Information Density: Ollech & Wajs Precision AG – Signal Evidence & AI Readability

[H3] "THE MOST IMPORTANT SWISS WATCH BRAND YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT"

[H3] "OCEAN GRAPH MIGHT BE THE COOLEST DIVE WATCH OF 2020

[H3] "OLLECH & WAJS PRIMARY OBJECTIVE WAS TO SUPPLY TO THE MILITARY"

[H3] “OW 8001 - EDITOR'S PICK”

[H3] “THE QUIET KINGS OF THE TOOL WATCH”

[H3] “OLLECH & WAJS HAS SUPPLIED THE US MILITARY WITH SOME OF ITS MOST RELIABLE TIMEPIECES”

[H3] “OLLECH & WAJS KNOWS HOW TO MAKE A BADASS, NO- NONSENSE TOOL WATCH”

[H3] “WATCHES WITH A PURPOSE, POPULAR WITH DIVERS, PILOTS, AND SOLDIERS”

[H2]
CURRENT COLLECTION

OW RALLYE DE PARIS

2,656.00 CHF

OW MK-102

1,596.00 CHF

OW MV-82

1,596.00 CHF

OW C-1000 Y

1,996.00 CHF

OW OCEAN GRAPH MkII

1,996.00 CHF

OW COUPE DES ALPES

2,656.00 CHF

OW P-104 SELECTRON

1,796.00 CHF

OW 8001 TUNDRA

1,996.00 CHF

OW M-52 AU

1,596.00 CHF

OW C-1000 FAGN

1,996.00 CHF

[IMG: SNP092]

OW C-1000 MkII

1,996.00 CHF

OW RALLYCHRON

2,656.00 CHF

[H3] SWISS MADE

Designed in Zurich, and individually assembled and adjusted by hand in Haute-Sorne in the Swiss Jura.

[H3] METICULOUS CRAFTSMANSHIP

In keeping with the traditions of Ollech & Wajs, every watch undergoes more than a dozen operations and is inspected at regular stages of assembly – a rigorous, multistep quality-control process to ensure that it is perfectly finished.

[H3] PREMIUM-QUALITY MOVEMENTS

Our watches are powered by independently tested movements from respected manufacturers – ETA 2824-2, Valjoux 7753 and Soprod Newton P092.

[H2]
ASSEMBLED IN THE SWISS JURA

Crafted to the high standards of excellence that typify this important location for Swiss-watchmaking

FIND OUT MORE

[H2]
PRESENTING THE FAMOUS OLLECH & WAJS SPORT WATCHES

The story of how Joseph Ollech and Albert Wajs shipped fine-quality diving watches and chronographs from 55 Stockerstrasse, Zurich, direct to the world

OUR HISTORY

[H2] STORIES

View all

[IMG: https://wornandwound.com/ollech-wajs-introduces-the-8001-an-integrated-bracelet-sports-watch-based-on-a-1970s-chronograph/]

[H3] WORN & WOUND

[IMG: https://wornandwound.com/ollech-wajs-recreates-the-classic-caribbean-1000-diver/]

[H3] WORN & WOUND

[IMG: https://www.themanual.com/fashion/ollech-wajs-ow-c-1000a-dive-watch/]

[H3] THE MANUAL

[IMG: https://www.gearpatrol.com/watches/ollech-wajs-c-1000-a-dive-watch/]

[H3] GEAR PATROL

[IMG: https://usa.watchpro.com/ollech-wajs-joins-exciting-line-up-of-independent-swiss-makers-at-novembers-watchpro-salon/]

[H3] WATCHPRO

[IMG: https://www.ablogtowatch.com/new-release-ollech-wajs-56-m-limited-edition-watch/]

[H3] A BLOG TO WATCH

[IMG: https://12and60.com/ollech-wajs-rallychron-pole-position-or-stuck-in-the-pits/]

[H3] 12 & 60

[IMG: https://twobrokewatchsnobs.com/ollech-wajs-rallychron/]

