Hugex - Tell Me More

[Blacklab]

I've got this old chrono that my late Father in law gave me about 20 years ago, which he had found lying in the gutter in Enfield town many years before. I believe the movement is a Valjoux 22. Haven't given it the full service yet, just general case clean, crystal polish and putting the hairspring back in the regulator. I wear it occasionally and it keeps good time. I have tried to find out more about Hugex but the web is a bit lacking. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

 

[WillFly]

There seems to be a quite a range of fairly obscure Swiss mechanical watches with names that end in -ex, such as Hugex and Ferex and many others. I've often wondered if they were trying to cash in, in some odd way, on the name Rol-ex.

Edited February 12, 2014 by WillFly

[Blacklab]

Possibly, but from what I can gather Rolex was just another quality maker until the Yuppies in the 1980's took them to their heart and then they became seriously sought after. Forsythe made very similar watches.

[Geo]

Good morning Blacklab,

I was trawling the net for information on Nivia watches when I stumbled on this. I hope it will shed some light on (dare I say it) your Hugex!

"The HUGEX name was registered for use in the US by Huga SA, of La Chaux du Fonds, Switzerland, in July of 1951, although they reported use since Dec. 1936. While many pilots and navigators depended upon privately purchased watches like this, they were not issued by the US government. Most officially issued watches, from any country, will bear military nomenclature inscriptions on the case back."

[Blacklab]

Thanks Geo, another piece in the puzzle. But as always another piece missing - if this watch was intended for the US, surely the markers would have been imperial not metric?

[bobm12]

Hi Blacklab,

 

I don't know about the metrics. A couple of years ago a friend tried to fix his Ford Mustang here and realized that none of his tools would work. The parts in the car were metric! He even had to special order some bolts -- not counting new tools -- to fit this engine. I suppose measurements here are not very standard! It is all possible in America!

 

Then, pilots use metrics?

 

I hope I confused the issue further?! Sorry.