Dating Olma watches by era
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Rough orientation by era
The following time periods are not a complete Olma model chronicle, but rather general guidelines that can only be verified with movement and case data:
- Pre-war period and early post-war years: Often smaller hand-wound wristwatches with classic designs. Size and style alone are not sufficient for accurate dating, but the Olma pilot watch for the young Reichsluftwaffe with a rotating bezel and arrow indexing from approx. 1930 is known as a precursor to later pilot chronographs, e.g., from Tutima or Hanhart.
- 1940s–1950s: Many watches from this era have restrained dials, manual winding, and often a small seconds sub-dial. However, there are exceptions.
- 1950s–1960s: Automatic movements, date displays, and more diverse case and dial shapes become more common. The specific caliber can narrow down the time period.
- 1960s–1970s: Larger cases, bolder shapes, and more striking dials appear more frequently. Here, too, these features are only indicators.
- Later models: For reliable classification, reference numbers, movements, and existing sales or service documents are usually more decisive than the design.
Information on the Olma Watch Company, founded in 1926:
Olma Watch Co
Numa Jeannin
The watch factory Numa Jeannin Ltd in Fleurier was founded in 1906 by "Numa" Augustin Jeannin in Fleurier and no longer exists today. An attempt by a Chinese investor, the ShangHai Xin Yu Watch & Clock Group, to revive the brand around 2009 failed. The Numa Jeannin brand may have been created by Paul Jeannin Bourquin. Initially in the name of his son Numa Jeannin (Numa César), who only lived for one month. In the beginning, Numa used the brand name Ivy.
Olma
The Olma brand was born on January 22, 1926 and marketed pocket watches typical for that time. Its headquarters were at Rue de l'Hôpital 33 in Fleurier. As Olma manufactured almost no watch movements of its own, the brand introduced interesting innovations in the field of water resistance.
Many models are proudly adorned with the words "Wasserdicht" (waterproof). The Caravelle line, whose case back is marked by an engraved ship, well illustrates its nautical vocation in models intended for sailors and divers, such as this model with a "Compressor" type case and its internal rotating bezel.
Open to new technologies, the company began offering the first models with automatic movements as early as the mid-40s. In 1952, the SEACUP models appeared for the first time as watches that featured special water resistance using specially developed patents.
In the 50s and 60s, production was further expanded and new models were developed, such as the CARAVELLE series, which was intended to appeal particularly to sailing enthusiasts. 1968 saw the introduction of the high-quality KINGTIME series, for which Olma received a certificate of quality certification for top-class precision timekeepers from the Neuchâtel Observatory in 1978.
