* The Ollech & Wajs C-1000 A - marks the 60th anniversary of the first 1000 m dive watch.
* In 1964 the Ollech & Wajs Precision Caribbean 1000 set the standard by which all other dive watches would be measured with a certified depth rating of 1,000m (3,300ft). The single biggest leap forwards in the evolution of the dive watch was thanks partly to the revolutionary 702 mono-block case with its distinctive pointed lugs. To mark 60 years since the Caribbean 1000, O&W have created a special C-1000 Edition that reinterprets several design features of the iconic inaugural reference.
* The anniversary C-1000 A evokes the unmistakable abbreviated triangular lugs, affectionately referred to as ‘Vampire fangs’ by collectors. Caribbean 1000 enthusiasts will also appreciate the familiar tapered hour and minutes hands and the 12 hour bi-directional bezel with 20 minute diver’s scale, also inspired by the original. The C-1000 A is presented on a distinctive cadmium yellow nylon RAF style strap in reference to the yellow trim wetsuits worn by intrepid scuba divers in the 60s, including Ollech & Wajs test divers Alberto Novelli and Cesare Olgjai.
* The first 56 watches will be numbered crown editions and will also be equipped with the ever dependable ETA 2824-2 automatic movement, the last of OW’s remaining stock. Thereafter, the C-1000 A will be powered by the landmark Soprod Newton Precision, the result of a close collaboration between OW and the Jura based movement maker.
Movement: Automatic with Date
Case Dimensions: 39.5mm x 15.8mm, Stainless Steel
Dial: Black with Luminous Hands and Indexes
Glass: High Domed Sapphire Crystal
Strap: 20mm, Yellow Nylon RAF Strap on Pin Buckle
Water Resistance: 100 ATM
Reference: C-1000 A
The Re-Birth of Ollech & Wajs.
The name Ollech & Wajs began in 1956, when Zurich resident Albert Wajs decided to partner with his friend Joseph Ollech and open a luxury watch shop, initially retailing Breitling and Omega before launching their own brand: Ollech & Wajs Zürich.
By the 1960s the Ollech & Wajs range consisted of men's chronographs, diving watches (in particular the Caribbean 1000, which was, as its name suggested, the first 1000m water resistant diving watch), military watches, much appreciated by American soldiers who ordered OWs for entire battalions during the Vietnam war and also pilot’s watches, which the French Air Force commissioned for active use.
Ollech & Wajs, now under new ownership have returned to the company's heyday and strive to manufacturer high quality, Swiss made sports watches with a nod to the classic designs of their 60s predecessors. All OW watches have a 90% Swiss made origin and are designed at their headquarters: Ollech & Wajs Precision A.G. on Bergstrasse in Zurich and then individually assembled and adjusted in Haute-Sorne, in the Swiss Jura.