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Joel Pynson
April 2025
- Gyroplan
1934
Marvin filed these designs, in which the hands are replaced by discs, in 1933 and launched them in 1934. The Gyroplan was available in many versions: rectangular watches, round ladies' watches, and even pocket watches, but curiously, Marvin only promoted it for a very short period of time.
- Aviator watch
Watches designed specifically for aviators appeared in Switzerland in the mid-1930s, produced by Helvétia, Breitling, and Léonidas. They met specific requirements: oversized case, black dial, large luminescent hour markers and hands, ring-shaped lugs for an oversized leather strap, and often a rotating bezel with an index for measuring flight time.
Although Marvin called it an "calotte aviateur," the watch presented by the company in 1937 did not have all of these features: the case was oversized, the dial was black, and the numerals and hands were luminescent, but the lugs were straight and there was no rotating bezel.
- The tire watch
This curious little watch, surrounded by a rubber circle shaped like a tire, was launched in 1939. The 10.5-line movement is visible from the back thanks to a transparent case back. At the time of its launch, it was a somewhat anecdotal model, without any real success.
But in the early 1950s, Marvin decided to launch an advertising campaign, led by Georges Caspari's agency, linking the tire watch, transformed into a key ring for ignition keys, to the world of automobiles [20]. The success was immediate, and the tire watch was produced in many different versions: different colors, a calendar model, a desk stand, and even a version where the tire was replaced by a small buoy for sailors.
1955
1955
1958
- Motorist
The Marvin Motorist is a watch with an extremely curved case, designed to be worn on the side of the wrist for easy reading while driving.
It was launched by Marvin in 1938.
1938
1958
With the success of the tire watch, the Motorist model was relaunched in the late 1950s.
- The Luciole (Fireflies)
The Luciole is a watch with a transparent section around the edge of the dial. This section features the hour markers, which are luminescent. The back is also transparent.
1941
1947
The first ones appeared in 1940, and there are many versions: pocket watches, round and square wristwatches, and even pendulum clocks. Production was limited during World War II due to difficulties in sourcing luminescent materials, but resumed afterwards.
- Autodate
1949
This is Marvin's first calendar watch, equipped with the Marvin 520 hand-wound caliber. It was launched in 1949. The date is indicated by a hand, while the day and month are displayed in windows. Adjustments are made using small pushers embedded in the case.
- Centenaire
1950
During Marvin's centenary in 1950, several models were created with the words " Centenaire" (centenary) on the dial. These were automatic watches, manual-winding watches, or calendar watches, all water-resistant, but even though some of these watches came with a chronometer certificate, it does not appear that they had a specific design.
- Flying Dutchman
1958
1959
Marvin's iconic model, the Flying Dutchman, is a fine example of the beautiful Swiss watches of the 1950s. It was available in multiple versions in steel and gold, with or without a date display, including models for women. However, it was only produced for a relatively short period of time, being replaced by flatter models in the early 1960s.
- Victory chronometer
It was initially the name given to manual-winding watches equipped with the Marvin 515 caliber, which was only 2.75 mm thick and came with a chronometer certificate.
The name was then extended to automatic watches with date, still with chronometer certification.
1965
1968
[19] FOSC 2000
[20] Journal Suisse d’Horlogerie, 1955, 9-10, pp. 386-387
Notes:
About Time To Tell: Time To Tell has one of the largest private digitized databases on the history of Swiss watchmaking, with over 2.3 TB of data on more than 1,000 Swiss watch manufacturers. This database has been built up over a period of around 30 years and continues to be updated with around 50 to 100 GB of data each year. The database consists of historical documents, mainly Swiss trade journals, dating from the late 19th century to the late 20th century. Most of these documents are not available on the Internet. The historical articles published on the time2tell.com website always cite the sources used.
Time To Tell is a private company, independent of any watch manufacturer.
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