[H3] TWO BROKE WATCH SNOBS

[IMG: https://thecalibratedwrist.com/2024/05/31/ollech-wajs-m-52b/]

[H3] THE CALIBRATED WRIST

[IMG: https://www.fratellowatches.com/hands-on-ollech-wajs-ow-m-52b-af/#gref]

[H3] FRATELLO

[IMG: https://www.gearpatrol.com/watches/a33239704/ollech-wajs-ow-c-1000-watch-review/]

[H3] GEAR PATROL

[IMG: https://oracleoftime.com/ollech-and-wajs-historic-references-bjoern-altmann/]

[H3] ORACLE TIME

[H2] THE HISTORY OF OLLECH & WAJS

[H3] 1956
From 55, Stockerstrasse, Zurich — to the world

[H3] 1964
The first watch to be given a depth rating of -1000M

[H3] 1965
OW watchessent to US troops in Vietnam

[H3] 1967
Tested in the world’s oceans and the Arctic Circle

[H3] 1968
Worn by NASA scientists and a NASA Group 6 astronaut

[H3] 1979
Issued toBritish CI5 agents

[H3] 1980-95
One of the few Swiss watchmakers to survive without adopting quartz movements

[H3] 2017
Major new collection unveiled, Equal to the Challenges of the 21st Century

[H2]
1956

[H4]
Joseph Ollech and Albert Wajs establish Ollech & Wajs.
They take the lease on small premises at 55 Stockerstrasse, Zurich, with a retail counter just one metre long,  selling quality Swiss watches such as Omega and Breitling.

[H2]
1957

[H4]
Ollech & Wajs begin making watches.
Initially under the brand name OWZ (Ollech & Wajs Zürich), they also manufacture under brands Helsa and  Piz Palu, before focusing on OW from 1959 onwards.

[H2]
1958

[H4]
Ollech & Wajs become the first mail order Swiss watch brand.
From its workshop in Zurich, Ollech & Wajs distributes watches direct to customers throughout Switzerland  and beyond.

[H2]
1959

[H4]
The famous OW propellor brand mark is introduced.
Designed by Joseph Ollech, an ‘O’ and a ‘W’ coalesce to form an aircraft propellor, establishing the  brand’s enduring connection with aviation.

[H2]
1964

[H4]
Beating the Behemoths to the bottom of the sea.
OW shock the industry by launching the OW Caribbean 1000 Precision, with a certified record-shattering  depth rating of 1,000 m (3,300 ft). Its innovative monobloc ‘Triple-Safe’ case is capable of going 700 metres  deeper than anything Rolex or Omega have achieved at this time.Read more

[H2]
1965

[H4]
OW becomes one of the most widely used ‘unissued’ watches of the Vietnam conflict.
US soldiers, sailors and airmen begin ordering OW to replace their unreliable issued watches, prone to  water ingress in the humidity of the region. At the height of the conflict, OW delivers up to 10,000 pieces a  year, through a network of Army and Air Force Exchange Service stores; and through direct mail, via  classified advertisements in US military publications.Read more

[H4]
OW make one of the first 200m diving chronographs.
Model 2002, better known as the Navichron, is amongst the first chronographs certified to 20ATM water resistance.

[H4]
Nasa’s infamous rocket scientist - Wernher Von Braun, presented with an OW Astro-Chron.
So impressed are his fellow NASA scientists with their own Astro-Chrons, and knowing von Braun is both a  keen pilot and scuba diver, they order direct from Zurich to present the watch to him at a dinner in his honor. Read more

[H2]
1966

[H4]
The OW Caribbean 1000 survives an expedition to the North Pole.
An Italian exploration team, led by award-winning underwater photographer Roberto Dei, embark on an  expedition to the Arctic to study life beneath the ice pack and test equipment in sub-zero water.Read more

[H2]
1967

[H4]
OW worn by NASA group 6 astronaut, Dr Anthony, Llewellyn.
The Welsh-born scientist–astronaut wears an OW Ref.105 dive watch for his official NASA portrait and  during training. Read more

