Glycine сағаты: Швейцариялық дәлдік пен авиация тарихы

Swiss watch manufacturer

Glycine Watch SA, or simply Glycine (/audio=En us Glycine. ogg///'/ɡ//l//aɪ//s//iː//n/), is a Swiss watchmaker founded in 1914 in Biel/Bienne (BE), Switzerland, where its manufacturing and headquarters remain today. In 1930, Glycine released the first mass produced automatic watches, and in 1959, it developed vacuum sealed cases, allowing for more durable and water resistant timepieces. The Glycine Airman, the first watch capable of tracking two 24 hour time zones, has been used extensively in commercial and military aviation, as well as in spaceflights; notable examples include its use by United States Air Force pilots during the Vietnam War and astronaut Pete Conrad during the Gemini 5 and Gemini 11 spaceflights.

Eugène Meylan was born in 1891 in Le Chenit, Switzerland, and attended watchmaking school at School Of Arts Appliqués (Ecole d'arts appliqués) in La Chaux de Fonds from 1910 to 1911. Meylan was noted to be a gifted student, receiving top rating for a watch he submitted to the COSC while a student. In 1914, at age 23, Meylan established his watch company La Glycine in Biel/Bienne. and women's watches that were known for their interchangeable components, allowing them to be serviced more easily than the competition. In 1922, the company and its factory were sold to Pretto Watch Company owner Ferdinand Engel and watchmaker George Flury and was renamed Fabrique d’Horlogerie La Glycine.

[[File:Meylan patent automatic watch module CH 149137. webp|alt=Illustration attached to Meylan's automatic module patent|thumb|upright=0.6|Illustration attached to Meylan's automatic module patent

thumb|upright|U. S. Air Force pilot during the Vietnam War wearing a Glycine Airman
The Airman debuted in 1953 and was designed by Glycine with full consultation from the U. S. Air Force and made available at exchange stores on military bases. Its design allowed servicemen to simultaneously know the time at home and the local time while in combat. Shortly after its military success, the Airman obtained civilian success with the emergence of commercial intercontinental flights, as jet setters sought a watch able to simultaneously tell home time and destination time.

In most languages, glycine refers to an amino acid; the watch company is named for the Wisteria genus of plant, known as fleur de Glycine in French. Katharina Brechbühler, owner of Glycine in the 2000s, claims the company's name is a result of its founding during the Jugendstil period, when plant inspired motifs and floral designs were in fashion. Fleur de Glycine was chosen due to its vining growth structure found in a multitude of conditions, similar to Glycine watches, designed to tolerate a multitude of harsh conditions like diving and outer space. The plant flourishes without much care, like the reliable watches Glycine has strived to produce throughout its history. despite this, Glycine returned to its original crown logo without wings later that year.