Glycine Watch Co.

Glycine is a Swiss watch brand founded in 1914 by Eugène Meylan under the name ‘Fabrique d’Horlogerie La Glycine’.

Meylan was a watch engineer who was enthusiastic in not only watch manufacturing but the developing technologies of the time; with these working together he created commercially successful very precise watches.

In 1984 the company faced bankruptcy and was taken over by Hans Brechbühler, the owner of Belinta Watches. Brechbühler also had an enthusiasm for the craft and was able to rebuild Glycine with new designs at a difficult time for the industry. From the introduction of Hans Brechbühler to the business, the new products bore increased marketing in Germany, Italy, Holland and Belgium to aid with the industries struggles. In 2005 Katharina Brechbühler took sole control of the company, after working alongside her father for the prior fifteen years.

In 2011 Altus Uhren Holding AG took control of the company with Stephen Lack taking the role of CEO whilst Katherina managed the design department.

From 2016 Glycine joined the Invicta Watch Group, an American based watch manufacturer.

Through the history of the company the watches have continued to develop and stay ahead of their time. In the early 1900s the Swiss watch brand launched some of the finest miniature movements available, often bearing gold and platinum cases. This enabled them to becoming a lead supplier of boutique watches, with the British and American markets appreciating the fine craftsmanship.

In the early 1930s Glycine Eugène Meylan presented to the world a self-winding watch of his own invention. By 1934 they introduced a chronometer range of timepieces, tested by the Official Swiss Quality Control agency; which was a great achievement and advertisement for the already successful company.

In the mid 1940s the company produced automatic watches, actively competing with the top manufactures of the period.

In 1959 the famous VACUUM chronometers by Glycine were released – these watches gained a reputation for their resistance to water and shocks, enabling them to be used long-term under harsh conditions in comparison to the delicate time pieces of the history. This enabled Glycine to break into a new market and become the favoured watch of the military and pilots.

From here the company developed their time pieces to be more precise and marketed them further afield. The company produced a quartz collection which was to gain competition after the 1970s global recession, with further models and movements being launched in Japan and the USA due to high demand.

By the late 1990s Glycine showed they were willing to continue to meet the demand when the mechanical watches grew in physical size, with the faces of watches being popularised by the larger display.