Valjoux 92 Chronograph

CaptainCrunch

New member
Hi all! I'm new to the forum and was hoping to find some information about the authenticity of a purchase I made recently...

In the photos you can see my new project, an (allegedly) Enicar branded watch with a Valjoux 92. I started watchmaking about a year ago and really wanted to work on a chronograph. The price seemed decent for a watch with a column wheel movement that looks to be in good shape. I do have some concerns about authenticity and the case has definitely seen better days.

I did a little bit of research to try and figure out if this watch was built by Enicar. It seems like there may have been a period in the 50's where the Valjoux 92 was being built and Enicar wasn't yet placing their Saturn logo on the dials. I'm not sure, however, and would love to get your input on this. The dial seems rather generic and I can find other chronograph watches with very similar-looking ones; albeit with different branding. It was listed as a triple-signed watch, though the case back looks a bit out of place and I wonder if it's a later addition.

Anyway, I will give this movement a service since it's not running all that well. The amplitude is low (~150 degrees) and the watch is gaining a lot (>2 minutes/day). The hairspring looks a bit lopsided and I hope the gain is just caused by some dried-up oil in its coils.

I would appreciate any information on the authenticity of this watch. Real or not (or Frankenwatch?), I think it's pretty and will benefit from a service and some cosmetic work on the case (will try my luck with electroplating...).

Edit: For some reason, it only lets me show the photos of the case back in the post. The photos of the dial and movement are just pasted as links:

View attachment Enicar_front_456456.jpg
View attachment Enicar_back-1.jpg
2119
2120
 

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jbcollier

Member
Enicaristi
Sherpa
I'm 100% not an expert on these things but...

I would say that the watch is too old to have a Val.92 movement. The dial and hands look in the 40s-early 50s to me. I have similar Enicar chronos, an early one with Val.23 and a later one with a Val.92. Both have the Enicar in Saturn logo. Your back looks newer as well.

Still a very nice watch. I think the telemeter is very useful dial addition.
 
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CaptainCrunch

New member
Thanks for the reply, jbcollier. I agree, there seems to be an anachronism between dial/hands and the movement. Removal of the balance assembly confirmed that it is a Valjoux 92, so I wonder how that came to be... Has anyone seen Enicar dials without the Saturn logo?

Here's a photo of the disassembled movement:
View attachment Enicar_Val92_disassembled-4178.jpg
There was some moisture ingress and rust, unfortunately. It scraped off relatively easily though, leaving some of the parts slightly tarnished. I'm hoping I won't have to replace them to get it running well. I'm waiting for the arrival of my mainspring winder before reassembling/oiling the movement.

Valjoux 92 signature:
2141
 

jbcollier

Member
Enicaristi
Sherpa
Oh, it's definitely a Val.92. You can tell that by just looking. The bridge has rounded corners all round.

Early Enicar watches did not have the "Enicar in Saturn" logo. They just had "Enicar" on the dial like yours. When did it change? Hmm, not my area of expertise, I "think" in the 40s. Enicar at times offered watches with different logos at the same time. The "Enicar in Saturn" logo and the "Saturn over Enicar" logo overlapped in the late 50s and early 60s.

In my inexpert opinion, your dial and case look to be early while the back and movement look to be later. Not unusual, movements wear or get damaged. These chronos are not waterproof in the least little bit. When I had my Val.23 version overhauled, my watchmaker said not to wear it outside if there was even one cloud in the sky!
 

hurmen

Member
Enicaristi
Sherpa
I see EZR stamped on the balance cock. That is the US import code for movements exported by Enicar SA.
 
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