into the history of an iconic model, IWC’s Da Vinci. The archive brought me fantastic information and illustrations, as we will discuss today.

Filed Under: Commentary Tagged With: Beta 21, CEH, Chronograph, Europa Star, IWC, IWC Da Vinci, IWC Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar, Mechaquartz, perpetual calendar, quartz

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