Lessions In Wristory: Vetta’s Wyler Roots

If you stroll through some of the cobblestone streets of Florence, immerse yourself into the circles of French and Japanese vintage watch collectors, or even just do your nightly browse for watches online, you might come across what is to many, an unfamiliar name: Vetta. This manufacturer of wristwatches that is unfortunately no longer in business once produced some genuinely gorgeous watches back in the day, though many individuals today write the brand off simply as another obscure brand of chronographs. Like many other brands currently experiencing great resurgences, Vetta has a history rich with both great watches, and noteworthy mechanical innovations, which is why the brand’s story deserves some recognition. Now without delay, let’s take a look into the world of Vetta, Italy’s own Swiss watch brand.

Photo courtesy of Cars & Watches.

Vetta’s story strangely begins not as Vetta, but as Wyler, another watch brand that fits into the same section of the vintage market. In their time, Wyler became known for a few improved components which they would work into their movements, namely their “Incaflex” balance, which was supposedly stronger and more shock resistant than some of the competition’s offerings. Most curiously, Wyler and Vetta are also regarded as some of the first brands to implement more modern marketing tactics when it came to selling watches. This is best shown through the fact that the brands would sponsor successful sports teams like Italy’s winning World Cup team of 1934, and spectacles like when two watches were dropped from the Eiffel Tower and continued to work in 1956.

A 1960 Wyler Incaflex – Photo courtesy of Matthew Bain Vintage Watches

The Vetta project officially began in the early 1930’s, when Wyler had expressed interest in selling their watches in Italy. This then brought Wyler into contact with Lucio Binda – an Italian distributor who wished to bring Wyler timepieces into Italian stores, under the new name of “Wyler Vetta”, which would eventually be shortened down to how it we know it now. The Milan based luxury group would then go on to assist Wyler in selling their watches within Italy, and producing the watches which we so passionately collect today.

A Vetta advertisement of the 1970’s.

What collectors have noticed over the years about Vetta watches versus offerings from their parent company, is that they’re often much more aesthetically pleasing. Through simply taking a look at some of the more well known dials produced by the two brands over the years, you can easily see that Vetta was fitting their watches with more vibrant dial designs. I personally attribute this to the keen sense of style and great design that’s become synonymous with Italian culture in the past, though with that said, there are no strong leads on where the watches themselves were being designed. Additionally, it’s worth noting that very few stand-out Vetta models exist, and that they’re collected more as individual pieces, with each one telling a different story. Some collector favorites include the multi-scale chronographs which have “Cronografo” written on the dial – a nice nod to the company’s Italian distribution.

Photo courtesy of Bulang & Sons

Eventually, like many others, both Wyler and Vetta wouldn’t be able to survive the tough times brought on by the quartz crisis, and the company became just another name with history that would be bought and sold over the years. Though there have been many unsuccessful attempts in recent years to revitalize the Vetta name, I personally think the brand is best left untouched, because as many collectors and enthusiasts of vintage watches will know, it is just so hard to recreate the magic of last century’s timepieces without compromise. Knowing that, you can get right back to collecting vintage watches, just as you were!

Feature photo courtesy of Cars and Watches.

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