It all began in 1913 in the city of La Chaux-de-Fonds. Founder Ariste Racine faced a dilemma: he could not name the brand after himself because the trademark "Racine" already existed. He came up with a brilliantly simple solution—he spelled his surname backward. Thus, Enicar was born.
Unlike many brands of that era that merely purchased ready-made movements and cased them, Enicar was a true manufacture. They developed and produced their own in-house calibers (marked AR), which were renowned for their durability. The company was also a pioneer in the use of ultrasonic cleaning (Ultrasonic) for movements, a technology that significantly extended the life of the lubricants.
The turning point came in 1956. A Swiss expedition to Everest and Lhotse selected Enicar as its official partner. The watches on the climbers' wrists withstood the grueling conditions of the Himalayan high altitude. It was following this triumph that the cult Sherpa line was born—a symbol of absolute reliability.
By the 1960s, Enicar had become an icon of motorsport. They were worn by the legendary racer Stirling Moss and Formula 1 champion Jim Clark. The brand became synonymous with speed, risk, and success.
The 1970s in Enicar's history were marked by a transition to bold geometric shapes and the futuristic aesthetics that dominated the design of that time. It was a flourishing period for lines that combined the brand's legendary sporting endurance with a refined style for everyday life. The manufacture continued to perfect its own calibers, introducing complex functions and vibrant gradient dials, which became the calling card of the era. It was during this time that the brand's signature symbols—the planet Saturn and the dolphin on the caseback—were firmly established, embodying the company's aspiration for cosmic precision and reliable movement protection. This period became the final chord of Enicar's technical independence, demonstrating the manufacture's ability to create watches that harmoniously blended engineering complexity with avant-garde design.
Unfortunately, the "Quartz Crisis" of the 1980s led to the demise of the old Enicar manufacture. Today, the brand's vintage models represent an exclusive club for collectors. Acquiring such a watch means owning a piece of great history that can never be repeated.
