* Born 1973, re-born 2023.
* Ollech & Wajs was among the first companies to introduce integrated-bracelet sports models in the early 70s. Most notable of these was the OW Ref. 8000 – a sleek and angular TV-dial chronograph with a stunning ‘Havana brown fumé’ dial. To mark the 50th anniversary of this pivotal watch, Ollech & Wajs created a new model, which both epitomises and contemporises the character of the OW Ref. 8000. The chronologically named OW 8001 has a brutalist, brushed stainless steel tonneau case, which flows seamlessly into an integrated, brushed, oyster-style bracelet, engineered for extreme durability and modelled closely on the original.
* What elevates the OW 8001 to a class all of its own among modern-day sports watches lies beyond its tough exterior. Inside the watch is a Soprod Newton Precision P092 – a bespoke automatic, date-only calendar movement that has 23 jewels and a 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 additionally been awarded a Chronofiable® certification.
Movement: Automatic with Date
Case Dimensions: 39.5mm x 12.7mm x 39.4mm, Stainless Steel
Dial: Havana Fumé with Luminous Baton Hands and Indexes
Glass: Flat Sapphire Crystal
Bracelet: Steel 3-Link Integrated on Fold Clasp
Water Resistance: 30ATM
Reference: 8001
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.