Armand Nicolet: history, models and value

Founded

1875

Founder(s)

Armand Nicolet

Headquarters

Tramelan

Owner / group

Independent (privately held)

Armand Nicolet: origins and founding

The brand goes back to 1875, when Armand Nicolet, the son of a watchmaker, opened his own watchmaking workshop in Tramelan, a village in the Bernese Jura. By 1902 the workshop was making pocket watches with complications. Some of these early pieces are shown in the brand's museum in Tramelan.

Founders and family

After Armand Nicolet died in 1939, his son Willy Nicolet took over. Under Willy the company became a large assembler of mechanical movements, at a time when Tramelan was one of the main movement-producing areas in Switzerland. In 1987 Willy Nicolet met the Italian entrepreneur Rolando Braga, who brought Italian design into the collection and helped revive the brand.

Armand Nicolet history and milestones

• 1875: Armand Nicolet opens his workshop in Tramelan.
• Early 1900s: complicated pocket watches.
• 1939: Willy Nicolet takes over; the company grows as a movement assembler.
• 1970s and 1980s: during the quartz crisis the company survives on a smaller scale, working with larger firms and keeping a large stock of mechanical movements.
• 1987: start of the partnership with Rolando Braga.
• 2000: the collection is relaunched at Baselworld.
• 2010s: launch of the O.H.M. (Original Historical Movements) series.

Famous Armand Nicolet models

• O.H.M. series: limited editions such as the L06, L09, L14 and L15, built on restored vintage movements.
• J09-3: the contemporary sports line with date, chronograph and GMT versions.
• Older models from the 2000s and 2010s: many classic and sporty automatic and chronograph watches with an Italian design touch.

Movements and technique

The O.H.M. watches are the brand's most interesting technical pieces. They use old stock movements from the 1950s and 1960s, for example a 1958 UT 600 calibre in the L14 or an AS 1883 from 1967 in the L15. Each movement is taken apart, modernized (for example with Incabloc shock protection), decorated and reassembled by hand. The L14 was limited to 499 pieces, and the original movement's production year is engraved on the mainplate.

Armand Nicolet today

Armand Nicolet is a privately held company in Tramelan with a small team. It sits in the Swiss mid-price segment, with limited O.H.M. editions above the regular collections.

Armand Nicolet prices on the pre-owned market

Pre-owned Armand Nicolet watches usually sell well below their original retail price, because the brand is less known than the big names. O.H.M. limited editions with their vintage movements are the most interesting for collectors, especially with box, papers and the numbered certificate. Chronographs and automatic models sell better than quartz. Condition and completeness matter more than age.

How to recognise a genuine Armand Nicolet

The brand is not a common target for fakes. Check that the dial, caseback and movement match the model, and that limited editions show their number on the case or movement. On O.H.M. pieces, the movement should match the calibre named for that reference. More checks: how to spot a fake watch.

What is your Armand Nicolet worth?

Get a first idea with our free watch value estimate: upload photos of the dial, caseback and movement. For insurance, an estate or a divorce settlement, you can order a signed watch appraisal.

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