Sherpa Graph Mark IIB

ENICAR, SHERPA GRAPH, MARK IIB transitional, Reverse Panda  & T dial

ICONEEK price: SOLD

Iconeek is proud to introduce here one of the most sought after vintage chronograph: the Sherpa Graph by Enicar.

The Enicar Watch Company was founded in 1914 in La Chaux-de-Fonds by Ariste Racine who named his manufacture by reversing his last name. The production of Sherpa chronographs started in the 1960’s and soon became very popular for their quality and design. The “Sherpa” name is inspired by that of the resilient local carriers of the 1956 Swiss Himalayan expedition to Everest, which relied on Enicar timepieces. Enicar took advantage of the publicity by naming their professional line watches « Sherpa »  later that year. They brought out over 100 different Sherpa models in the ensuing decade. They were meant to be tool watches and were also used by competitive race drivers, such as renowned British Formula 1 driver, Jim Clark.

The present Sherpa Graph is an oversized stainless steel water-resistant chronograph wristwatch powered by the famous caliber Valjoux 72 (also found in the vintage Rolex Daytona, Heuer Autavia, Jaeger 4atm….).

The model is fitted with a so-called Panda dial. Under the domed acrylic crystal, we find a superb two-tone reverse panda, gloss black dial, with silvered registers, an outer grey tachymeter scale, luminous « paddle » hour and minute hands, red « lollipop » chronograph hand, an outer grey tachymeter ring with 300 UPH . The dial is set with a « T » above the 12-hour register, for Tritium markers. A « Swiss Made » marking is visible at six o’clock below the twelve-hour sub-register. The reverse panda configuration offers a great legibility, with its contrasting gloss black dial, silvered registers and grey outer tachymeter scale.

The large compressor-type case, patent no. 314962, patented in July 15th., 1956, by Ervin Piquerez, comes with the cross hatched EPSA (Ervin Piquerez SA) spec. crowns with Saturn logo, EPSA compressor case with Bayonette back, round chronograph pushers, bayonnet case back engraved with  the Sherpa clamshell hallmark, ‘ENICAR’ and ‘STAINLESS STEEL INCABLOC ULTRASONIC – SHERPA’ on the outside, along with its unique reference numbers.

The inside case back is simply engraved « Enicar Watch Co Swiss » and is not engraved with the diving helmet (such the Mark I). The watch is powered by a Valjoux 72, first quality finishing, copper-colored, manual winding, with column-wheel mechanism, monometallic balance with timing screws. The chronograph bridge is signed « Enicar Swiss ». The size between the lugs is 20 mm. Dial, case and movement are signed.

Exceptionally rare, the present watch is a Mark II B transitional model, because it comes with the first quality valjoux 72 found on the  Mark II, where as the dial is set with new subdials hands and paddle style hands found on the mark III. Also, the inside case back is not engraved with the EPSA logo (Mark II) but just engraved « Enicar Watch Co.Swiss » such as the mark III. the model is also set with straight « Pencil » subdials hands instead of the Arrow subdials hands found on the mark II. The model has an overall look of a Mark III model with the Sherpa 300 bayonet Seapearl back. The present watch is also featuring a dial with a painted « T » above the 12-hour register, a characteristic not found on the mark II or the later mark III, in fact to indicate that the watch was now fitted with tritium instead of Radium. The « T » mark appears around 1963, Rolex for example used the Underline symbol to indicate the change.

Condition: 9/10, very rare model and original condition, a beautiful example of an increasingly sought-after, collectable vintage watch