For many people in Western Europe or countries across the Atlantic Ocean, the watch named after the ocean I mentioned probably does not represent a luxury brand or a brand that dominates the market.
In fact, in my travels, I have not seen many advertisements or even stores selling the Atlantic brand in Western European countries, at least not their own representatives. This does not mean that it is not sold, but it is not as popular as other brands.
This is because, and I am just guessing, they have focused on Eastern Europe.
However, for people who lived on the wrong side of the Iron Curtain (USSR), it is a well-known and appreciated brand even today.
Nevertheless, Atlantic is not a brand to be ignored, especially if you are passionate about watches. Their mark on history is still visible today.
Beginnings: Founding and first steps for Atlantic
Eduard Kummer is the name associated with the beginnings of the Atlantic brand, albeit under a different name. He founded the company EKB (short for Eduard Kummer Bettlach) in the village of Bettlach near Grenchen.
After completing his apprenticeship and perfecting his watchmaking skills, he returned to his native village and set to work. With the support of the small community, Eduard Kummer’s vision came to life.
Thus, when he started the business in 1888, he had between 15 and 20 employees, reaching a total of 720 employees by the end of the 19th century.
In addition to his innovations in the world of horology, Eduard Kummer also contributed to the way we work today. At that time, people worked 6 days a week, 11 hours a day. In 1937, Eduard introduced 6 days of paid vacation per year. Some would call it luxury.
Returning to Atlantic Watches, EKB did not produce any models under this name until 1932. Initially, the company produced components for other brands, such as Longines and Certina.
In fact, even when they started producing their own watches (in collaboration with the Asuag Group), they were under other names, such as Ariston, Aristex, and Opus.
Atlantic name appears officially for the first time
EKB was one of the first manufacturers of water-resistant watches, also known as Divers, and this happened in 1930 when they launched such watches, which they officially named… Atlantic.
They became so popular that in 1953 EKB changed its official name to Atlantic Watch Ltd.
Thus, the company as we know it today took shape, and shortly after the name change, in 1958, Atlantic was successfully launched overseas and reached the South American market, as well as the Middle East.
It seems that the expansion was auspicious, because two years later, in 1960, an important innovation came along: the Speed Switch.
The Speed Switch allowed the date to be changed 52 times faster than normal, and this innovation attracted other watch manufacturers. So, Atlantic began to sell their innovation to others as well.
Beyond the Iron Curtain – Atlantic success
Atlantic achieved what not many Western manufacturers managed to do. In 1965, Poland became an important country for Atlantic and their watches, being the best-selling brand for three decades. Other Eastern European countries where Atlantic enjoyed success are Romania, Hungary, and Bulgaria.
Here, the watches were highly appreciated, worn by important people in the state apparatus, even becoming a form of bribe that could be used to obtain favors.
In addition to Atlantic, there were other Swiss Made brands in the Soviet bloc, such as DOXA, Tissot, and Longines.
They enjoyed real success here, but danger lurked because in 1970 the quartz crisis was knocking at the door.
Survival was becoming increasingly difficult, and other major brands in the industry were suffering. So, and this is just my opinion, Atlantic began to focus more on the markets in Eastern Europe, countries where battery-powered watches had not managed to penetrate very much.
A successful model was launched in 1970, a model that is still produced today, the Beachboy, which was a real success.
In 1988, Atlantic celebrated 100 years of existence, an impressive number, but quite common in the horology industry.
To complete the transition to the Eastern European market, the company was sold to UVB and focused exclusively on the countries of the Soviet bloc, which were soon to become independent. I was unable to find much information about UVB; in fact, I found nothing.
But that did not prevent the company from continuing its journey. As proof, Atlantic still has a strong presence in the markets of Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, and Hungary.
Modern Times
The 1990s did not bring much change for Atlantic, which remained known only in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. I have not been able to find anything noteworthy other than the fact that ZIBI, a Polish company, is involved.
Their presence on the market is constant, although their watches no longer impress anyone, and their prices rival brands such as Tissot or Certina.
The 2000s brought only birthdays, so in 2013 they are celebrating 125 years by launching limited edition watches. Nothing remarkable. A gold Worldmaster model.
In 2018, they celebrate 130 years since their founding and launch a limited edition Worldmaster 1888-130 years watch in two versions, automatic and mechanical.
2020 is the year Beachboy is revived, and for a brief moment, I wanted one too. I gave up on the idea pretty quickly.
Then they focused on what many companies do, launching limited editions upon limited editions. But nothing impressive from my point of view.
In 2021, taking advantage of the passion of vintage watch collectors, Atlantic launched the Timeroy collection, with a design inspired by the 1970s.
In 2023, Atlantic will celebrate its 135th anniversary. It seems that they do this every five years and once again launch limited editions.
It is worth mentioning, if it matters to anyone, that in 2008 the company moved its headquarters to Lengnau near Bienna, in the canton of Solothurn, probably to be closer to Omega.
Atlantic is one of the few watch manufacturers that maintains its position as an independent manufacturer, although it does not manufacture its own movements. Most of its watches are equipped with movements produced by ETA or Valjoux.
Atlantic’s Presence in the World
According to its website, Atlantic watches are sold on every continent. With a presence in countries such as:
USA, Australia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Iran, India, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Norway, Poland, Kazakhstan, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, Vietnam, and, of course, Switzerland.
But don’t be surprised if you haven’t heard of the brand; I’ve met Swiss people who had no idea about Atlantic.
Memorable Watches
The best known, and probably the best-selling model produced by Atlantic is the Worldmaster. But their collection also includes models such as:
- Seawawe
- Seacloud
- Timeroy
- Seaflight
- Seacrest
- Seahunter
- Seapair
- Sealine
- Seagold—which are made of gold
But also models for women. Their collection includes models such as Super De Luxe, Elegance, Seapair Ladies, Seabase Ladies, and Sealine Ladies.
Atlantic watches come in different shapes and types, chronograph, moon phase, manual, automatic, or even quartz.
I would have liked to say that Atlantic is an important name that has been forgotten, but that is not the case. Many of their models are inspired by larger manufacturers, even though they are older than some of them. I can’t say that the quality is bad, but it doesn’t compare to Longines, for example.
Therefore, many people don’t know about Atlantic, and I probably wouldn’t have known much about them either if I weren’t from Romania, where their watches were successful. And they still are…
Nevertheless, it remains an old brand that had immense potential, but, as the saying goes in Romania: “Was born a talent and died a hope”
