Thanks to curious local collectors, today we can share fragments of stories about watches from brands that many of us like – Aniger. Today’s story is to reveal a vintage Anyker Sherpa chronograph with authentic Australian racing pedigree.
Australia has a rich motorsport culture. There is a wide range of these sports and there is a large follow here. Among these, Formula 1 and MotoGP are in particular. Bathurst has stamina. Today we are looking at a vintage Aniger Sherpa Graph watch discovered by an Australian collector. As the story reveals, the watch owner was a real racer who could not have a more appropriate watch.
Enicar Sherpa graph
Enicar is an interesting brand. In particular, my colleagues Thomas and Mike have written about it several times in Fratero, including a rather recent feature of the Enicer Sherpagraph. Enicar was founded in 1913/14 by Ariste Racine. Ariste Racine comes from a family of watchmakers. Aristo overturned his last name and established the Enicar brand. In the 1950s, the brand focused on equipping climbers and adventurers with clocks as a marketing strategy. This was a common tactic of the time and was adopted by many other brands, including Smiths, Rolex, and Certina.
A team of Swiss climbers wore an Enicer watch on the top of the Lhoste and Mount Everest in 1956. Grasping this story, Enicar registered the name “Sherpa” and began releasing their first Sherpa Watch later that year. The Sherpa line continues to define Enicar throughout the next year as it released dozens of Sherpa models with a focus on durability. Sherpa’s graph in particular has become popular in the world of motorsports. For those interested in exploring some of Enicar’s back catalogues, here is this handy article on rescue.
Anyker Chronograph with Story
Antonio, Australian collector of Tempo Vintage Melbourne, came across a list of old Enicar chronographs earlier this year. Interestingly, it was accompanied by an old photo of a gentleman holding a race car. It turns out to be a watch used for the heat and excitement of motorsports in the 1970s.
This watch is an Enicar Sherpa graph from the 1960s. The watch was used in time racing by owner Neil Cartledge. You know, Neil was a competitive racer in the heyday of motorsport. He raced many cars, including the Datsun 240Z. The Datsun 240Z is a beloved car, with multiple YouTube videos waxing lyrical to its handling. He joined the passionate Datsun owner and racer club in 1977 and remained a member of the rest of his life.
Engineering – Fits naturally to racers
Neil, a mechanical engineer in trade, worked all his life at his uncle’s factory, JW Ford & Co, a precision engineering company based in the city of Melbourne. He provided many engine parts that ended with the members’ cars. The letter, written by his wife and provided details of the watch, detailed some of Neil’s racing life.
“I still have a set of instructions Neil gave me on how to install. It’s a very formal set of details, and I just read it and find the line at the bottom. Another feature was his sense of humor,” she said. “I talked to Neil about racing years ago, for example, in a race at Calder, on the first lap, he felt like he was floating above the car.
Trip to Switzerland
JW Ford uses an automatic lathe, which allows Neal to finish the two-week training course, at the end of the Beclar & