The History
The Racine family can trace their history with watches back to 1708 when David Racine was mentioned as an ‘expert maître horloger’. Yet It wasn’t until 1914 that the family would establish their own brand. There was only one problem, however. Someone else owned the trademark to the name ‘Racine’. Et voila Enicar – Racine spelled backwards – was born.
After years of making watches out of their home, the family built a new factory in Longeau in 1919. This moment is often considered the true founding of Enicar. During World War II, the brand found success in producing watches for various militaries and was able to use the proceeds to modernize their factories after the war. In the ‘50s, the popularity of the brand grew as Enicar produced some of its most famed models such as the Sherpa, Ocean Pearl, and Star collection.
Unfortunately, like many other great watch brands, Enicar was a casualty of the quartz crisis and declared bankruptcy in 1987, selling off all the company’s assets.
The Reference
The Enicar Jump Hour Automatic listed for auction was produced in the 1970s and features a digital readout on an automatic watch. This works by having three rotating discs, each tied to show either the hours, minutes, or seconds. The hour disc will jump forward on the hour and then the minutes and seconds roll by. This allows the users to quickly read out the time in a digital fashion by reading left to right.
The watch is in exceptional condition, and possibly new old stock, which is great to see on a watch listed at a lower price point. This watch represents the second Enicar jump hour watch up for auction on Dial + Bezel but it will certainly not be the last.
The Case and Bracelet
The condition of the case and bracelet are excellent. We always hesitate to say unpolished or new old stock but the condition of the watch leads us to believe that this watch is in fact new old stock. You will struggle to find any scratches or signs of wear anywhere on the case or bracelet.
The Dial and Hands
The dial and time discs are in excellent condition. The large center section of the acrylic crystal acts as a magnifier, making the watch very legible. All of the printing on the dial is crisp and clear and there are no defects to note.
The Movement
This watch is powered by the 17 jewel automatic calibre AS 2072. The pryoff caseback was not removed for photography to preserve the originality of the watch. The watch is running and the service history is unknown.
PHOTO GALLERY
| Seller | WatchSafari |
| Auction Number | 283 |
| Location | New York City |
| Brand | Enicar |
| Model | Jump Hour |
| Reference Number | N/A |
| Movement | Automatic, AS 2072 |
| Year | 1970s |
| Dial | Blue |
| Case Width | 37mm |
| Case Material | Stainless Steel |
| Band Material | Stainless Steel |
| Clasp Type | Deployant |
| Original Box | No |
| Original Papers | No |
| Seller Type | Dealer |
I’m not sure I’ve actually seen anyone leave a comment on one of these auctions yet. I’ll start – this watch looks amazing. Would have loved to have had some idea of how’s it’s performing via time grapher though. GLWTA.
So cool and unique
I think its safe to assume that whatever oils were on the movement are gone by now. I would definitely send this to a watchmaker before wearing on a regular basis