* In 2021 Ollech & Wajs was invited to submit a watch to the National Gendarmerie Air Force for evaluation. The watch had to be equal to the extreme challenges faced 24/7 by its elite helicopter crews at a moment's notice. A standard C-1000 was selected for an extended period of testing by the National Gendarmerie Air Force, where it was worn on active duty in a variety of actual missions across an 18-month period on La Réunion, an island in the Indian Ocean. The C-1000 was subjected to the rigours of daily use and outperformed several other watches from reputable Swiss and French manufacturers.
* Chosen for the quality of its movement, its robust characteristics and outstanding water resistance, the OW C-1000 was customised to FAGN’s own specifications. The diver’s bezel was replaced with a bespoke 60-minutes navigation bezel and the watch was equipped with a lightweight, single piece military-grade nylon strap, inspired by the FAGN pilot’s iconic blue flying suits. A custom blue Super-LumiNova® handset was fitted to the dial which was then signed with the FAGN insignia. The C-1000 FAGN will be almost identical to the operational version but with its own 60-minute pilot’s bezel. It will also have a special engraved case back bearing the regiment’s official badge.
* The C-1000 FAGN is powered by a Soprod Newton Precision P092; automatic, date-only calendar with 44-hour power reserve. The Soprod Newton P092 movement is independently tested for dependability and durability at the internationally renowned Laboratoire Dubois in Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, and has been awarded a Chronofiable® certification.
Movement: Automatic with Date
Case Dimensions: 39.5mm x 15.8mm x 49.5mm, Stainless Steel
Dial: Black with Blue Luminescent Hands and Luminous Indexes
Glass: Convex Sapphhire Crystal
Strap: 20mm, Blue Nylon on Pin Buckle
Water Resistance: 100 ATM
Reference: C-1000 FAGN
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.