Skip to content
Vintage 1960s Enicar Ultrasonic Swiss 17J Manual Wind Watch Ref 57-1-10 Stainless 31mm Needs Stem — view 1 of 4
View 1 of 4 · Image: Sphere Auctions LLC / LiveAuctioneers · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Vintage 1960s Enicar Ultrasonic Swiss 17J Manual Wind Watch Ref 57-1-10 Stainless 31mm Needs Stem

DocumentedDocumented from an auction catalogue; attribution as stated by the auction house.
Maker / attribution
Enicar (maker)
Date
1960s
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
Lot
Item 232890703
Credit line
Auction lot record: lot 225, EXCLUSIVE WATCHES AND POCKET WATCHES 11, Sphere Auctions LLC (2026), via LiveAuctioneers
Catalogue title (original)
Vintage 1960s Enicar Ultrasonic Swiss 17J Manual Wind Watch Ref 57-1-10 Stainless 31mm Needs Stem (English)

View the source record (auction lot) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction

Record summary

Catalogued by LiveAuctioneers auction archive (lot Item 232890703), this is a wristwatch by Enicar, made in Switzerland, dated 1960s. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. The record is illustrated with 4 photographs.

Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.

Catalogue description

Lot description — Sphere Auctions LLC

Up for sale is a vintage circa 1960s Enicar Ultrasonic men's manual-wind wristwatch. The dial is signed "Enicar / Ultrasonic / 17 Jewels / Waterproof / Incabloc" with applied baton hour indices and slim sword hands. The movement is signed "Seventeen 17 Jewels / Enicar Watch Co. / Swiss / Unadjusted." The stainless steel screw-back case is stamped with the Enicar orbit logo and "Waterproof / Shock Protected / Made and Cased in Switzerland / Stainless Steel Back / Antimagnetic / Ref. 57-1-10 / MS." Case measures approximately 31mm. A black leather strap is included. The watch runs but needs a stem and crown.Enicar is a well-regarded Swiss independent known for producing quality manual and automatic movements across a range of sport and dress references during the 1950s through 1970s, with a growing following among collectors of lesser-known Swiss vintage pieces. Sold in its current condition.That is a mechanical watch. Watch may run at time of listing. We do not guarantee extended runtime or accuracy.

Historical context

Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)

Tool watches for divers, pilots and astronauts; electric watches anticipate the electronic age.

The classic era of the mechanical wristwatch: dive watches, chronographs for motor racing and space flight, GMT watches for jet travel, slim dress watches, automatic calendars, and the rise of Japanese manufacturers alongside Swiss, American, German and Soviet industries.

Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking

Atlas type guide

Wristwatches

Bracelet watches were worn by women from the early nineteenth century — Breguet made one for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810–12 — but the wristwatch only became a man's instrument with military use and aviation in the early twentieth century. Between the World Wars it overtook the pocket watch; the 1920s and 1930s brought rectangular Art Deco cases, water-resistant cases and the first automatic winding systems.

After 1945 the wristwatch became a carrier of identity — dress watches, sports and dive watches, chronographs, calendars — produced by Swiss, American, Japanese, German, Soviet and Chinese industries. The quartz revolution after 1969 and the mechanical renaissance since the 1990s, including the rise of independent watchmakers, complete the story.

What to look for

  • The reference number (between the lugs or inside the case back) and serial number, the starting point for dating.
  • The calibre: its maker and number are often stamped under the dial or on the bridge.
  • Originality of dial, hands and crown — refinished ('redial') dials are common.
  • Case material marks: 18K/750, 14K/585, stainless steel, gold-filled, plated.

Dating clues

  • Wire-lug cases: before c. 1925.
  • Water-resistant screw-down cases: from 1926.
  • Quartz movements: from 1969; sapphire crystals widespread after c. 1980.

General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.

Read next:Detached lever escapementIdentification Centre

Related records