Glycine used extensively in commercial and military aviation. Glycine used during World War II by the German army for its land forces and United States Air Force pilots during the Vietnam War and astronaut Pete Conrad during the Gemini 5 and Gemini 11 spaceflights.
The design allowed servicemen to simultaneously know the time at home and the local time while in combat. The Airman featured a date function, as well as a 24-hour dial and engraved, rotating 24-hour bezel with locking mechanism that allowed capability to tell time in two different time zones. Shortly after its military success.
In 1914
Swiss watchmaker founded in 1914 by Eugène Meylan in Biel/Bienne, the manufacturing and headquarters at Switzerland.
In 1930
Glycine released the first mass-produced automatic watches
In 1942
Glycine owner Ferdinand Engel died and the company was turned over to Charles Hertig of the Altus Watch Company
Glycine’s in-house movement was acquired by ASUAG
In 1959
Glycine developed vacuum-sealed cases, allowing for more durable and water-resistant timepieces by Hans Ulrich Klingenberg, working for them
in 1963
Altus and Glycine merge
In 1980
Through a series of mergers, ASUAG will become part of The Swatch Group to join elite group including Omega, Longines, and Hamilton
In 1984
Hans Brechbühler, a businessman in the watch industry, purchased Glycine and join by his daughter Katharina.
In 2000
The father-and-daughter duo released the Airman 7 designed for pilots in the United States. it was the first watch available with four time zones of the contiguous United States.
In 2005
Katharina assumed sole control of Glycine.
In 2010
After Hans Brechbühler died in 2010 Katharina sold Glycine to Altus Uhren Holding AG andshe remained with the company to supervise design.
Altus, Glycine re-released the Airman in its original 36 millimeter case size as the Airman No. 1 and released a 60th anniversary Airman AM/PM model.
In 2016
Invicta Watch Group purchased Glycine
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