You can find similar versions on Ebay and many other watch sales websites.Įnicar is on the up, and even if I stand alone, I can’t wait. This watch cost me roughly £45 which isn’t bad in all honesty. Again like the seconds hand it’s simple but effective, that and Saturn is the most beautiful planet in to Solar System. However my favourite part of the dial is Enicar’s Saturn logo. It may also be because it reminds me of the needles on the instruments in a Citroën ZX, which was my first car.
I really like the seconds hand on this as it’s nice and simple and functional. The crystal itself is domed so it stands above the rest of the watch and all scratches were caused by me. The crown is not a screw down but rather a simple pull out ordeal. This watch is roughly 11mm thick, which isn’t too bad for an automatic piece from a long time ago. I thought it was one of my fingerprints until I realised it wouldn’t come off. The movement itself is copper coloured and has a simple winding rotor over the top which has a distinct pattern on it. You’ll also find Incabloc in most vintage Enicars because they’re both from the same place in Switzerland, La Chaux de Fonds. Even Patek Philippe has used the Incabloc system before. When there were loads of other small brands like Enicar, Montine and Titoni Incabloc was immensely popular because it actually works. A revolutionary way of protecting the most important and fragile parts of the watch from shocks and vibrations. Indeed this watch has the Incabloc system.
There’s also the serial number on the back as well. Written around the outside there’s the words: Water Resistant (it once was, but no longer is), Automatic, Stainless Steel and Incabloc. Above that is the Enicar name itself and logo again engraved onto it. Turning over to the back of the watch we have Enicar’s standard case back which has the Enicar logo (Saturn) and a shark jumping out of the water embossed on the back.
The hands are also luminous, however the seconds hand and the date windows aren’t. In fact, only my Omega Seamaster 300m glows brighter and it’s just come back from the factory for a new dial and hands. The black dial has triangular lume applied to it, the lume itself is really really bright and will easily hold it’s glow overnight. The dial itself is 35mm across, with the case adding an extra 2mm or so. But even when I don’t wear it (and believe me, I don’t wear it much) I’ll still wind it every day. It holds power for about 36 to 40 hours before needing a winding again. This particular example is an automatic day date dress style watch. It seems they’ve actually done a good job with a nice and tidy dial and the movement looks to be pretty good as well. I will admit that this piece has indeed been ‘looked at’ in one of these countries, but that doesn’t bother me because it looks great. If they come from an Asian country (most likely India or Singapore) then they may have been what Enicar buffs call ‘butchered’. It should also be known that these watches can be bought on Ebay. Enicar’s watches were basic, cheap and reliable.
There have been mechanical alarms and GMTs about, even the subject of this article is a day date. It never had the one of the top spots and lost it like Longines did. It’s important to remember that Enicar never was at the top of the chain. However, because it’s recently enjoyed a renaissance of sorts in the Asian sector I’m almost certain we’ll see it returning to Europe and eventually the US markets at some point in the future, and I’m really excited by that prospect. This is because it was bought by a Chinese investor and has spent many years reforming and making pieces for that particular market. Here’s the interesting part, if you look up the Enicar company you’ll find they have a website and lots of new pieces. We’re thinking sort of 70s right up until Enicar collapsed in the 80s. Well, it’s not brand new that’s for sure.
It’s not time for the montlhy series COTC, but instead we’re going to be looking at a timepiece that I actually own. In this review we’re going to be doing things a bit differently.