Onsa - Unknown - Sans prix de réserve - Homme - 1970-1979

Nice Steel Automatic Onsa Watch from the 1970s

Hans Gilomen, a master watchmaker, founded Onsa AG in 1923 in the small town of Lengnau in the Canton of Bern, Switzerland. At the time, the company operated as a typical Swiss family business, but thanks to continuous growth and strong craftsmanship, it steadily built a solid reputation.

Twenty years later, in 1943, after successfully completing his master watchmaker examination, Gilomen’s son Hans-Jörg joined the company. Under his leadership, Onsa reached the peak of its development and international recognition. From this period onward, greater emphasis was placed on brand building and marketing communication, ensuring that the ONSA name became known and respected both in Europe and overseas.

From 1949, Onsa became the main sponsor of the Bern Grand Prix in the world of motor racing. In 1957, during the famous Atlantic crossing of the Mayflower II, the ship was equipped with two Onsa watches, one of which had to perform flawlessly under extreme weather conditions, while the other operated underwater during the voyage. From the same year onward, all pilots of the Belgian airline SABENA wore Onsa watches. In 1960, the renowned Swiss diver and Renaissance figure Hannes Keller relied on an Onsa Scaphandrier during his world-record deep dive in Lago Maggiore.

After Hans Gilomen’s death in 1970, Hans-Jörg became the sole head of the company. He reorganized the firm, but with the arrival of the quartz crisis, Onsa was eventually forced to scale down operations and focus mainly on the Swiss and European markets. Despite these challenges, Onsa proved to be one of the great survivors of the Swiss watch industry, even though the Gilomen family finally sold the company in 1989, bringing a 65-year family chapter to an end.

Offered here is a nice steel automatic Onsa watch from the 1970s. It features a very attractive full stainless steel case, a clean and appealing dial, and a nice fabric strap. The watch is working properly. The case size is 36 mm measured without the crown.