If your company slogan is “Precision time in space, on the earth and over the seas“, there’s really nothing that can go wrong, is there? Enicar is not only my favorite watch brand, it is my favorite overall brand. Heck, you must love it too, otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this weblog.
On IG, I get asked frequently what I like most about these old Enicar watches. This is not a question I can answer straight away by naming a specific model. I love the logo, the quality of the movement, the marketing and the brand history. Everything about Enicar inspires me. But since everything is quite a lot, this episode is about the 5 greatest trademarks of Enicar. As always, this is my personal opinion and not by any means the final word on best features on a vintage Enicar watch.
#5 Double crown
There is something magical about a double crown watch. It oozes quality and ingenuity. A watch with two crowns has something extra to offer that regular watches don’t. And most of all: double crowns are incredibly eye catching.
Most super compressor Enicar watches have two crowns. The lower one sets the hands and gets the movement in motion. The upper crown operates the inner bezel. Enicar used two variants in crown heights. Also, the Ultradive and OPS models are equipped with crown protection. The way case builder EPSA integrated the crowns in the case design is just fabulous.
#4 Epic hands
A watch is basically a case, a movement and two hands. That’s it. But the design of the hands can come in a zillion variations and is essential for the appearance of the watch. Enicar made a big impression with the paddle hands they used for the early chronographs (Sherpa Graph, Aqua Graph, Jet Graph and Super Graph). The first incarnations of the Jet and the Super-Jet had these paddle hands too. They may not be as user friendly as the later stick hands or baton hands (which are far more easy to read in lower light conditions), but they are super classy.
In their early Seapearl models, Enicar used a unique set of hands with a seconds hand that is referred to as ‘beads hand’ in this great article on Fratellowatches. I quote: “The most complex shaped hand I could found. Used on 1950’s examples of the Enicar Seapearl 600. Almost like a necklace with different shaped beads ending into a drop-shaped tip with lume.”
#3 Checkered GMT hand
I’ve already put hands on #4, so why is #3 about hands? Well, when you look at the red and black checkered GMT hand on the Jet, Super-Jet or Guide, it’s not hard to explain. This little piece of coated metal is sexy, daring, outspoken and practical at the same time. The biggest achievement in this design, in my opinion, is that this GMT hand doesn’t interfere with the other hands, but jumps in the eye straight away.
Potential buyers beware: tracing down these GMT hands as spares is virtually impossible. So if you buy an Enicar Jet, Super-Jet or Guide, make sure this hand is in decent condition. A lot of repaint jobs out there…
#2 Rings and bezels
The fifties, sixties and seventies were Enicar’s golden years. The brand introduced the Seapearl and Sherpa models. Many of these were tool watches, designed for sports, racing and diving. Rotating inner and outer bezels with numbers or world cities on them and brightly colored pointer rings not only were very practical, they were eye candy too.
The combination of a pointer ring and and a diver ring or GMT ring with the names of cities printed on, can be found on the Sherpa Guide models and dive watches like the Sherpa Divette, Sherpa Dive, Aqua Graph and Jet Graph. Tracing down these watches on the vintage market in an acceptable condition, is getting harder and more expensive every month.
#1 Sparkling colors, out of this world designs
What can I say? The reason I fell in love with the brand is because Enicar watches look like nothing else. They are truly unique. Period.
So there you go guys, my countdown is complete. I would love to hear your favorite trademarks. Leave a comment if you want to share your thoughts. Or give my a shout on IG!
Till next time watchfam.