THE ESSENTIALS
MAKE: ENICAR
MODEL: 072-02-02A
YEAR: 1969
BOX/PAPERS: NO/NO
CASE DIAMETER: 40mm
CASE MATERIAL: STAINLESS STEEL
BRACELET MATERIAL: STAINLESS STEEL
MOVEMENT: MANUAL WIND
The 1960s and ’70s were a golden era for sports chronographs, with numerous iconic models emerging from historic manufacturers such as Rolex, Omega, Breitling, Universal Genève, and Heuer. Under the shadow of these big names, Enicar also produced a series of exceptional sports chronographs in the 1960s, gaining a cult following among collectors.
Enicar began as the Manufacture d’Horlogerie Ariste Racine in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, in 1913, founded by husband-and-wife duo Ariste Racine and Emma Blatt. A year later, the pair renamed the company ‘ENICAR’—Racine spelt in reverse. Over the following decades, Enicar steadily gained popularity thanks to its exceptional price-to-quality ratio. At the 44th Basel Watch Fair in 1960, Enicar released the ‘Sherpa Graph,’ which in hindsight became one of the brand's most successful models, partly due to its association with legendary F1 driver Jim Clark, who famously wore the watch.
Between 1960 and 1970, Enicar introduced a series of sports chrono-‘Graphs’: the Sherpa Graph, Aqua Graph, Jet Graph, and Super Graph. The present example is the fourth and final iteration of the Jet Graph. Designed for pilots and frequent travellers, the Jet Graph features a GMT function in addition to its chronograph complication. The watch is powered by the Valjoux 724 movement, a modified version of the famed Valjoux 72 with an added GMT function. This MKIV example was made only for roughly a year in 1969.
Enicar did things their own way — the ‘reverse panda’ three-register dial is complemented by playful details, including the vibrant red/orange chronograph hand, the checkered GMT hand, the 24-hour bezel, and the red bezel pointer ring. The dial and hands are in great condition, with all lume intact. The Ervin Piquerez SA (EPSA)-supplied compressor case (similar to the Heuer Autavia) is in equally excellent condition and appears unpolished. We have paired the watch with a JB bracelet.
Fewer than 500 Enicar ‘Graphs’ are believed to have survived, making them among the rarest sports chronographs of the 1960s. This watch has recently been inspected and is running perfectly at -5 s/d, 320 amps, with a 0.4 ms beat error. We are proud to offer this example for sale here at Fathom.
(A special thanks to Enicar101.com for their wonderful resources).