Up for sale, this lovely Enicar Valjoux 72 Chronograph ref. 072-01-03 which is the predecessor of the highly sought-after Sherpa models. Enicar is best known for its eye-catching diving and other extreme adventure sports watches, the brand has been a big part of the racing culture as well.

This very reference is nicknamed the ‘Gerhard Mitter’ or ‘Mitter’, after the German Czechoslovakian Formula 1 race car driver who had his active years between 1963 and 1967. Gerhard Mitter was then sponsored by Enicar, therefore, he has worn this utilitarian timepiece.
This was a tool watch, a timepiece that served a purpose. Nowadays, vintage watches are a way to step out of the crowd, and the bold Enicar offerings may be one of the main reasons why the brand’s chronographs have become so popular.
Please read the condition report carefully and refer to the high resolution pictures to help you assess the overall condition of the watch.

MODEL / REFERENCE: Enicar Pre-Sherpa Chronograph “Gerhard Mitter” ref. 072-01-03.

DIAL: The original dial is really something that stands out. It features a beautiful reverse panda color scheme, with white sunken sub-dials and a white on black tachymeter track. This layout strikes a balance between sport and leisure in what is classically considered an instrument rather than an adornment.
The dial is in very good condition overall, the matte finish started to develop a subtle speckling patina, homogeneous throughout. The imprint is literally perfect to a ‘T’, seen above the bottom register, symbolizing the use of Tritium. The subdials are positioned at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock following the Valjoux 72 layout that we all know and love.
The applied baton indexes are dissected with vertical lume stripes and each one of them is coupled with a Tritium plot for better legibility. Upon close inspection by loupe, some surface oxidation can be seen on the indexes.
The Tritium is mostly intact, taking a beige color. When activated under UV light, it glows then fades off.

HANDS: The handset is completely correct to this reference, and has aged at the same rate as the hour markers resulting to a matching color to them.
The white baton hands display original tritium lume inlays at their respective centers. And the neon orange triangle chronograph hand is a true Enicar trademark. Back in the day, a hand with such a contrasting color must have been very welcome.

CASE: The stainless steel tonneau shaped case is slightly different near all four corners. It wears extremely comfortable, measuring a modern 37mm crown excluded, and a lug width of 20mm. The watch wears a bit bigger thanks to the generous dial to case ratio.
The case appears to be unpolished, maintaining its original brushed finish and very sharp outer lines. However, it displays expected signs of use, commensurate with age which can be identified as some surface scratches and nicks throughout, especially on the lugs. Overall, this case is in a lovely wearable vintage condition.

CASEBACK: The original screw down stainless steel caseback is in good vintage condition, showing a well pronounced dolphin medallion at the center and a deeply engraved, slightly faded text.
Besides some light surface scratches, there are two small deep ones across the caseback, resulting from a previous removal attempt.
The inner caseback is stamped with the Enicar name and case number 2342.

CRYSTAL: The original domed plexiglass crystal with a few scratches. The plexy will be polished by my watchmaker before shipping.

CROWNS+PUSHERS: This watch is fitted with a cross-hatched and Enicar signed crown
The pump pushers are correct to the watch, starting and stopping the chronograph functions with no problem and reset perfectly back to zero.

MOVEMENT: This timepiece houses the illustrious Valjoux 72 calibre to animate its chronograph. A workhorse to say the least, this is a 17 jewel manually wound, column wheel movement features a three register display: A constant running seconds at 9 o’clock, a 30 minutes recorder at 3 o’clock, and a 12H recorder at 6 o’clock. The gilded bridge is signed with the brand’s name and indicates that the movement has been adjusted to meet the brands in-house specifications.
The movement has been professionally serviced thus runs smoothly and keeps excellent time. All functions work as intended. It winds, sets and all the chronograph functions work perfectly.

BRACELET: This watch comes high quality brown leather strap with a signed pin buckle.

ACCESSORIES: ChronoScope Saffiano Leather watch roll
Wristwatches referring to sports icons, actors or astronauts tend to become a target for vintage aficionados, with increasing prices as a result. The Enicar Sherpa series including the Aqua graph, Jet graph and Sherpa graph are so difficult to find, therefore, their prices are skyrocketing up. This reference currently on offer is the best of both worlds: Associated with a racing figure and a less expensive alternative to other lineups but with a long road ahead. Functionally and aesthetically, this watch nails it.

The price is 3,720 CHF (Swiss Franc) or best reasonable offer plus shipping at actual cost. Low ball offers will be politely ignored.
Watch and I are in Switzerland.
Feel free to ask questions, I will be glad to answer.

WARRANTY: We guarantee the authenticity of the watch. We also provide a 12 months guarantee for the correct function of this vintage timepiece. All guarantees are subject to the General Terms and conditions.

Please feel free to ask questions, we will be glad to answer. Virtual or face-to-face viewing is available by appointment.