Copied with permission from Nico's excellent site www.enicar101.com
The Sherpa Graph was the origin of Enicar's famous tool chronographs for racing, diving and flying. They were introduced in 1960, three years earlier than any other Graph variation.
Enicar made a very clever advertising move at the time and the Sherpa Graphs were widely used by important racing drivers like Sterling Moss or Jim Clark, years before Heuer famously did the same. That's why Enicar chronographs today, have such an iconic reputation.
You can see Jim Clark here wearing his iconic Sherpa Graph.
Since the Sherpa Graph was the first and was manufactured until the very end, this series has the longest manufacturing period (1960-69).
Let's look at the different versions:-
Sherpa Graph MK 1a
The first of all Sherpa Graphs appeared in the spring of 1960.
Reference Number: 1308 BaNCH
Serial Range: 272.5x- 272.9x
Case
Stainless steel EPSA compressor case with bajonet lock. 40.2mm x 49.3mm without crown, 13.5mm thickness & lug width 20mm
Bezel
The inner tachy scale of the MK 1 is only in white and has “Tachymetre Base 1000” written on it.
Tachy Base 1000 Bezel
Dial
The dial of the MK 1a was always black with white sub-dials. Some aged sub-dials can look yellowish. The Enicar logo is applied and is the older one with the letters in the middle of the saturn. Since we are at the beginning of the 60s, the dial lume is made of radium.
Sherpa Graph Mark 1a Dial
Lately, we have also seen some grey dials. It's not entirely clear if this was a real dial color you could buy or was just a faded black one.
Grey (black faded?) and black dial of MK 1a
Hands
For the MK 1a there are two different hand versions known. The most prominent one is when the minute and hour hands are formed like a sword, so called “gladius hands”. They are exclusive to the execution and contain radium lume. The other known version is with the classic paddle hands, which is also used by later executions.
The seconds hand as you can see above and below is unpainted and straight.
The sub-dial hands are unpainted and also looking like tiny leaves.
Beautiful “gladius hands”
Crown
The MK 1a has one of the older, thin compressor crowns. They are a lot smaller than the ones of the next references and are without the later Saturn logo.
An early compressor crown without the Saturn logo
Back
The back shows the cloverleaf of early Enicar watches (also seen on the MK 1b - more on that later).
Cloverleaf back
Movement
High quality and beautiful Valjoux 72 (the same movement as the iconic Paul Newman Daytona's) with rose gold finish. The Valjoux 72 is arguably the finest manual-wind chronograph movement ever.
The beautiful Valjoux 72
Sherpa Graph MK 1b
Enicar Sherpa Graph MK Ib (Source: OF-User SCR250)
The second generation of Enicar Sherpa Graph’s appeared in the winter of 1961. The main change was a second dial color and new hands.
Reference Number: 1308 BaNCH
Serial Range: 409.2xx – 409.7xx
Case
Stainless steel EPSA compressor case with bajonet lock. 40.2mm x 49.3mm without crown, 13.5mm thickness & lug width 20mm
Bezel
The inner tachy scale of the MK 1b is just found in white but with at least three different versions of lettering on the inner bezel:
1) “Tachymetre Base 1000”
2) No lettering at all other than the normal tachymetre scale
3) Just "Tachymetre"
Left: "Tachymetre" only, top right: "Tachymere Base 1000" & bottom right with no additional text
Dial
The MK 1b introduced a second dial color option, besides the known reverse panda dial seen in the MK 1a, there was also a white dial available. The Enicar logo is still the applied old version with the letters in the middle of the image of Saturn.
Since we are still at the beginning of the 1960's, the dial lume is still radium.
Sherpa Graph MK Ib dial (Source: OF-User SCR250)
White dial on the left and 'panda' version on the right
Hands
The minute and hour hand are the paddle versions, which became very famous for Enicar watches. They are not painted and have a tip at the end. The tip is longer than on later executions.
The second hand is red painted and straight.
