AVIA Watch Company

AVIA Watches Company History

As collectors and dealers in vintage watches, we quite frequently come across the Swiss brand Avia. Please see our current collection of Avia Watches. However, not a great deal seems to be known about the Avia watch Company, but a little bit of research has revealed that Avia had a very big impact on the watch manufacturing industry. (Below is Advertising for AVIA Olympic Watch in 1963)

The history of the Avia Watch Company goes way back to 1887 when HV Degoumois was established at La Chaux de Fonds. The company then moved to Neuchâtel in 1933 and the Avia brand was formally registered by Degoumois on the 30th of January 1937 (See Mikrolisk – The horological trade mark index). Avia made good quality mechanical lever movement watches, in a range of cases from solid gold through to gold plated and stainless steel. During their history Degoumois provided watches and movements for a number of other brands including A. Wittnauer & Co., New York, and the Ball watch Company. This is very much a testament to the quality of the Avia mechanical watches. That is one of the main reasons Experts Watches carries vintage watches.

You can see a classic version of Avia 17 Jewel watch from the 60's in (Figure 1)

In 1968 Avia became part of a consortium of 6 watch manufacturers, including Avia, Invicta and Sandoz, who then bought Waltham of Chicago USA. It was this consortium that developed the very first quartz digital watch with an LCD (liquid crystal display) and revealed it to the world on the 6^th of March 1972 at the Basle Fair. The impact of this was tremendous, and meant that watches capable of unparalleled accuracy could be cheaply mass-produced. (Below is a Vintage 1960s AVIA Chronograph Watch with Blue Panda Dial and Valjoux 7733 movement)

The invention took the market by storm and left competitors manufacturing traditional mechanical watches floundering. The popularity of the Avia digital watch (Figure 2 above) was so great that it was an Avia advert that made the cover of the July edition of the Horological Journal in 1975. Avia seemed to be one of the brands to keep an eye on, however, the technology was easily copied, and by the 1980s digital watches were no longer seen as luxury items and could be bought incredibly cheaply or even acquired free with a full tank of petrol! Thus the brand waned in popularity, eventually being bought by the Fossil group. To this day Fossil still manufactures and sells Avia quartz watches, but quality is not the same. (Below is a Vintage 1960s AVIA Chronograph watch with LANDERON 248 movement)

One of the questions I'm asked all the time is: How much is my watch worth? That's based on a lot of information that we need to get to fairly evaluate your watch value. Historically speaking vintage women's watches (smaller watches under 34mm) Have a lower value due to desirability. Evaluation can change if the watch not working or not keeping time. watches that come with precious metals like yellow gold or white gold have higher value. AVIA watches like most companies had a few model watches that had better complication and movement. AVIA brand watches were entry-level to Midrange watch company when first founded but as they got purchased they focused on more entry level. We have some good examples of there earlier Chronograph version pictured above. You can see the Diving Version below.