Enicar Sherpa Guide
Sherpa Guide
The Sherpa line from Enicar was introduced in November of 1956, after an Enicar was used in a summit of Mount Everest; henceforth, all of its explorer or tool watches bore the Sherpa moniker. With a Sherpa Date, a Sherpa Diver, a Sherpa GMT, and Sherpa World Timer all having at one point been in production, it seems logical that Enicar sought to combine all these functions into one impressive tool watch. Largely black, with the yellow portion of the GMT track meant to indicate day, white accents on the bezel and the dial, and the interesting addition of a rally-style GMT hand, this watch was clearly intended to be highly legible.
Model Development
The first Guide models came to the market in the early 1960s. They came in a dark and a cream dial version. The Guide was probably the top model of an entire Pilot watch or Fliegeruhr model range (initially Stewardess, Steward, GMT, Guide, and later Jet, Super Jet, Jet Graph / Pilote). Essential features of these early versions were: Dauphine hands, crescent moon 24h pointer shape, stepped index markers, and thin crowns.
THE MARK I GUIDE
The larger size of the Enicar Sherpa Guide allows for a wider bezel, with fewer cities and division markings inside the city names. There is now a black and white internal rotating 24 hour bezel as well. The hands are still Dauphine style, but the feature is a half moon style 24h hand. Then there was a transition in branding to the logo with ENICAR below Saturn. The Mark I Guide used an AR1126 cal movement. The Rubyrotor calibre was introduced by Enicar in 1962.
THE MARK II GUIDE
This second version of the Guide no longer has the crescent moon 24h hand. This model has baton hands with lumes at the end, but now features a thin 24h hand, and a second hand with a round lollipop dot. Black and yellow coloured inner rotating 24h bezels are more common than black and white as in the earlier model. The index markers are now wider and have Tritium dot lumes at 6, 9 and 12 and rectangular lumes elsewhere. The crowns are becoming wider than in earlier models.
The early Mark II guide had a Seapearl oyster back engraved 146/001 referring to the AR1146 movement. Some had T Swiss on the dial rather than Swiss Made, and the word Automatic appeared in various positions on the dial.
THE MARK II GUIDE 33
An early September 1964 automatic Mark II Guide 33. This has narrow fluted indexes at 6,9 and 12 with applied lume. The hands are baton with lume inserts on a black tip. The 24h pointer has an orange tip. Movement is AR 1146 33 jewel. Tritium level on dial marked T < 25 mc. Seapearl caseback 146/001.
THE MARK III GUIDE
This Mark III model dates from about 1968. This has either a thin triangle shaped second hand or a lollipop second hand, a rallye style 24h hand, baton hands with a long pencil lume in the center of the minute hand and a broader lozenge shaped lume in the hour hand, and variously coloured inner bezels. The crowns are all thick.
THE MARK IV GUIDE
The next version of the Guide from 1969 has the cushion, pillowcase or short lug body shape and the caliber AR166. Model 166-35-04. Enicar Sherpa 600 oyster case back. Multi-colored inner rotating 24h bezels are utilised, and the rotating ring between the crystal and the outer bezel is now orange rather than red. The 6,12,18 and 24-hour markers on the 24h bezel are black.
THE MARK IVA GUIDE
The next version had different lumes at the indexes and a new Saturn logo with 2 rings on Saturn. The lumes at 3,6,9 and 12 are trapezoidal, and rectangular elsewhere. The checkered chapter ring from the Mark IV Guide has been dispensed with. Both short and long lugged cases were available. Features the Cal, 166 movement, model number 166-35-04.
Example of Sherpa Features
- Model: Sherpa Guide 600
- Reference: 146-35-01
- Year: 1960s
- Material: Stainless steel. screw back (bayonet), signed Saturn crowns
- Dimensions: 43mm diameter; 14mm thickness
- Crystal: Acrylic
- Lume: Tritium
- Caliber: Enicar automatic caliber 166 with date and 24-hour function
- Bracelet/Strap: Double-signed Enicar stainless-steel bracelet
- Lug Width: 22mm
Other Guide Models
- Enicar Sea Pearl 600
- Enicar Sherpa Diver 600
- Enicar Sherpa Dive
- Enicar Sherpa Guide
- Enicar Sherpa Jet
- Enicar Sherpa Graph
Links
- Enicar Sea Pearl 600
- Tornek-Rayville TR-900
- Military Watches
- Military Diving Watches
- Switzerland
- Enicar
- Main Page
Credits and read more: https://thespringbar.com/blogs/guides/enicar-sherpa-pilot-2-crown-models/
