Forgotten watch brands...Adanac, Berna, Britscar, Comthor, Epperlein, Golana, Jardena, Kasper, Lora, Musette, Prestige, Nitella, Pionca, Relay, Exa, Thermidor, Udson, Vympel, Zedon Geneve, Ruhla....No I hadn't heard of any of them either. And there are many, many more. How wonderful is that ?
Ever wonder what happened to the brands that didn’t make it to the Hollywood red carpet? Welcome to the wonderful, obscure world of "ghost" Swiss watches.
Before the "Quartz Crisis" hit the industry in the 1970s, hundreds of quirky brands were churning out wrist-candy. So why did they die out ? Well there's a question. Poor management, low sales, the quartz battery, lack of investment...they weren't the big dogs like Rolex or Cartier.
Hunting for these defunct beauties is like a treasure hunt where the map is written in faded tritium. There are less obscure brands which have sadly died out like Gruen, Lemania, Elgin, MuDu or the highly regarded Cortebert. These horological echoes are still stylish, affordable, and carry a certain "if you know, you know" swagger. And that's what vintage should be all about.
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