A Life with Enicar: Interview with Jan Zengerink (1931 – 2018)
In November 2017, I had the honour of speaking with Jan Zengerink—then 86 years old, and bursting with life, knowledge, and stories. Jan was a master watchmaker, a born raconteur,…
Category: Brand stories
The final decade of Enicar SA
For many decades, Enicar represented quality, innovation, and meticulous Swiss craftsmanship. However, as the years progressed, the Enicar story took a dark turn, facing economic hardship, failed attempts at survival,…
The Enicar Sherpa tool watches from Antarctica
In 1958, for scientific research in Antarctica, a well-equipped individual would require a combination of specific clothing, technological equipment, and practical necessities to withstand the harsh Antarctic climate and carry…
Enicar in Dutch newspapers
Advertisements can tell you a lot about the economical, social and cultural state of society. That’s what I learned during my twenty plus years in the advertising industry. Ads from…
Enicar and the Porsche Carrera 6
Build for street racing, the Porsche 906, or Carrera 6, was introduced in 1966. Supposedly 50 (some would argue and say 65) were produced, making this car ultra rare. Even…
The 1963 Sherpa Ski Test
Most Enicar collectors, and probably many vintage watch enthousiasts by now, know about the 1956 Swiss expedition to the Mount Everest and Lhotse. It was a true endurance test for…
Sherpa Watches brings back the OPS and Ultradive
Brand stories, The watch world
Starting up a brand-new watch brand during a pandemic. It’s a huge mountain to climb. Martin Klocke has been on a remarkable journey. He has just launched his brand Sherpa…
Letters from the past: official Enicar correspondence 1942 – 1960
Brand stories, The watch world
Running a successful business takes a lot of paperwork, even in today’s digital world. Imagine the piles of official documents that must have been produced during Enicar’s 70 years of…
How Enicar almost became a Romanian watch manufacturer
Brand stories, The watch world
Sometimes a story takes a while to unravel. And sometimes it takes a fresh source to provide new insights. In the Enicar book, I described the last decade of the…
Coming up: Enicar in Romania, a venture that never happened
The last decade of Enicar SA, watch manufacturer in Lengnau and Oensingen, Switzerland, was a dark and gloomy period. It ended in 1987 with the bankruptcy of the company we…