Gallet

Gallet

Gallet is a historic Swiss manufacturer of high-end timepieces for professional, military, sports, racing, and aviation use. Gallet is the world's oldest watch and clock making house with history dating back to Humbertus Gallet, a clock maker who became a citizen of Genève in 1466. The Gallet & Cie name was officially registered by Julien Gallet (1806–1849) in 1826, who moved the family business from Geneva to La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland.

Gallet is best known during the 20th century for its line of MultiChron chronograph wristwatches. Produced primarily for military, industrial, auto racing, and other professional applications, Gallet's MultiChron watches often incorporated a number of advanced timekeeping innovations.

A Gallet timepiece of particular renown was the Flight Officer time zone chronograph. Commissioned by Senator Harry S. Truman in 1939 for pilots of the United States Army Air Forces, the Flight Officer (a.k.a. Flying Officer) had a rotating 12-hour bezel and the names of 23 major world cities printed on the periphery of the dial. These features made it possible to calculate changes in the time as an aviator flew across lines of longitude. Besides being the first time zone calculating wristwatch based upon a 12-hour system (24 hour world time wristwatches were produced by Patek Philippe in 1937),[8] the Flight Officer was the first wristwatch with a rotating bezel and one of the world's first wrist chronographs to be housed in a water-resistant case. Truman wore a Gallet Flight Officer during his terms as 33rd president (1945–1953).

History

Gallet watches were recognized as pioneers in 1895 as they were the world's first producer of wrist watches for both men and women. In 1916, Gallet was the world's first supplier of true wrist chronographs to the British Army. During the Second World War, it supplied watches to the armies of the Great Britain, Canada and the USA.

Gallet's professional timekeeping innovations

• The first wristwatch with a center-originating sweep second hand for heart rate calculation (1912)
• The first timepiece designed specifically for yacht racing (Gallet Yachting Timer, 1915)
• The first wristwatch with a faster 28,800 BPH escapement (Racine Quick-Train, 1928)
• The first wrist chronograph with a waterproof case (Gallet MultiChron Clamshell, 1936)[6][10]
• The first chronograph wristwatch with multiple time zone calculator (Gallet Flight Officer, 1939)[5]
• The first wristwatch with rotating bezel (Philippe Weiss, inventor) (Gallet Flight Officer, 1939)[5]
• The first miniature chronograph wristwatch for professional women (Gallet MultiChron Petite, 1939)
• The first 45-minute recording wrist chronograph (Gallet MultiChron 45, 1942)
• The first stopwatch with a built-in spare parts compartment for quick repairs (1943)
• The first chronograph wristwatch with additional 24-hour GMT hand (Gallet MultiChron Navigator, 1945)[28]
• The first "waterproof" stopwatch (Gallet Yachting Timer, 1945)
• The first 24-hour reading wrist chronograph (Gallet MultiChron 24HR, 1947)

Gallet brands/trademarks (pre-1940s)

