Glycine: From the battlefield to space: the history of the watch of choice

The History of American Military Watch Brand "Glycine"

Glycine's Airman watch flew over the battlefield alongside American pilots during the Vietnam War from 1955 to 1975.


What were the characteristics of the watches worn by warriors who were sent to distant foreign lands and risked their lives for victory?


This time, we will trace the history of GLYCINE, a company that manufactures military watches that were highly valued on the battlefield and currently runs a gallery called "La Cave" in the heart of the old town of Bienne, Switzerland.


In 1914, founder Eugene Meylan named the brand GLYCINE.

The name means "wisteria flower" in French, Italian, Polish, etc.

The name was chosen with the hope that, like the flower's characteristics, it can bloom beautifully in a variety of locations with just the right amount of care.

https://www.glycine-watch.ch/history

The defining feature of Glycine watches was not only their precision, but also the functionality required by military pilots, who were required to wear watches.

One is, wherever you are

GMT (Greenwich Mean Time: time zone based on Greenwich, England)

Based on this, you can check two time zones.

The other feature is the 24-hour dial, which is a rare feature on ordinary watches.

This is because you can see the 24-hour military time at a glance and there is no confusion between morning and afternoon.

By turning the rotating bezel around the dial, one could tell the time in two countries and check the date, and it also had a hacking function, making it popular with soldiers heading off to battle.

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/the-glycine-airman-no-1

Here are some examples of how Glycine watches have been put to good use.

A typical example is "Airman," which was popular with the Air Force during the Vietnam War.

The watch body is made of stainless steel, and the dial has a matte finish that prevents enemies from disclosing the watch's location due to the reflection of light.

In addition, they were also popular because they did not reflect the sunlight and were not dazzling even on airplanes. They were also highly durable and not easily broken, making them suitable for military use.

https://medium.com/@howardlau2816/watches-worn-by-usaf-in-vietnam-an-american-icon-and-the-precursor-to-the-gmt-watch-98b32bdbb545

Glycine is also making history in space development.

In 1965, NASA sent the Gemini 5 spacecraft into space for a long-term manned flight experiment, which set a new record of seven days and 22 hours.

During that flight, astronaut Charles Conrad was wearing a Glycine Airman watch on his wrist.

Gemini 5 returned to Earth after its mission.

Despite splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean, Grishin's Airman returned to Earth, along with the astronauts, unharmed.

By the way, while in space, the airman and astronaut Conrad reportedly went into space for about two hours to repair the cockpit door.

At this time, it became the "first watch to perform a spacewalk" and successfully completed the mission.