[H4]
Tested by record breaking Neapolitan Skin divers.
Elite commercial divers and scuba record holders Alberto Novelli and Cesare Olgiai begin working with  OW, their exploits featuring on the pages of the OW Precision brochures, both men wearing the legendary  OW Caribbean 1000.Read more

[H4]
Legendary bassist Jack Bruce wears an OW Precision Chronographe Suisse.
Jack plays every bass chord of Cream’s biggest hits – ‘I Feel Free’, ‘White Room’ and ‘Sunshine of  Your Love’ – wearing his trusted O&W.Read more

[H2]
1968

[H4]
OW undervaluation in the offshore oil fields.
The elite dive teams of deep-water drilling company Global Marine test OW’s professional dive  watches in the Arabian Gulf and the North Sea. The Caribbean 1000 702 and the Navichron 2002  are exposed to prolonged ambient pressure at working depths of over 400 ft, in high-helium  content, mixed-gas environments and subjected to radical temperature changes.Read more

[H2]
1969

[H4]
‘Unofficially’ worn by the British Red Arrows.
Members of the famous Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team choose OW Chronographs over their standard  RAF-issued watches for a series of round-the-world endurance air races and rallies between ’68 and ’70.  Read more

[H2]
1970 -77

[H4]
Functional utility meets creative flare.
A host of new variants of existing models is launched, with unusual and vibrant colour schemes that reflect  contemporary experimental aesthetics.

[H2]
1979

[H4]
The iconic Navitimer rescued from obsolesce.
Great friends with Willy Breitling for years, Albert Wajs and Joseph Ollech (along with Patek Philippe and  Helmut Sinn) acquire the tooling, stock parts and Navitimer designs from the liquidated Breitling. Ollech &  Wajs use the Breitling stock inventory to continue seamless production of the world’s most famous  pilot’s watch, the Navitimer, albeit under the new brand name of Aviator. This becomes the focus  of the business for the next decade and a half.

[H2]
1980

[H4]
OW Caribbean 1000 worn by British CI5 agents.
The most controversial crime drama of its era, The Professionals, hits the TV screens in Britain.  Agents William Bodie and Ray Doyle belong to a fictive elite government crime-fighting unit,  called CI5. The dynamic duo are equipped with matching OW Caribbean1000s. Read more

[H2]
1981 - 94

[H4]
OW survives the quartz crisis by scaling back.
Despite the demand for quartz and intense competition from Asian manufacturers, Albert Wajs  steadfastly refuses to manufacture anything other than mechanical watches. (To this day, Ollech &  Wajs is one of the few Swiss brands that has never adopted a quartz movement.) Convinced that  Swiss-quality mechanical watches still have a future, OW reduces but never ceases production,  continuing to serve its professional and military customers around the world.

[H2]
1995

[H4]
A new generation of watches.
With the renewed interest in mechanical watches that Albert Wajs predicted over a decade earlier,  Ollech & Wajs reboots its production, reigniting the OW brand with a new generation of sports  watches, military watches and chronographs.

[H2]
2000

[H4]
A.I Wajs and the M-Series.
After Joseph Ollech passes away, Albert Wajs creates a new company and introduces a line of  OW watches to honour his business partner and friend. The M-Series, including the Mirage chronographs, reaffirms OW as shorthand for rugged yet affordable, professional-quality  timepieces.

[H2]
2017

[H4]
A new direction for OW.
After 60 years at the helm, advancing in age and with failing eyesight, Albert Wajs decides it is  time to hand the company on. OW’s former distributor for the French market, a long-term  collector, takes over. Over the previous five years, OW has developed an exceptional new range  of timepieces, equal to any challenge and exemplifying the original vision of Joseph Ollech and  Alberts Wajs.

[H2] FURTHER READING

[H3] WATCHMAKING

DISCOVER

[H3] STORIES

READ STORIES

[H3] PRESS

READ REVIEWS

[H1]
WATCHMAKING

Designed in Zurich and individually assembled and adjusted by hand in Haute-Sorne, in the Swiss Jura.

