THE ESSENTIALS
MAKE: GLYCINE
MODEL: 4213
YEAR: 1969
BOX/PAPERS: NO/NO
CASE DIAMETER: 40mm
CASE MATERIAL: STAINLESS STEEL
BRACELET MATERIAL: LEATHER
MOVEMENT: MANUAL WIND
On this week's episode of 'Have You Seen This Before?', we present to you the Glycine Supersonic Transportation (SST) GMT 'Elasograph.'
In the summer of 1914, Georges Flury, Fernand Engel, and Charles Perret—two watchmakers and a banker—founded Glycine in Bienne, Switzerland, with 70,000 CHF. Starting with the manufacture of small-calibre movements, Glycine grew slowly yet steadily over the following decades, building an impressive catalogue of innovative timepieces. These included the EMSA automatic, one of the first automatic watches, and the iconic Airman, a pilot’s watch featuring a 24-hour dial.
The 1960s were arguably Glycine's golden era. Looking at modern Glycine x Invicta watches (we recommend against Googling them if you haven’t seen one before), it’s hard to imagine that Glycine was producing over 100,000 watches a year by the mid-1960s, thanks in part to its expansion into the US market. Glycine watches became favourites among US Air Force pilots stationed worldwide. In 1965, a Glycine Airman even travelled to outer space, courtesy of its owner, astronaut Charles Conrad.
The watch you see here, however, is not just another Glycine. In 1969, Glycine released a special series of watches, named Elasographs, to commemorate the quest for "Supersonic Transportation." These watches boasted avant-garde designs and top-tier chronograph movements. The present example, the 'Pepsi GMT,' is powered by the legendary Valjoux 724 movement. Its design shares obvious similarities with the Heuer 2446C, featuring a reverse panda three-register dial, a rotating 24-hour Pepsi bezel, and luminous hour markers and hands. The watch's history in large remains a mystery, but what we do know is that fewer than five examples have ever appeared on the open market.
This 55-year-old watch is in incredible condition. The case remains unpolished, with the bold yet comfortable design proudly displaying its original factory finish. The dial has developed an even patina, while the tritium hour markers and hands have aged to a beautiful creamy hue. Both the chequered GMT hand and Pepsi bezel remain unblemished. We paired it with these black suede straps from our friends at The Strap Tailor.
The watch has just been serviced and is performing exceptionally, running at +2 s/d, 280° amplitude, with a 0.2 ms beat error. It's hard not to be the coolest person in the room with this thing on.
(Thanks to Glycintennial.com for their fantastic resources.)