Dennison…Who? The name Dennison may not be recognisable to some, but for people who know – they were at one time the biggest case and watch manufacturer in England during the 20th Century. This company’s founder was an American watchmaker and businessman named Aaron Lufkin Dennison (born 1812). He was responsible for setting up several …
MoreWhilst Blancpain is generally regarded to have pioneered the first dive watch – the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms – in 1953, it is Rolex and Omega who spent the next two decades battling it out to produce ‘the ultimate divers watch’. Both Rolex and Omega were commissioned to supply watches to the British Royal Navy in …
MoreIn 1959 Citizen produced the very first Japanese water-resistant watch – the Parawater. This is the grandfather of all Japanese diver’s watches and the very first produced in Japan. However, it wasn’t until 1962 that Citizen made their first “professional” divers watch – the super Jet. Water resistant to 150m and with large trapezoidal shapedtritium …
MoreThe Omega Seamaster “ploprof” was launched in 1970 and was the most expensive watch in Omega’s range at this time. It was twice the price of a Rolex submariner costing 690CHF with isofrane strap and 720CHF on Milanese bracelet. Nicknamed the “ploprof” (PLOngeur PROFessionnel), it took 4 years to develop in conjunction with Comex and …
MoreWhilst Rolex is universally credited with producing and marketing the simplest and easiest to use GMT watch in the 1950’s, other swiss makers also tried their hand with varying degrees of success. However, one maker, in particular, stands out in that not only did it produce some of the earliest diver’s watches but it also …
MoreWhilst Rolex are widely accepted as producing the first “waterproof” watch with it’s oyster case, it is easy to forget, that at the same time, other swiss makers were striving further. Launched in 1934, the Mido Multifort was one of the first watches launched to be waterproof, anti-magnetic and shock resistant. Prior to launching the …
MoreThe Patek Philippe IOS is a watch that came from a collapsing empire. Investors Overseas Services Ltd, or IOS, came into being in 1955, founded by salesman and financier Bernard Cornfield. He began selling mutual funds, as a change was taking place in the American stock market – traditional investment companies were falling to the …
MoreThe Submariner, In Depth Rolex was founded in London in 1905 as ‘Wilsdorf & Davis’, before adopting the company name Rolex in 1915 and moving to Geneva four years after that. The name was chosen for its easy pronunciation in any language; its symmetry and brevity allowed it to fit easily on the dial of …
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