Enicar
History of Enicar
The Racine family, based in the Jura, was a well-known family of artisans. For many centuries they were involved in arts and craftsmanship. On October 1, 1913 Ariste Racine (1889 - 1958) and his wife Emma Blatt started a 'Manufacture d'Horlogerie Ariste Racine' in the Rue du Crêt 24 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. As the name 'Racine' was already a trademark, registered since 1870 by Jules Racine Sr., Emma Racine-Blatt proposed an anagram (or levidrome) of the family name: 'ENICAR'. Ariste Racine registered his manufacture and that brand name on January 6, 1914.
Oskar Racine, Ariste's brother, joined the company in 1918. He owned a shaft factory in Biel, which he closed down in May 1930. Both Ariste and Oskar were brilliant salesmen and were quite ingenious.
There are recorded at least 136 brandnames used by Enicar.
Birks Department store in Canada often branded Enicar watches both under the Birks and Rideau names. Healthways, Aqua-lung and Chronosport models are all branded Enicar watches as are Longeau.
Notable Models
- Enicar Sea Pearl 600
- Enicar Sherpa Diver 600
- Enicar Sherpa Dive
- Enicar Sherpa Guide
- Enicar Sherpa Jet
- Enicar Sherpa Graph
