Onsa watches rough age determination by era
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. For Onsa, the history of individual watches can usually only be determined approximately. There is no known reliable, complete model chronicle or publicly accessible table that assigns serial numbers to specific production years. The following overview therefore describes likely chronological features – it is not a confirmed list of Onsa model launches.
Rough chronological orientation
| Period | Possible features of Onsa watches |
What can be deduced from this
|
|---|---|---|
| Before the 1950s | Classic, usually small cases; often manual wind; restrained dials with Arabic or Roman numerals. | Such features are consistent with many watches of that era, but do not in themselves prove a specific year of manufacture. |
| 1950s | Simple dress watches, often with slim cases and small seconds displays. Cases can be chrome-plated, gold-plated, or stainless steel. | The combination of dial design, case material, and movement can enable classification. A single feature is not enough. |
| 1960s | More variety in case shapes and dials; automatic movements and date displays become more common in wristwatches. | If the watch has an automatic movement, its caliber should be checked. However, the production date of the movement does not necessarily indicate the exact assembly year of the watch. |
| 1970s | Frequently larger or more angular cases, more striking dials, and a wider range of styles. Quartz movements are increasingly entering the watch industry. | A quartz movement may indicate a later production period, but it does not automatically date the watch to the 1970s: quartz watches were also produced later. |
| 1980s and later | Models can differ more significantly from one another; quartz technology is widespread. | For a reliable classification, reference numbers, movement markings, and case markings are particularly important. |
History of the Onsa watch manufacture from Lengnau:
ONSA
Swiss Watch Manufacture
1923 saw Hans Gilomen found this family business in Lengnau, Canton of Bern. His son Hans-Jörg joined the family company in 1943 after successfully completing his watchmaker apprenticeship.
From 1949, ONSA sponsored prizes at the "Grand Prix Bern" automobile race. During the legendary Atlantic crossing of the Mayflower II in 1957, two ONSA "Automatic Waterproof" watches were on board for a durability test. One watch defied the elements at the top of the mast through wind and weather, but the second watch had to endure a greater ordeal:
It was attached underwater to the ship's rudder. In the same year, ONSA also equipped all pilots of the Belgian airline Sabena with ONSA watches. When the Swiss extreme sportsman Hannes Keller dived to a new world record depth in Lake Maggiore in 1960, an ONSA watch was with him again: The ONSA Scaphandrier also survived this durability test at a depth of 155 meters.
1970 saw the death of Hans Gilomen. His son Hans-Jörg then took over the management of the company. He restructured the firm and was initially able to build on the successes of his father. However, the strained economic situation during the so-called Quartz Crisis forced him to concentrate his business on Europe and eventually on Switzerland. In 1989, Hans-Jörg Gilomen sold the company to Domenico Granito.
Granito, his family, and the employees of ONSA succeeded in once again conquering the European and international markets. Since 2007, MONTRES ONSA AG has been a modern company with clear structures and straightforward management.
Since the company's founding, the product range has included watches in precious gold cases, chronographs, watches with biorhythm displays, wristwatches with alarm functions, and pocket watches.
