Wittnauer

Albert Wittnauer, a Swiss immigrant, arrived in New York City in 1872 at age 16 and worked for his brother-in-law Eugene Robert, a Swiss watch importer. Seeing opportunity in affordable Swiss-quality watches for the American market, Wittnauer began crafting watches in 1880 and formally established the A. Wittnauer Company in 1885. The company built its reputation serving navigators, explorers, and astronomers who needed reliable timepieces. Wittnauer became deeply involved with the U.S. Navy for aviation and navigation testing. In 1918, they introduced the AllProof, one of the first all-proof watch models. Amelia Earhart used Wittnauer instruments during her historic 1932 solo transatlantic flight, and Neil Armstrong wore a Wittnauer during the Gemini 8 mission. NBC selected Wittnauer as official timekeeper for radio broadcasting in 1926. During WWII, Wittnauer produced compasses for the U.S. military. When the last Wittnauer brother died in 1916, Martha Wittnauer became one of the first female CEOs in watchmaking. Longines acquired Wittnauer in 1950, maintaining separate factories. After Swatch took over Longines distribution in 1995, ending the 125-year collaboration, Bulova purchased Wittnauer for $11.6 million in 2001. Today the brand operates as a fashion watch line under Bulova, which is owned by Citizen Watch Co. of Japan.