Enicar Vintage Aqua Graph Paddle Hands, all original

MODEL / REFERENCE: Enicar Sherpa Guide

CONDITION REPORT_ Please refer to the high unaltered high-resolution pictures to assess the condition of the timepiece.

• The case is in good vintage condition and shows signs of wear consistent with the age of the watch.
• The watch retains its original Saturn cross-patterned crown and pushers.
• The dial is in excellent condition, without fading on the white minute markers or the Enicar Sherpa Graph logo.
• The tritium lume on the paddle handset has one small hole on the hour hand, though remains untouched and original to the watch.
• The machined case back shows signs of use (consistent with age). All engraving are crisp. The Seapearl medallion is very well preserved.
• The movement runs strong and keeps good time for a vintage watch. 12 months guarantee

ACCESSORIES: Saffinano leather watch roll

WARRANTY: We guarantee the authenticity of the watch. We also provide 12 months guarantee for the correct function of this timepiece. All guarantees are subject to the General Terms and conditions. Please feel free to ask questions, we will be glad to answer. Virtual and personal viewing is available upon appointment.

THE STORY

The Enicar Watch Company was established in 1914, after its founder Artiste Racine, started a ‘Manufacture d’Horlogerie Ariste Racine’ in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Born of an artisanal family, the trademark ‘Racine” had been registered some 44 years prior. An anagram of the family name ‘ENICAR’ formed the symbol of quality the brand came to adopt throughout the 60s and 70s, and relationship with haute-horology associated today.

Driven by a desire to produce robust wristwatches, Enicar launched a line of wristwatches called the ‘Seapearl’, aimed at sporting professionals. The Sealpearl line later became the ‘Sherpa’, after the 1956 Swiss expedition to the summit of Mt. Everest, which relied on Enicar timepieces. These chronographs were intended to be tool watches and were manufactured to be fully-reliable and accurate under extreme conditions. The 40mm waterproof case, and highly-legible luminous dial and hands, made the Sherpa Graph an ideal choice for professional divers.

In 1966, Enicar released a new version of the Sherpa Graph with a rotating bezel – a common feature amongst dive watches of the time. Unique to vintage Enicar sports models however, are two independently rotating bezels. Featured in this example, is one of two variations found on the Enicar Aqua Graph, with a ‘red triangle’ enabling the wearer to time two separate events. This feature allowed divers to “record either elapsed-time, or available time, by setting both the cursor and the bezel”. Enicar made great note of the Aqua Graph’s suitability for aquatic exploration, claiming in its marketing materials of the time that the Aqua Graph was “for men whose lives depend on it.”

DESCRIBTION

This Enicar Aqua Graph, with serial number 907 XXX features a round, stainless steel ‘BREVET’ compressor case with large chronograph pushers and an original, Saturn cross-patterned crown. The case measures 40 mm in diameter and is sharp and thick, retaining its definition. The screw-down case back features the Sherpa clamshell hallmark, ‘ENICAR’ and ‘STAINLESS STEEL INCABLOC – ULTRASONIC – SHERPA’ on the outside, along with its unique reference numbers. The case has straight-line lugs with sharp, un-polished, bevels and comes on a tan brown suede strap and steel tang buckle.

The reverse panda configuration displays great legibility, owing to its contrasting black dial and grey subsidiary registers. Furthermore, what is characteristic to the watch is the steel-edged, luminous ‘paddle’ minute and hour hands. Over the years, the lume on this watch has aged to a consistent, creamy yellow patina, complementing the concentric, grey oversized registers fantastically. It features a white Enicar logo and applied Saturn, while ‘AQUA GRAPH’ is referenced on the dial at twelve o’clock. A ‘SWISS MADE’ marking is visible at six o’clock below the twelve-hour sub-register, along with a small ’T’ marked above, denoting the Tritium luminescent material used.

This Enicar Aqua Graph is powered by a 17-jewel, manual-winding Valjoux 72 movement, the same tried and tested column wheel chronograph calibre, famed for its reliability, and shared by many of the era’s most iconic timepieces.