Enicar Automatic Cal.1035 18ct 1965

Enicar

Enicar has always played an instrumental role in the development of mechanical watches. With its origin in 1854 as a family watchmaker, Enicar takes pride in its great heritage and constant quest to create reliable and high-performance timepieces with state-of-the-art technology, elegance and endurance. Founder Artiste Racine established the company ‘Racine Watch Co.’ in La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland in 1914, when he ingeniously reversed the spelling of his own last name to become the timeless brand ‘Enicar’. The name has since been recognized as a symbol of quality. Enicar is one of the C.O.S.C.’s top 10 certified chronometer watch producers and till date remains an unrivalled name with a range of over 300 flawless timepieces that ooze refinedness and perfection. As a watchmaker, Enicar values time and the implacable pursuit for transcendence.

Description

Here we have a wonderful example of a 1960s Enicar Automatic watch in 18ct yellow gold. The dial is completely original, unrestored and untouched and remains in outstanding condition, this dial also includes a date window which we believe adds class and charm to this watch.

The Dial

This dial is the most iconic of vintage Enicar dial designs, which in essence carries through to this day. The silver dial carries ‘Index’ hands and applied ‘baton’ hour indices with, of course, the Enicar brand and signature at the very top of the dial with ‘Automatic’ just above the 6 and ‘Swiss’ at the very bottom.

The dial catches the light beautifully, as we have tried to demonstrate in the photographs, however it looks even better face to face in real life. This dial is wonderfully balanced and we feel benefits from the addition of the date window.

As this dial is in original, unrestored condition, this has been left untouched by our restoration team due to its superb condition. Usually, we restore the dials of the watches we sell, however we decided in this case to leave it alone, due to its unusually good condition and to retain its originality and charm for those who prefer this. It also helps to contrast with almost all of the other watch dials you see on our website, which have been restored. The hands, likewise, have also been left in their original untouched condition.

Please note, studio lights, professional-grade digital cameras, and macro lenses can be very unkind to an unrestored vintage watch dial. Also the dial here measures less than 1.25 inches across, so the image you’re seeing may be between 5 – 25 times larger than the watch itself. Therefore please keep in mind you are seeing many tiny flaws which cannot be seen, or will be very hard to see with the naked eye, even under close examination. Suffice to say, on the wrist, in natural light, this dial looks much better and carries a great deal more charm than the photographs portray.

The Movement

The watch carries the original, high grade Enicar calibre 1035, 17 Jewel, automatic movement which is in sparkling clean condition. The movement has been completely disassembled, cleaned, inspected and rebuilt using original Enicar parts, only where required, by our vintage specialist watchmaker. His work is superb and when final tested and calibrated, the watch was running consistently at -4 seconds per day which is truly exceptional for any vintage watch of this age. The movement is signed ‘Enicar’ and carries the calibre number 1035.

These movements are strong, accurate and very reliable, making the watch perfectly suited for regular everyday use. This particular movement is in A1 condition and with regular servicing every 3-4 years, we would fully expect this watch to run happily for many more decades to come. We are therefore pleased to offer a 12-month warranty on this watch movement*.

*Please note – our 12 months’ warranty is only included if the list price is paid.

The Case

The 18ct yellow gold watch case measures 35mm in diameter, excluding the original Enicar crown. This would have been classed as a large-sized watch case in the mid 1960s. The case, as we would expect from Enicar, is very solid and well made and has a screw-dwown case-back, indicating the case was waterproof when new.

Having been cleaned, carefully examined and lightly hand-polished by our case-maker, the case is totally immaculate, being very crisp with no scratches, dings or other blemishes visible to the naked eye. This, along with the superb general condition of the rest of the watch, indicates this watch has received an excellent level of care and only light use.

The exterior of the case-back carries all the correct 18ct hallmarks and is signed ‘Enicar’ with ‘Waterproof Automatic’ just above, the inside of the case back is simply signed with the case serial number 77312.

The Strap & Buckle

A high-quality brown alligator strap has been fitted, along with a matching plain gold-plated buckle. However, if a different colour or style of strap is preferred, please let us know and we will do our best to oblige free of charge. We carry tan, conker, dark brown and black in stock, in plain padded leather, crocodile skin or lizard skin, but can also obtain most types and colours of strap from our partners at ‘Watch Obsession’ within 48hrs. Please take a look at their huge range of straps if you wish, here.

Box and Papers

Although there are no original papers with this watch, the reference numbers, markings, signatures and hallmarks are all correct, dating this watch to 1965.

Detailed particulars will be included with our purchase receipt for your interest and security. A separate insurance valuation for the replacement value of this watch will be provided at the time of sale along with our unique ‘Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee’ which states: “If this watch proves to be anything less than 100% genuine, authentic and original, a full refund will be given at any time”.

The high quality hardwood presentation box shown in the photographs is included.

Payment and Delivery

If you would like to pay by bank transfer, we will be pleased to assist you with this and pass on a 3% saving to you. Paying by bank transfer for a 3% saving will not affect your 12 months warranty. Similarly, if you wish to pay by International SWIFT or Bank Wire Transfer we will provide you with our BIC / Swift number and our IBAN number.

Please check the import duties and any taxes your government may apply, these are different for each country and, unfortunately, out of our control.

We understand there may be some ‘loopholes’ that may help you avoid these charges; however, attempting to use these could impact our ongoing ability to serve our growing international customer base.

For those who happen to visit London on occasion, we are, of course, more than happy to store your watch until we can meet you in our offices in Kensington, London, and hand your watch directly to you there.

As with all our watches, this watch will be sold under our 14 days no-quibble sale or return policy.

This is a truly first class example of a vintage Enicar which is ready to wear and completely practical for everyday use. If treated with care, it will make an excellent investment or heirloom piece. Even though vintage gold Enicar prices have risen markedly recently, we still feel good examples such as this are still undervalued and as each year goes by and the world market for vintage gold Enicar watches continues to expand, prices will continue to climb ever higher.

A word on our prices – We always try our hardest to acquire the very highest quality watches we can find, before restoring them to the highest possible standards. We then offer these at the fairest prices we can, taking into account our pre and post-sales care and service. This approach means we will never be the cheapest, but nor will we be the most expensive. Indeed there are some well-known stores in West London which are highly successful charging between two to three times the price you see here. We, therefore, consider our prices to be fair, given the quality of watches we have to offer.

Please note, we also welcome part exchanges. If you have a watch or a small collection for sale, please contact us as we will be happy to discuss this.

We will also be happy to Service your watch, Repair your watch or Restore your watch, all at ‘sensible’ prices. Please see here.

If you have any questions please call us on 020 7727 7095 or if calling from overseas on +44 207 727 7095.

Please take a look at our other fine vintage gold watches.

Thank you.