Wittnauer Electro-Chron Openworked

In 1960, about a decade before the Quartz Crisis changed the face of horology forever, Bulova produced a watch that eschewed the traditional balance wheel in favor of a 360-hertz steel tuning fork, powered by electromagnets attached to a battery-powered transistor oscillator circuit. Designed by engineer Max Hetzel, the Accutron made waves. It became the first wristwatch to be precise enough to be qualified for U.S. Railroad certification, guaranteeing accuracy to about one minute per month, or roughly two seconds per day. The Accutron's success prompted Swiss brands to introduce their own versions of the technology. Universal Geneve released its first — and only — electric watch, the Unisonic, in the early 1960s. Like Universal Geneve, Wittnauer (then known mainly for its chronographs and its association with Longines) was likewise an early adopter of this new technology.  R&D on what would become Switzerland's first electric movement began in the 1940s, spearheaded by designers André Breyer and René Besson of Ébauches SA. ESA secured the patent (numbers 345611 and 346828) for its electric movement in 1959. The movements — L4750/51 —were assembled at ESA's manufacture at Landeron and used WD-5 batteries manufactured by Leclanché. Unlike its American counterparts by Bulova and Hamilton, the L4750 contained no magnets. Instead, it relied on the electric impulses produced by the contact wires reacting with the steel balance plate.  The first Wittnauer Electrics with the Landeron 4750 movements rolled off the production line at the close of 1960 and debuted at Basel in April 1961. Earlier executions of this watch are notable in that the dial reads "Electric," rather than "Electro-Chron," which is seen on later models. Thirty different brands utilized the Landeron 4750 movement, among them Benrus and Gruen. But it's the Wittnauer Electric — with its distinctive hands shaped like lightning bolts — that remain among the most collectible, relics of an era just a few short years before the introduction of the industry-changing quartz technology. This particular Electro-Chron lacks the signature handset, but gains a notable design feature in the form of a skeletonized dial that gives a view into the Landeron 4750 ticking away within. Housed in a 36 mm stainless steel case with a signed crown, a smooth bezel, and an acrylic crystal, it features a silver dial with an outer open minute track, applied 'wedge' indices, a 'sword' handset, and an inner skeletonized section. Its bracelet — which makes use of a "T"-shaped endlink with a long tail giving way to a more conventional beads-of-rice design — further helps differentiate this watch from masses of similar fare. For fans of unconventional movements; for design nerds; and for those in search of an avant-garde time-teller that still looks cool some six decades after it left the production line, this Electro-Chron is the perfect choice!