The A Closer Look at series explores second tier Swiss watch brands that normally have a rich history in watch making but for reasons unknown sometimes aren’t as celebrated as many of the other mid-range watch brands. Having previously featured such watch makers as Rotary, Eberhard & Co and Bulova, this week we take a closer look at Sandoz.

One of the oldest names in Swiss watch making, the history of the Sandoz family developing and perfecting watch mechanisms can be traced back as far as the 17^th century, when David Sandoz created the clock that would be used in the church at Le Chaux-de-Fonds. During the next 100 years, various members of the Sandoz family would go on to reach significant milestones in the art of watchmaking.

Jacques Sandoz, for example, created the “Oignon” pocket watch, which featured a copper case, silver dial and measured 54mm in diameter. This was the first watch to be decorated with Fleur-de-Lys and is currently on show at the Musee International D’Horlogerie de Le Chaux-de-Fonds in Switzerland.

Henri Sandoz

By 1855 the Sandoz family had built a reputation for specialising in creating ultra flat watches and chronometers. However, despite being involved in watch making for nearly 100 years, it wasn’t until 1870, when Henri Sandoz created the family’s first watch making factory, that the company became a launch pad for introducing American mechanisms in the Swiss watch making industry and would later go on to watch complications under the name of Cyma.

In 1890, Henri Sandoz continued to expand the family watch making operation by opening a second watch making company in Malleray, close to Tavannes, in the heart of the French speaking region of Jura. This new operation would trade under the name of the Tavannes Watch Co. Up until the death of Henri Sandoz in 1913, the Tavannes Watch Co employed a workforce in excess of 1000 and was responsible for making approximately 2,500 watches per day.

Throughout the 1920’s and early 1930’s, Henri’s son, Louis Sandoz was now in charge of the the Tavannes Watch Co. and created one of the first patents for an 8 day power reserve, as well as overseeing the production of specialist watches designed to be fitted in cars of the era.

By the end of the 1930’s the company had grown to produce over 4,000 watches per day and traded under a variety of different names including the Bijou Watch Co, Lisca, Tavannes-Cyma and Tacy Watch Co.

The 1950’s saw perhaps the most significant milestone in the brand’s history. Continuing to specialise in creating ultra thin watches, the famous Sandoz 333, which featured the Calibre HSF 56 movement, was created. The precision of which impressed the watch making industry as a whole, with its ability to eliminate the effects of side shake. The Sandoz 333 Extra Flat is still considered to be an incredibly innovative timepiece, even by today’s standards.

Due to licensing agreements and legality issues the Sandoz watch making brand is today divided into four separate areas of production. This means that four separate brands, Sandoz Hong Kong, Sandoz Swiss, Sandoz Singapore and Sandoz Spain, which is owned by the Munreco Group, now produce watches under the Sandoz name.

Sandoz Swiss mainly focuses on producing high quality watches, whereas Sandoz Singapore and Sandoz Hong Kong focus on producing more affordable timepieces, using Swiss ETA SA movements.

Sandoz Bioko Watch

Inspired by the island of Bioko and its rich colonial past, the gents Sandoz Bioko watch (ref 81217-00) is an ultra flat timepiece, simple in design but still with a fair amount of elegance and style. The watch features a quartz movement which is housed inside a steel case, complete with sapphire crystal. The white dial and faceted hands and hour markers offer excellent readability. The watch is also water resistant to 50 meters and is complete with a brown leather crocodile strap.

Whilst this is far from being a ‘luxury’ timepiece, with a retail price less than £200, the Sandoz Bioko could be a great first watch for any young budding watch collector. Alternatively, it would also be suitable for everyday wear at the office or at home.

Sandoz Race Collection Gents Second Timezone GMT Watch

The Sandoz Race Collection Gents Second Timezone GMT (ref 72587-05) watch draws inspiration from for the famous boat race held along the river Thames between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Launched in 2009, the main feature of the watch is its second time zone display at 6 o’clock. The watch is water resistant to 100 meters and also includes a date display at 12 o’clock. The stainless steel case houses the watch’s quartz movement and includes a sapphire crystal.

The Sandoz Race Collection Gents Second Timezone GMT is currently available on Amazon for £413.26.

Sandoz Caractère Automatic 81305-05

Taken from one Sandoz’s newest collections, the Sandoz Caractère Automatic 81305-05 is a simple yet stylish gents watch. As well as displaying hours, the watch offers a date indicator at 3 o’clock. Driven by a mechanical automatic movement that is housed in a stainless steel case, the watch also features a sapphire crystal caseback which allows the inner workings of the watch to be displayed.

The readability of the watch is excellent, with the silver hand and numerals standing out against the grey coloured dial. The luminous hands are also clearly legible at night.

The Sandoz Caractère Automatic 81305-05 offers water resistance to 100 metres and is completed with a black rubber strap. The watch usually retails for around £400.

Sandoz Legendaire Collection Gents Chronograph

Taken from the Sandoz Legendaire Collection, think 1950s, Hollywood and James Dean. The collection is a celebration of all things splendour. Inspired by many of the classic models that originally made the brand popular, the Sandoz Legendaire Gents Chronograph includes displays for seconds and minutes, with a day of the week display found at 6 o’clock.

The rectangular shaped timepiece features a black dial that has silver hour markers and faceted hands. The stainless steel case is water resistant to 50 meters and houses the watch’s quartz movement. The Sandoz  Legendaire Collection Gents Chronograph watch (ref 81291-55) usually retails for around £435.

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