Founded in 1956 by Joseph Ollech and Albert Wajs at 55 Stockerstrasse, Zurich, Ollech & Wajs began as a retailer of quality Swiss watches before launching their own timepieces under the OWZ brand name.
The brand pioneered extreme professional watchmaking, producing the Caribbean 1000 in 1964 — the first watch with a certified depth rating of 1,000 metres, outperforming Rolex and Omega at the time.
OW watches found their way to US troops in Vietnam, NASA scientists, British CI5 agents, and offshore oil field dive teams, establishing the brand as a trusted professional tool watch.
One of the few Swiss watchmakers to survive the quartz crisis without ever adopting quartz movements, OW was revived in 1995 with a new generation of sports and military watches. In 2017, a new owner — OW's former French distributor — took over, continuing the legacy of rugged, professional-quality Swiss timepieces.
1956
Joseph Ollech and Albert Wajs establish Ollech & Wajs at 55 Stockerstrasse, Zurich
1957
Begin making watches under OWZ, Helsa, and Piz Palu brands, focusing on OW from 1959
1959
Iconic OW propeller brand mark introduced, designed by Joseph Ollech
1964
Launch of the Caribbean 1000 Precision with a certified depth rating of 1,000 m — deeper than any Rolex or Omega at the time
1965
OW becomes widely used by US troops in Vietnam, delivering up to 10,000 pieces a year
1967
Worn by NASA Group 6 astronaut Dr. Anthony Llewellyn for his official NASA portrait
1979
Albert Wajs and Joseph Ollech acquire Breitling tooling and Navitimer designs, continuing production under the Aviator brand
1980
OW Caribbean 1000 worn by fictional British CI5 agents in the TV series The Professionals
1995
Production rebooted with a new generation of sports watches, military watches, and chronographs
2017
Company passed to a new owner — OW's former French distributor — continuing the original vision
