Uncovering obscure Swiss vintage brands seems to be a recurring theme of recent Set Back in Time discussions. This post is no exception. One of the group recently uncovered this Technos Goldshield wristwatch dating from the 1960s. It is powered by a high-grade ETA 2391 21-jewel hand-winding movement and has a distinctive dial. However, none of us had heard of the Technos brand, so we decided to do some research. Below is what we have uncovered.
A brief history of Technos
The origins of the Technos brand lie in Welschenrohr (French: Rosières) in the canton of Solothurn. It was here that the Gunzinger family began to make their mark on the watchmaking industry. In 1900, Melchior Gunzinger established a watchmaking workshop, operating under the name M. Gunzinger-Hug. There is no contemporary advertising, but it can be assumed that Melchoir’s business involved assembling pocket watches from the ébauches manufacturer A. Schild. In 1918, Mechior’s son, Joseph (aka Josef) Gunzinger (1892 to 1970), joined the business. They began operating under the name Gunzinger & Fils (Technos at Chronopedia).
The company changed its name again in 1920, when it became Gunzinger Frères SA (Gunzinger Bros Ltd), suggesting that perhaps Melchoir had retired and one of Joseph’s brothers joined the business. It is not known when they first began using the Technos trademark. However, according to Mikrolisk, the Technos trademark was registered to Gunzinger Frères SA and Technos SA in 1924. The Technos Goldshield trademark was registered in 1962 (Gunzinger Bros Ltd at Wikipedia).
The Gunzinger family coat of arms began appearing on some advertisements in the late 1950s and also on the case back logo. The advertising stated, “Since 1745, the name Gunzinger has been synonymous with quality time pieces”. This was no doubt a piece of marketing spin. The family coat of arms may have dated back to 1745. Apparently, Urs Gunzinger (1723 – 1782) was a clockmaker in Welschenrohr. His “famous” wall clock, the “Welschenrohrer Zyt”, dating from 1745, is on display at the Welschenrohr Watch Museum. Perhaps this is the 1745 link?
Mid 20th century
Technos watches from the 1940s combined classic styling with dependable construction. Many models featured shock protection and some offered limited water resistance, although complications were largely absent. Around 1948, Technos introduced its first automatic watches. In the 1950s, Technos began to expand its range. In 1952, Technos launched watches equipped with a chronograph stop-seconds function. By 1957, the catalogue had grown to include automatic watches with date displays, alarm watches and water-resistant models fitted with monobloc cases.
The Technos brand became popular in the South American and Asian markets. In 1956, the Brazilian businessman, Centauro Importadora, from Rio Grande do Sul, began importing Technos watches. This company later became known as Technos Relógios S.A.
Restructuring
The Swiss watch industry underwent major structural changes towards the end of the 1960s. Following the abolition of the Swiss watchmaking statute and the move towards a more competitive market, industry organisations, including ASUAG and the Fédération Horlogère, encouraged consolidation among manufacturers. As part of this process, ASUAG established General Watch Holding in 1971, bringing together several well-known brands, including Certina, Edox, Eterna, Mido, Oris, Rado and Technos under a single corporate group.
In 1977, Technos introduced its first quartz watches. However, the “Quartz Crisis” had already weakened the Swiss watchmaking industry. In 1978, Technos merged with Montres Edox SA, and Certina joined the group in 1981. These moves reflected a wider trend within Swiss watchmaking, as many manufacturers combined resources to survive increasingly difficult market conditions. The ownership of Technos changed again in 1982 when the brand was sold to the Japanese distributor, Heiwado & Co. More than a decade later, in 1995, Technos passed into the hands of the Brazilian company Technos Relógios S.A., which continues to develop and market the brand, particularly in South America (Heiwado & Co. at Wikipedia).
Notable models
Technos entered the professional diving watch market in 1962 with the introduction of the Deep Diver, a manually wound model rated to 200 metres. Two years later, the company released the Sky Diver, an automatic diver’s watch with a water resistance rating of 300 metres. Other notable model names from the period included the Pioneer (1938), Sky Diver (1962), Atomium (1958), Star Chief, The King (1963), Sky Eagle (1969), Sky Light, Supercron, Precision, Black Panther and Deep Diver (dates indicate trademarks as per Mikrolisk).
Technos watches at Chrono24.
ETA 2391 movement
The ETA 2391 is a reliable Swiss manual-wind (hand-wound) watch movement in production from the 1950s into the 1960s. According to Ranfft, this ETA movement includes 21 jewels, a frequency of 18,000 vph, Incabloc shock protection and a power reserve of 47 hours.
Case and dial
The watch is a very wearable size at 36.5mm in diameter, excluding the signed Technos winding crown and the lugs. The gold-plated case remains in good condition, with only minor wear to the plating on the crown. Despite this, the Technos “T” logo on the crown remains clearly visible. The stainless-steel screw-down case back features the Technos 1745 shield emblem, a common feature on Technos watches. The acrylic crystal has a few scratches that are evident in the photos, but overall, it is very acceptable for a piece from the 1960s. The signed dial retains its original finish and is fitted with its original hands and applied shield logo positioned below the centre. The vertically striped dial is an uncommon variation and gives the watch a distinctive character that stands out from plainer, more conventional designs. The watch includes a new brown leather strap.
Summary
Researching the Technos brand was a real challenge for the Set Back in Time team. Like many Swiss watchmaking firms, they suffered at the hands of the Quartz Crisis. Effectively, the original company collapsed and barely survived due to mergers. This was all pre-internet days, so paper records don’t really exist. Much of what we uncovered was unsourced and largely educated guesswork based on hearsay from online forums. Hopefully, we have produced a semi-accurate picture of the history of the Technos brand before the Quartz Crisis. We welcome comments and corrections below.
Related content
Modern Technos website – Brazil.
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