# Onsa



## Always"watching" (Sep 21, 2013)

I apologise to lady members and guests who might have been reading my regular topics about watches designed for ladies. Well, here I give you a topic which is just as relevant to men, and is concerned with a rather interesting watch company that I had never heard of until I bought this watch.

Some time ago, I came across something a little different - well, in my eyes. And that was a lady's automatic watch with a small-medium face. The watch is fairly plain, with a seconds dial at the 6 o'clock position, and a plain leather strap, but what intrigued me was how amazing it is that a company can fit an automatic movement into a small space, given that some space will be dedicated to the rotor that powers the movement.

You will see from my pictures that the watch says "SWISS MADE" on the back and no country of origin on the face. Also, there is no indication given that this is a jewelled movement, although it does claim to be antimagnetic, waterproof and with an incabloc shock absorber. Here are pictures front and back of my watch.The case diameter is 24.5mm across, with the actual gold coloured face being rather smaller than the case diameter. The company name, Onsa, above the word "AUTOMATIC" only appears on the face:



















When I looked at the name, Onsa, on the watch, I thought I would be lucky to find any history on whoever made this watch. However, I was wrong and so I will just give a few historical notes on Onsa for those who are interested in this fascinating company.

Onsa watches was a Swiss watch company founded in 1923 by Hans Gilomen in lengau, but it was not until after the war that the company really began to spread it's wings, with links to motorsport and navigation. Indeed, the company became known for advertising it's products by means of endurance feats, and in 1957, on the Mayflower II trip, the company had two of it's clocks attached to the ship - one at the top of a mast, and one attached to the rudder, below the waterline. The clock on the mast survived the trip but the rudder clock did not - hardly surprising perhaps. Although a little later, a feat of 155 feet deep in water was achieved by an Onsa watch. In the air, Onsa was present as well, with all Belgian airline pilots being issued with Onsa watches from 1957.

The company continued production but ultimately was badly affected by the "quartz crisis". In 1970 Hans Gilomen died and his son, Hans Jorg Gilomen, took over and restructured the company. Onsa, howsever, was gradually contracting due to the influx on to the market of cheap quartz watches, and from trying to focus only on Europe, the firm was soon becoming marketed only in Switzerland. Finally, Hans Jorg sold Onsa to Domenico Granito, and thus ended the quirkiness of the Onsa watch company.

Domenico Granito, his family and friends did, however save the company, and since 2007, with a newly modernised and rational management and structure, the company is trying to make a proper international comeback. The new company logo is as follows:










I do not know where Onsa rates in the hierarchy of how good their watches really were and are but no doubt a knowledgeable member will be able to fill in this gap.


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## dobra (Aug 20, 2009)

Only three employees though?

Mike


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## Big Bad Boris (Dec 3, 2010)

> I do not know where Onsa rates in the hierarchy of how good their watches really were.


There probably isn't a definitive Onsa to that

:blush2:


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## Always"watching" (Sep 21, 2013)

Good one, big bad Boris :lol:

Thanks for that little note about the number of employees, Mike (Dobra). It clearly indicated that ONSA is no longer a functioning manufacturer of anything and may even just be a sort of holding company or a firm that exists just to keep the brand name in existence. It's sad when that sort of thing happens and we lose another interesting firm. Clearly then, Domenico Granito did not succeed in maintaining the company Onsa as a functioning watch company.


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