The sub-dial hands are painted black or unpainted. The minute and hour counter hands looks like little arrows, the seconds hand is just straight.
Enicar Sherpa Graph sub hands (Source: OF-User SCR250)
Crown
The MK 1b has one of the older, thin compressor crowns, but as opposed to the 1a, it now has the image of Saturn on it. These crowns are still a lot smaller than the ones of the next references.
Enicar compressor crown with saturn
Back
The same as the 1a, the back shows the cloverleaf of early Enicar watches.
Cloverleaf back
Movement
The same as the 1a, the high quality Valjoux 72 with rose gold finish.
Sherpa Graph MK III
Enicar Sherpa Graph MK III
The Sherpa Graph Mark III with all its characteristics first appeared in 1963.
Reference Number: 072 – 02 – 01
Serial Ranges:
635.9xxx
641.xxx
835.1xx – 835.9xx
906.4xx
908.xxx
940.5xx – 941.4xx
Case
Stainless steel EPSA compressor case with bajonet lock. 40.2mm x 49.3mm without crown, 13.5mm thickness, lug width 20mm
Bezel
The inner tachy scale is found in black and grey. They all have the tachy non base style, starting the km/h scale at 300.
Tachy scale starting at 300
Dial
The most common dial version known is black paint and grey sub dials. The Enicar logo is applied and now we have updated logo with Enicar sitting below the image of Saturn. Other variants are also complete black and black with silver sub-dials
Hands
The minute and hour hands are in the paddle style which is very common for Enicar watches of the beginning and mid 60’s. They are unpainted with rectanglular tritium lume and an orange tip. The orange tip is shorter than on the earlier references.
The seconds hand is mainly unpainted with a red painted round spot right before the tip.
The sub-dial hands are unpainted and thin, sometimes they can also be painted white (as below) or black. They are also shorter than on the previous references.
Typical Enicar paddle hands for the beginning and mid-60's Note the white painted sub-dial hands.
Crown
Although the Sherpa Graph was more like a racing watch, you will find the waffle compressor crown with the Enicar Saturn on it.
Enicar compressor crown with the image of Saturn
Back
The back shows the Sherpa 300 logo with the seapearl in the middle.
Sherpa Graph MK III back “Sherpa 300”
Movement: As per the other versions, a wonderful Valjoux 72 with a golden finish.
The Sherpa Graph was the origin of Enicar's famous tool chronographs for racing, diving and flying. They were introduced in 1960, three years earlier than any other Graph variation.
Enicar made a very clever advertising move at the time and the Sherpa Graphs were widely used by important racing drivers like Sterling Moss or Jim Clark, years before Heuer famously did the same. That's why Enicar chronographs today, have such an iconic reputation.
You can see Jim Clark here wearing his iconic Sherpa Graph.
Let's look at the different versions:-
Sherpa Graph MK 1a
Reference Number: 1308 BaNCH
Serial Range: 272.5x- 272.9x
Case
Stainless steel EPSA compressor case with bajonet lock. 40.2mm x 49.3mm without crown, 13.5mm thickness & lug width 20mm
Bezel
The inner tachy scale of the MK 1 is only in white and has “Tachymetre Base 1000” written on it.
Tachy Base 1000 Bezel
The dial of the MK 1a was always black with white sub-dials. Some aged sub-dials can look yellowish. The Enicar logo is applied and is the older one with the letters in the middle of the saturn. Since we are at the beginning of the 60s, the dial lume is made of radium.
Sherpa Graph Mark 1a Dial
Grey (black faded?) and black dial of MK 1a
For the MK 1a there are two different hand versions known. The most prominent one is when the minute and hour hands are formed like a sword, so called “gladius hands”. They are exclusive to the execution and contain radium lume. The other known version is with the classic paddle hands, which is also used by later executions.
The seconds hand as you can see above and below is unpainted and straight.
The sub-dial hands are unpainted and also looking like tiny leaves.
