Big Eye - Soccer Timer

[SteveHarris]

This is a pretty rare one:-

Enicar big eye Lausanne eddy Merckx | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Enicar big eye Lausanne eddy Merckx at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

This is rare as it has an amended movement to provide a 45 minute counter for timing football matches rather than the usual 30 minutes for the Big Eye. Dial and hands aren't in the best condition unfortunately.

I'm not sure on the thought process of providing a spare dial with a 30 minute counter rather than 45, so it might be worth checking that the chrono actually runs to 45 and not 30 if you're seriously interested. Polished case is correct before anybody asks

 

[jbcollier]

What is behind the reference to Eddy Merckx (aka the Cannibal)? Sweet Mother of Pearl, if it was actually his watch, this is going to go very high indeed!

 

[SteveHarris]

I think he's just chucking out names. Eddy Merckx didn't have a connection to Enicar (as far as we know). There's a bit on Martijn's site about this here - https://enicar.org/2020/04/28/the-enicar-lausanne-chronograph/

It seems only logical to name the chronograph in the advert after the iconic cycling champ Eddy Merckx, right? The truth is that Merckx was never contracted by Enicar to endorse the brand. He was spotted with Enicar advertisements behind him during the press conference before the Lausanne event, but he was nothing more than a contestant in a race where Enicar was the official timekeeper. In fact, Eddy Merckx was an ambassador for another watch brand: Rodania (thanks for your research Martin Klocke).

 

[hurmen]

Here's the advert Martijn refers to in the article.
Looks to me like a cycling fan collected cycling celebrities' signatures at the event in Lausanne.
So the 'connection' between Eddy Merckx and Enicar is simply the fact that Mr. Merckx was at the event and signed the paper.
And that's what started the myth ...