The Watch Files

07 Eugène Meylan Should Be Remembered For Glycine's Automatic Watch

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On June 9, 1931, watchmaker Eugène Meylan registered a new company, Automatic EMSA, to exploit his latest innovation, a central-rotor automatic winding mechanism that could be paired with nearly any small round movement. This would catapult Glycine, the company Meylan founded as a young man, to prominence with the first mass-market automatic watch. But the story of Meylan's life is much more compelling and tragic, and reveals a great deal about the history of watchmaking in the first half of the 20th century. Today we are celebrating the accomplishments of Eugène Meylan and considering his life, which was tragically cut short in 1955.

This episode is divided into three 15 minute segments:

  1. Promising young watchmaker Eugène Meylan founds La Glycine but is soon forced out
  2. Meylan's self-winding mechanism makes Glycine's Automatic the envy of the industry
  3. The tragic story of Meylan's life and untimely death

    4. More Information:

    • Glycintennial.com
    • Eugène Meylan, Glycine, and the Fight Over the First Automatic Watch
    • Ranfft Pink Pages: Glycine Eugene Meylan
      • ...more
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