Swiss rare and attractive Art Nouveau ring watch Circa 1910
- Kenmerk
- HC0683
- Diameter
- 18 mm
- Estimate
- € 750 - 1.500
- Price sold
- € 800
Ring watch in original vendor’s box
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A rare and attractive white gold Art Nouveau ring watch, branded Glycine Genève, in original vendor’s box, made by la Glycine in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland, circa 1910. The open faced numbered case of this watch, which comes in the original box of the vendor Hof Juwelier Wilm in Berlin, is crafted from 18 carat white gold. The oval dial has an outer ring with black Arabic numerals for the hours and black hands. The movement has manual winding and a lever escapement.
Dial, movement and box are signed.
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Dimensions: 15 x 20 mm
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Diameter ring: 18 mm
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Weight: 7.5 g
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Signed: Glycine, Genève (dial)
H.J. Wilm, Berlin (box)
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Glycine Watch SA
Glycine Watch SA, or simply Glycine, is a Swiss watchmaker founded in 1914 in Biel/Bienne (BE), Switzerland, where its manufacturing and headquarters remain today. Eugène Meylan was born in 1891 in Le Chenit, Switzerland and attended watchmaking school at School Of Arts Appliqués (Ecole d’arts appliqués) in La Chaux-de-Fonds from 1910 to 1911. Meylan was noted to be a gifted student, receiving top rating for a watch he submitted to the COSC while a student. In 1914, at age 23, Meylan established his watch company La Glycine in Biel/Bienne. Two years later, watchmakers Piccola and Joffrette became co owners of the company and La Glycine became Fabrique d’Horlogerie La Glycine, Piccola et Joffrette. In the 1920’s, the watch company mostly made pocket watches and women’s watches that were known for their interchangeable components, allowing them to be serviced more easily than the competition. In 1922, the company and its factory were sold to Pretto Watch Company owner Ferdinand Engel and watchmaker George Flury and was renamed Fabrique d’Horlogerie La Glycine.
In 1930, Glycine released the first mass produced automatic watches and in 1959, it developed vacuum sealed cases, allowing for more durable and water resistant timepieces. The Glycine Airman, the first watch capable of tracking two 24 hour time zones, has been used extensively in commercial and military aviation, as well as in spaceflights; notable examples include its use by United States Air Force pilots during the Vietnam War and astronaut Pete Conrad during the Gemini 5 and Gemini 11 spaceflights.
Signed: Glycine, Genève (dial) H.J. Wilm, Berlin (box)
































