{"product_id":"wakmann-chronograph-tt01256","title":"Wakmann Chronograph","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eIn its heyday, the Swiss watch industry was an interconnected one, in a way that often transcended international borders. This has its roots in the very beginning of the industry, when individual households—and, later, factories—were devoted to the production of a single component of a watch. The parts were then sent piecemeal to another facility for assembly, and then sent to a distributor for retail.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eThis system was symbiotic, and benefited manufactures and distributors alike.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eOne of the most lucrative of these relationships was between Breitling and its U.S. based distributor, Wakmann.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eWakmann was founded in New York by Icko Wakmann. He arrived in 1946, at the perfect time: the U.S. watch industry was trying to kickstart itself after years of fulfilling military contracts. One of the ways the government achieved this was to impose tariffs on high-end Swiss imports, like watches. This presented a unique opportunity for U.S. based distributors to sell high-end Swiss at entry-level price points. Wakmann entered into such an agreement with Breitling in 1947, importing disassembled Breitling chronographs and dress watches and then selling them in the U.S.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eChronographs like this one are what made Wakmann’s name. Aesthetically, it doesn’t hit a sour note, with a chunky 38mm cushion case that was used throughout the industry in the 1970s. The white-on-black “reverse panda” color way offers a stark counterpart to the case’s curves in a way that is simply eye-catching.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wakmann","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":8195261628503,"sku":null,"price":2100.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0809\/1255\/products\/Wakmann_Triple_Register_Chronograph_TT01256.jpg?v=1528483813","url":"https:\/\/www.analogshift.com\/products\/wakmann-chronograph-tt01256","provider":"Analog:Shift","version":"1.0","type":"link"}