Glycine Watch


Glycine Watch SA is a wristwatch manufacturer, founded in 1914, and based in Bienne, Switzerland. It is famed for its Airman line, debuted in 1953, a collection of GMT watches featuring 24-hour analog dials and rotating bezels, favoured by both military and commercial pilots. The Airman was worn by many United States Air Force pilots during the Vietnam War. It was also worn by astronaut Pete Conrad during the Gemini 5 spaceflight.

History

Founded as Fabrique d'Horlogerie La Glycine in 1914 by Swiss watchmaker Eugène Meylan, Glycine initially specialized in designing and manufacturing small movements for ladies watches, and during the 1930s, Glycine launched its own self-winding watches, and subsequently, chronometer watches.
With the advent of intercontinental air travel, the Glycine Airman was released in 1953, for meeting the needs of pilots. The watch had a calendar function, a rotating 24-hour bezel with a locking mechanism, and a 24-hour dial with AM, PM and Noon written on it. In keeping with its aviation link, Glycine also introduced the Airman SST in 1967, inspired by supersonic transport aircraft such as the Boeing 2707, and featured a tonneau-shaped case, orange dial, and internal rotating bezel. To date, Glycine has released various reiteration of the original Airman, including watches featuring GMT hand, date magnifier, chronograph, or 12-hour movements.
In 2016, Glycine joined the Invicta Watch Group, with Invicta's primary involvement on developing distribution and marketing strategies for the company.

Collection

Currently, Glycine has five collections, all of which are aviation or military-themed: