Welcome to Glycine-Watch

Established in Bienne, Switzerland in 1914, Glycine has maintained through the years a select line of timepieces, based on the strong foundations of the brand and reflecting their times.

We stand for a combination of tradition and trend, for the classic art of watchmaking and modern design.

Our rich assortment of exquisite mechanical watches, featuring outstanding large-diameter cases, has made its way around the world.

As a pioneer in the field of world time watches since 1953, Glycine has continuously developed its AIRMAN line and today offers a smart selection of aviator watches to professionals and amateurs.

Through the quality of our products and a reliable network of after-sale service, we at Glycine are continuing a ninety-year tradition of excellence in the art of watchmaking.

The Beginning: The history of a passion

Since its founding by Eugène Meylan in 1914, Glycine has been producing watches at its factory in Bienne, Switzerland.

Meylan was an uncompromising watch engineer who strove for perfection and nothing less. He had a profound understanding of both the market demands and the possibilities offered by the technological advances of the time. Very soon, he succeeded in producing extremely precise, small movements for ladies watches, enabling Glycine to put on the market the finest miniature movements, clad in precious gold and platinum cases, often studded with diamonds.

Glycine became a supplier to the wealthy people who valued highly these works of fine craftsmanship. However, Meylan did not stop there. Around 1931, he presented to the world market a well-functioning self-winding watch, entirely of his own invention, a sensational performance that, for lack of capital, could not be exploited commercially. Some of these GLYCINE Eugène Meylan SA self-winding watches can still be found in the collectors' market.

The year 1934 saw the launch of a chronometer range, a line of watches passing the exacting tests of the Official Swiss Quality Control. The depression years of the 30s and the approaching world war took a heavy toll on the company as Switzerland was cut off from nearly all its traditional export markets.

Yet Glycine survived and even managed to be one of only 29 exhibitors at the Basel Fair in 1938, an annual event the firm has not missed since.