Wakmann Regate 'Clint Eastwood'

The 1970s was a golden age for creative industrial design, with watchmaking being particularly fertile ground for innovation.

Oversized cases, bright colors, strange complications — the confluence of the hippie movement with new sporting and leisure activities resulted in specialist timepieces whose fun-loving designs are finding new life today as beloved vintage goods. 

This Regate from Wakmann perfectly encapsulates the ‘70s watchmaking spirit: Referred to as the ‘Clint Eastwood,’ as that beloved actor wore one in the 1995 adaptation of The Bridges of Madison County, it’s housed in a 44mm, gold-plated cushion case with a magnified acrylic crystal, barrel pushers, an unsigned time-setting crown, and an offset, 10 o’clock crown to control the inner, rotating bezel. 

Equipped with a handsome, luminous champagne dial, it features a baton handset with fluorescent central minute and 12-hour counter hands, a dual-register chronograph layout, a date window at 3 o’clock, a 1/5th-seconds track, and an inner, rotating bezel with multiple timing and date scales — including a countdown scale for regatta timing! Powered by the automatic Landeron Calibre 1341 central-minute chronograph movement, it’s one of funkiest, most feature-laden watches we’ve had the pleasure of offering in quite some time. 

Looking for something that’s going to stand out from the crowd? 

Then this is your watch!

During the throes of the Second World War, in 1943, Icko Wakmann created a luxury watch distribution company in neutral Portugal. Upon his arrival to the United States in 1946, this enterprising businessman set up shop in New York City, and at a fortuitous time, too: A new import tariff on Swiss goods had recently been enacted in order to help American manufacturing catch up from its conversion to wartime production. Wakmann would import Swiss brands in the form of parts, assemble them himself, and co-brand and sell them under the Wakmann name — thus sidestepping the tariff.

Beginning a partnership with Breitling in 1947, Wakmann commenced distribution of his assembled Swiss watches Stateside and did quite well for himself. Co-branded aviation clocks for the U.S. military and civilian sectors flew off the shelves in the post-War boom; handheld timing instruments for industry and sport filled pages and pages of hand-drawn catalogs; chronographs of all shapes, sizes and complications were made for professionals of all stripes.

The brand’s triple-calendar chronographs of the 1950s and ‘60s — powered by venerated Valjoux hand-wound movements and signed solely with the Wakmann name — are gorgeous examples of midcentury industrial design and remain sought-after today. Their more affordable watches in chromed cases, produced under partnership with Charles Gigandet, provided an entry point into fine Swiss watchmaking for a younger segment of the population. Unique pieces such as the colorful “Big Boy” chronograph — first powered by Valjoux and later by Lemania movements — are proof of Wakmann’s eye for color and design.

In the 1970s, before the coming of the Quartz Crisis, Wakmann produced a wildly complicated regatta timer dubbed the Regate. Powered by the automatic Lemania caliber 1341, it featured a chronograph, regatta timer, and full calendar bezel controlled by an additional crown at 11 o’clock. And though the company was unfortunately consumed by the Quartz Crisis, its legacy lives on through its incredible range of chronographs, and via Breitling — indeed, without Wakmann, it’s doubtful the brand would have succeeded in the U.S. market at all.

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Condition

Since our pieces are vintage or pre-owned, please expect wear & patina from usage and age. Please read each item description and examine all product images.

Warranty

We back each Analog:Shift vintage timepiece with a one-year mechanical warranty from the date of purchase.

International Buyers

Please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.

All of our watches include complementary insured shipping within the 50 states.

Most of our products are on hand and will ship directly from our headquarters in New York City. In some cases, watches will be shipped directly from one of our authorized partners.

We generally ship our products via FedEx, fully insured, within 5 business days of purchase. An adult signature is required for receipt of all packages for insurance purposes. Expedited shipping is available at an additional cost. We are also happy to hand deliver your purchase in Manhattan or you may pick it up at our showroom.

Returns must be sent overnight or by priority international delivery, fully insured and paid for by the customer. A restocking fee may apply. Watches must be returned in the same condition as initially shipped.

We welcome international buyers, please contact us prior to purchase for additional details on shipping and payment options.