Our History

INCEPTION

Since its founding in 1914 by the ingenious Eugène Meylan, the professional production in Biel/Bienne, has enabled Glycine to offer the finest timepieces in Swiss craftsmanship. Initially specializing in miniature movements, clad in precious gold, gems, and platinum cases for women, the brand soon embraced the gentlemen’s watch, becoming a favorite among the British and American jet-set.

As the Glycine profile expanded and heightened, so too did the horological inventions by Meylan: Most notably, the EMSA module. Patented in 1931, the EMSA transformed the normal hand-wound watch into an automatic charge. This engineering meant that the time could just be set, and the EMSA advancement became a standard that literally altered the experience of time itself.

The Airman Takes Flight, 1953

In 1953, at the request of British pilot and commander, Chat Brown, Glycine pioneered the design for the first “Airman” watch. The Airman immediately garnered icon status as it was the first to introduce multiple time-zone watches. Following this landmark creation, Glycine has developed multiple generations and in 1965, on the spacesuit of NASA astronaut, Pete Conrad, the Airman successfully traveled to outer space and back home for the Gemini 5 flight.

Glycine Airman in space, 1965

Glycine reached outer space in 1965 with Charles (Pete) Conrad when he was appointed as an astronaut for the Gemini 5 spaceflight. Conrad was an avid Glycine Airman aficionado, his passion for the watch beginning during his tenure as a test pilot in the U.S. Air Force. During the Gemini 5 mission, he and Gordon Cooper set a new space endurance record of 7 days, 22 hours, 55 minutes and 14 seconds (surpassing the 5-day record of the Soviets). Among the watches worn by Conrad during the mission was a Glycine Airman.

Upon landing and returning from the mission, when recovered by the USS Lake Champlain aircraft carrier on August 29, 1965, Conrad still had the Airman strapped onto his space suit. The journey of the Airman to space and its return to Earth attests to the watch’s resilience and ability to withstand significant amounts of pressure, while remaining intact.

The Crown Logo & Glycine Combat, 1967

Glycine started using the new crown logo we know today from 1965 onwards. By 1967, most Glycine watches were marked with the new crown logo. 1967 was also the year when efforts were made to honor the people of the land, similar to how the Airman saluted the pilots of the skies. Glycine launched a new collection, “Combat”- designed, manufactured and promoted for the military and sports realms. The collection uses the same seconds hacking mechanism with a pin on the 12 o'clock position and is the second oldest collection line of Glycine after Airman. Using an EPSA Compressor case, Combat began a new era for Glycine.

A TIMELESS HERITAGE

While the development of the Airman is certainly a hallmark moment of achievement for the brand, with early appearances at Basel and the World’s Fair, excellence and ingenuity have always been at the fore. More than 100 years after the creation of his first Glycine watch, Meylan's spirit lives on. With its acquisition by Invicta Watch Group in 2016, Glycine is now, more than ever, positioned to expand, creating distinctive timepieces predicated upon the unique vision established by Meylan. The prestige continues, making modern history with a range of new, timeless traditions.

Rugged, reliable, expert, precise- we welcome you to test the atmosphere, engage and take the Glycine journey.