Beautiful “gladius hands”
Crown
The MK 1a has one of the older, thin compressor crowns. They are a lot smaller than the ones of the next references and are without the later Saturn logo.
An early compressor crown without the Saturn logo
Back
The back shows the cloverleaf of early Enicar watches (also seen on the MK 1b - more on that later).
Cloverleaf back
High quality and beautiful Valjoux 72 (the same movement as the iconic Paul Newman Daytona's) with rose gold finish. The Valjoux 72 is arguably the finest manual-wind chronograph movement ever.
The beautiful Valjoux 72
Enicar Sherpa Graph MK Ib (Source: OF-User SCR250)
Reference Number: 1308 BaNCH
Serial Range: 409.2xx – 409.7xx
Case
Stainless steel EPSA compressor case with bajonet lock. 40.2mm x 49.3mm without crown, 13.5mm thickness & lug width 20mm
Bezel
The inner tachy scale of the MK 1b is just found in white but with at least three different versions of lettering on the inner bezel:
1) “Tachymetre Base 1000”
2) No lettering at all other than the normal tachymetre scale
3) Just "Tachymetre"
Left: "Tachymetre" only, top right: "Tachymere Base 1000" & bottom right with no additional text
The MK 1b introduced a second dial color option, besides the known reverse panda dial seen in the MK 1a, there was also a white dial available. The Enicar logo is still the applied old version with the letters in the middle of the image of Saturn.
Since we are still at the beginning of the 1960's, the dial lume is still radium.
Sherpa Graph MK Ib dial (Source: OF-User SCR250)
White dial on the left and 'panda' version on the right
Hands
The minute and hour hand are the paddle versions, which became very famous for Enicar watches. They are not painted and have a tip at the end. The tip is longer than on later executions.
The second hand is red painted and straight.
The sub-dial hands are painted black or unpainted. The minute and hour counter hands looks like little arrows, the seconds hand is just straight.
Enicar Sherpa Graph sub hands (Source: OF-User SCR250)
Crown
The MK 1b has one of the older, thin compressor crowns, but as opposed to the 1a, it now has the image of Saturn on it. These crowns are still a lot smaller than the ones of the next references.
Enicar compressor crown with saturn
Back
The same as the 1a, the back shows the cloverleaf of early Enicar watches.
Cloverleaf back
Movement
The same as the 1a, the high quality Valjoux 72 with rose gold finish.
Sherpa Graph MK III
Enicar Sherpa Graph MK III
The Sherpa Graph Mark III with all its characteristics first appeared in 1963.
Reference Number: 072 – 02 – 01
Serial Ranges:
635.9xxx
641.xxx
835.1xx – 835.9xx
906.4xx
908.xxx
940.5xx – 941.4xx
Case
Stainless steel EPSA compressor case with bajonet lock. 40.2mm x 49.3mm without crown, 13.5mm thickness, lug width 20mm
Bezel
The inner tachy scale is found in black and grey. They all have the tachy non base style, starting the km/h scale at 300.
Tachy scale starting at 300
Dial
The most common dial version known is black paint and grey sub dials. The Enicar logo is applied and now we have updated logo with Enicar sitting below the image of Saturn. Other variants are also complete black and black with silver sub-dials
Hands
The minute and hour hands are in the paddle style which is very common for Enicar watches of the beginning and mid 60’s. They are unpainted with rectanglular tritium lume and an orange tip. The orange tip is shorter than on the earlier references.
The seconds hand is mainly unpainted with a red painted round spot right before the tip.
The sub-dial hands are unpainted and thin, sometimes they can also be painted white (as below) or black. They are also shorter than on the previous references.
Typical Enicar paddle hands for the beginning and mid-60's Note the white painted sub-dial hands.
Although the Sherpa Graph was more like a racing watch, you will find the waffle compressor crown with the Enicar Saturn on it.
Enicar compressor crown with the image of Saturn
Back
The back shows the Sherpa 300 logo with the seapearl in the middle.
Sherpa Graph MK III back “Sherpa 300”
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