• Continental Watch Company pocket chronograph (c. 1881), manufactured by Gallet during the 19th century for export to the American market
• Breadfort Watch Co. (reg. pre-1898, pocket watches)
• Bridgeport Watch Co. (reg. 17 Dec 1886, pocket watches)
• Chancellor Watch (reg. pre-1898, pocket watches)
• Chief (reg. 28 Aug 1889, pocket watches)
• Commodore (reg. 7 May 1889, pocket watches)
• Continental Watch Co. (reg. 12 Aug 1879, high-grade and complicated pocket watches for US market)
• Courvoisier (founded in the 1700s) historic manufacturer of complicated clocks and watches, controlled by the Courvoisier and Gallet families during the late 19th and early 20th century
• Defender (reg. pre-1895, pocket watches)
• Director Watch Co. (reg. pre-1895, pocket watches)
• Duchess (reg. pre-1898, woman's pocket watches)
• Electa & Cie. (extra high-grade & complicated pocket watches))
• Enterprise (reg. pre-1898, pocket watches)
• Eureka Time Keeper / Eureka Watch Co. (reg. 14 Jan 1884, pocket watches w/ Agassiz and Longines movements for American market)
• Favorite (reg. 16 Feb 1884, pocket watches)
• Galco (reg. 14 Mar 1925, Excelsior Park stopwatches)
• Gipsy (reg. pre-1895, woman's pocket watches)
• Governor (reg. pre-1898, rail road style pocket watches)
• Harlem Watch Co. (reg. pre-1898, pocket watches)
• Interocean (reg. 3 Jun 1910, Canadian Rail Road pocket watches)
• Jerome Park Watch Co. (reg. pre-1924, high grade pocket chronographs with Excelsior Park and Minerva movements)
• Jarco Watch (reg. pre-1898, pocket watches)
• Lady Racine (reg. 12 Aug 1879, lady's pocket watches)
• Lifetime Series (reg. 19 Oct 1914, high grade watches, produced in the Electa workshop for Macy's, New York)
• Lily (reg. 17 Jan 1881, lady's pocket watches)
• Majesty (reg. pre-1897, lady's pocket watches)
• Marathon (reg. 19 Oct 1915, pocket watches, wrist chronographs with Excelsior Park movements, wristwatches for United States and Canadian military)
• Mars (reg. pre-1900, pocket watches and wristlets for British market, later changed to Mars MultiChron)
• National Park (reg. 13 Jan 1891, high-grade stopwatches & horse timers w/ Excelsior Park movements
• Park Watch Company (reg. 21 Sep 1929, Excelsior Park powered stopwatches)
• Patriot Watch (reg. 16 Apr 1889, pocket watches)
• Profundus (first diver's wristwatch with integral depth gauge, 1966)
• QuickTrain (earliest commercially produced wrist watch with faster beat movement)
• Racine (watches sold in North America)
• Racine Royale (watches sold in North America)
• Railroad Watch (reg. 12 Aug 1879)
• Richmond (reg. 29 Aug 1889, pocket watches)
• Security (Excelsior Park powered stopwatches)
• Select (reg. pre-1898, Excelsior Park stopwatches)
• Speedway Watch Co. (reg. 1918, stopwatches and other timing devices for auto racing )
• Success (reg. 13 Jan 1891, pocket watches)
• The Sun (reg. 1901, Excelsior Park powered stopwatches, manufactured by Gallet for Louis Goering of La Chaux-de-Fonds, used by the Wright brothers in 1903)
• The Wonder (reg. 11 Jul 1892, pocket watches)
• Trilby Watch (reg. pre-1895, pocket watches)
• Trotter (reg. pre-1897, Excelsior Park powered stopwatches & horse timers)
• Union Square (reg. 2 Oct 1883, pocket watches)
• Warrior Watch (reg. pre-1898, pocket watches)

Notable Gallet Models

• Gallet Flight Officer - a.k.a. Flying Officer in United Kingdom: pilot's wrist chronograph with world time zone calculator, introduced in 1939
• Gallet MultiChron
• Excel-O-Graph: pilot's navigational chronograph with rotating slide rule bezel, introduced in 1960
• Marathon Navigator: water resistant antimagnetic pilot's watch with rotating 12-hour bezel, introduced in 1984
• MultiChron 12: professional wrist chronograph with 12-hour recording capabilities, introduced in 1935
• MultiChron 30M: professional wrist chronograph with 30-minute recording capabilities, introduced in 1914
• MultiChron 45M: professional wrist chronograph with 45-minute recording capabilities, introduced in 1942
• MultiChron Astronomic: 12-hour wrist chronograph with triple date and moon phase, introduced in 1947
• MultiChron Calendar: professional wrist chronograph with accurate day, date, and month functions, introduced in 1945
• MultiChron "Clamshell": early water resistant version of the MultiChron 30, produced between 1936 and 1951
• MultiChron Commander: mid-size wrist chronograph for both men and women professionals, introduced in 1938
• MultiChron Decimal: professional wrist chronograph for technical & scientific use, introduced in 1942
• MultiChron MediGraph: (a.k.a. Pulsimeter) professional wrist chronograph with heart rate calculator, 1943
• MultiChron Navigator GMT: professional wrist chronograph with additional 24 GMT hour hand, introduced in 1943
• MultiChron Officer: small size square dress or formal wrist chronograph for officers, introduced in 1939
• MultiChron Petite: miniature wrist chronograph for professional and enlisted women, introduced in 1936
• MultiChron Pilot: pilot's wrist chronograph with rotating time zone bezel, introduced in 1940
• MultiChron Pilot Petite: miniature wrist chronograph with time zone bezel for women pilots
• MultiChron Profundus: professional scuba diver's chronograph with rotating 60-minute bezel
• MultiChron Rattrapante: wrist chronograph with simultaneous dual or split function recording
• MultiChron Regulator: professional wrist chronograph with offset minute and hour dial, introduced in 1928
• MultiChron Yachting: professional wrist chronograph with regatta countdown timer, introduced in 1945

Links

• Switzerland
• Main Page
• History of Watches
• Diving Watches