Three Questions: Wittnauer

1.  What vintage brand would make the best dress watch for the money?

At various times I would have answered that question differently. Hamilton, Bulova, and Gruen all make perfectly serviceable “dress” watches. If you want to pay a little more, Le Coutre, Longines, and Omega were great options, but prices have jumped recently. To get a great looking well-built vintage watch it is hard to beat a simple three hander bearing the Wittnauer name.

2. Who made Wittnauer watches?

Simple, almost anyone but Wittnauer.

Jacques Eugene Robert grew up in La Chaux-de-Fonds and had some connection with Auguste Agassiz, one of the founders of Longines. After immigrating to the United States, he founded a company in 1866 to import Longines and Angelus watches and movements. He later married Lina Wittnauer who also had immigrated from Switzerland with her brothers, including 16-year-old Albert. Albert joined his brother-in-law’s firm.

In 1880 the first watch produced under the name “Wittnauer” was produced for the American market. Wittnauer began to produce movements in Switzerland and probably cased them in New York. Wittnauer was registered as a brand in 1893 by Albert who had taken control of Robert’s company some years before in 1888.

With me so far? Sounds like the story of many American brands like Bulova and Gruen, producing movements in Switzerland and casing them in the United States to avoid tariffs. Wittnauer-Geneve was set up in Switzerland.

In 1936 things got weird. The Wittnauer family sold the company to Hella Delta, a pearl importing company. Hella Delta changed its name to Longines-Wittnauer. It is unclear exactly what sort of business entity Longines-Wittnauer was, a corporation, trust, or a partnership. It was distinct from Longines and was not owned by Longines. It was the exclusive agent to sell Longines to the American market (along with Vacheron Constantin and Le Coultre). Wittnauer watches continued to be sold in the United States (and for a brief time in Switzerland). In addition to Longines, Piaget, and Thommens (Revue) also sold watches with the Wittnauer name on them.

(1950’s, with a Revue 84/1 movement)

In 1969 Westinghouse Electric Corporation bought Longines Wittnauer. The relationship with Longines was severed after Longines was fully integrated into the Swatch Group. The corporation was renamed Wittnauer International in 1994. Both Movado and Bulova attempted to buy them. After posting tremendous losses Bulova was able to finally acquire the name in 2001.

3. Are they still good watches?

Ahem. Bulova, and by extension Citizen, have a lot to answer for, just look at this:

I am embarrassed that they put it on their website. Burn it with fire. Seriously, why spend millions on a brand with some loyalty and then turn it into the lowest common denominator drop ship watch? Does anyone over there know anything?

But look backwards to the 1950’s and 60’s, Wittnauer’s heyday. Because so many companies put the Wittnauer label on the dial, there is an incredible variety of pretty watches to choose from, even some Landeron powered chronographs and Longines powered super compressor dive watches towards the end of the 1960’s. Value for money, or some such guff.