[H2]
DESIGNED IN ZURICH

All Ollech & Wajs watches are designed at the headquarters of Ollech & Wajs Precision AG on Bergstrasse, in Zurich’s financial district – a few minutes from Stockerstrasse, where OW was founded in 1956. This 18-month-long journey follows the same rigorous process of iteration established by Joseph Ollech and Albert Wajs in the Vietnam era. It begins with an idea, which itself becomes the subject of brutal stress testing, usually involving more than 30 drawings and then dozens of detailed technical blueprints to ensure there is zero margin for error. Then, one after the other, eight prototypes undergo a series of tests to detect the slightest flaws in their casing; water-resistance up to 100 m, 400 m, 1,000 m and 1,200 m; and resistance to impact, scratches, disassembly and successive reassembly.

[H2]
BUILT IN THE SWISS JURA

Each timepiece is individually assembled and adjusted in Haute-Sorne in the Swiss Jura, following  the high standards of precision and quality that have made the region such an important location  for Swiss watchmaking. The manufacturing process of your watch begins in the Swiss Jura and  involves more than a dozen operations. The desired shapes are first cut and stamped, then  carefully machined, and eventually given a brushed-satin finish. After a thorough inspection, the  dial is fixed to the movement on the assembly bench. Installing the hands one by one requires the  highest level of dexterity and concentration, as does each step in completing the encasing of the  watch.

[H2]
METICULOUSLY CRAFTED BY HAND

In keeping with the traditions of Ollech & Wajs, every watch is handcrafted in the same historic  workshop that has served OW for over 60 years. Watches are inspected at regular stages of  assembly by some of Switzerland’s most experienced technicians, to ensure that each watch is  perfectly finished. Finally, a rigorous, multistep quality control process is completed before each watch leaves our  workshop. The precision and the regularity of each movement is tested in three to five positions –  the standard among prestige watch brands. A passage through a specially pressurised  environment allows its water resistance to be checked up to a depth of 3,280 ft (1000 m). Last of  all, each watch receives a meticulous visual inspection to hunt out the slightest speck of dust. As an added assurance, your OW watch is guaranteed for three years against all manufacturing defects.

[H2]
PREMIUM QUALITY MOVEMENTS

Ollech & Wajs have long been powered by independently tested movements from respected  manufacturers Dùbois Depraz, Landeron, and Valjoux (references 72, 92, 7730, 7733, 7750, 7765).  Like Albert Wajs 50 years ago, we have continued to work with the Ébauches SA factory and its  ETA 2824/2 automatic movement, because of its indisputable reliability. Likewise, the Valjoux  7753 Chronograph was chosen to power the recently updated OW Navichron. In late 2022, after a long and rigorous test period, began a new partnership with Swiss movement  manufacturer Soprod. Located in the Swiss Jura, just a few minutes from OW’s historic workshop,  Soprod have been developing and manufacturing quality mechanical movements since 1966. In 2020 we embarked on period of close collaboration with Soprod to develop a bespoke version  of the Newton P092, modified to OW’s own specifications and adjusted in five positions. We  opted for a simple, brutalist finish, in accordance with OW’s rugged aesthetics. ‘OW Zurich 1956’  is engraved into the nickel-plated base, on which sits a co-designed, custom rotor in the shape of  the OW marque. The Soprod Newton P092 movement is independently tested for dependability and durability at  the internationally renowned Laboratoire Dubois in Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. It undergoes  several trials, including an accelerated ageing cycle to simulate the effects of a watch worn on the  wrist. The procedure involves extreme temperature and humidity variations, and 20,000 indirect  impact shocks of varying severity. Only movements that pass all the tests are awarded a  Chronofiable®certification. The inimitable new movement will carry OW’s own ‘Precision’ rating,  reserved for movements of only the highest quality. As the era of OW and ETA draws to a close,  so begins the era of OW and Soprod – a new generation of movements made specifically for the  challenges of the 21st cent

[H2]
FINE MATERIALS, CAREFULLY SOURCED

In addition to the watch and its parts being Swiss made, we take great care when choosing our  partners and subcontractors. They are selected for their technical excellence, without overlooking  a key component: a true passion for watchmaking. These exacting standards extend to sourcing  and selecting the finest materials for your watch’s accessories. Our popular RAF straps are made  in a 19th-century factory in Wales, using material woven in Sherwood, UK. Our 100% natural  leather and linen straps are handmade by one of italy's finest tanneries. Even the papers used in  our packaging are carefully sourced from first -rate suppliers in both the UK and Turkey.

[H2] FURTHER READING

[H3] THE HISTORY OF OLLECH & WAJS

DISCOVER

[H3] STORIES

READ STORIES

[H3] PRESS

FIND OUT MORE

[H2] FEATURED ARTICLES

[H3] HISTORY OF THE RECORD BREAKING OLLECH & WAJS CARIBBEAN 1000

The Caribbean was released in 1964 and blew all other existing dive watches, and their makers, out of the water.

READ

[H3] A TIMELESS REBIRTH OF SPORTING ELEGANCE: OLLECH & WAJS 8001

This watch is nothing short of a collector’s dream in the world of luxury watches.

READ

[H3] OLLECH & WAJS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT WATCH BRAND YOU DON’T KNOW

The Zurich-based watch brand has been in continuous production for almost 70 years but that it isn’t a household name is hardly surprising.

READ

[H2]
MORE PRESS

[IMG: https://wornandwound.com/ollech-wajs-introduces-the-8001-an-integrated-bracelet-sports-watch-based-on-a-1970s-chronograph/]

[H3] WORN & WOUND

[IMG: https://wornandwound.com/ollech-wajs-recreates-the-classic-caribbean-1000-diver/]

[H3] WORN & WOUND

[IMG: https://www.themanual.com/fashion/ollech-wajs-ow-c-1000a-dive-watch/]

[H3] THE MANUAL

[IMG: https://www.gearpatrol.com/watches/ollech-wajs-c-1000-a-dive-watch/]

[H3] GEAR PATROL

[IMG: https://usa.watchpro.com/ollech-wajs-joins-exciting-line-up-of-independent-swiss-makers-at-novembers-watchpro-salon/]

[H3] WATCHPRO

[IMG: https://www.ablogtowatch.com/new-release-ollech-wajs-56-m-limited-edition-watch/]

[H3] A BLOG TO WATCH

[IMG: https://12and60.com/ollech-wajs-rallychron-pole-position-or-stuck-in-the-pits/]

[H3] 12 & 60

[IMG: https://twobrokewatchsnobs.com/ollech-wajs-rallychron/]

[H3] TWO BROKE WATCH SNOBS

[IMG: https://thecalibratedwrist.com/2024/05/31/ollech-wajs-m-52b/]

[H3] THE CALIBRATED WRIST

[IMG: https://www.fratellowatches.com/hands-on-ollech-wajs-ow-m-52b-af/#gref]

[H3] FRATELLO

[IMG: https://www.gearpatrol.com/watches/a33239704/ollech-wajs-ow-c-1000-watch-review/]

[H3] GEAR PATROL

[IMG: https://oracleoftime.com/ollech-and-wajs-historic-references-bjoern-altmann/]

[H3] ORACLE TIME

[IMG: https://wornandwound.com/ollech-wajs-introduces-a-new-bezel-and-movement-with-the-m110/]

[H3] WORN & WOUND

[IMG: https://www.scottishwatches.co.uk/2022/10/04/watch-alert-ollech-and-wajs-ow-m110/]

[H3] SCOTTISH WATCHES

[IMG: https://wornandwound.com/ollech-wajs-astrochron-s-combines-a-500-wr-dive-chronograph-with-a-compass-bezel-and-regatta-counter/]

[H3] WORN & WOUND

[IMG: https://monochrome-watches.com/introducing-robust-ollech-and-wajs-ow-8001-specs-price/]

[H3] MONOCHROME

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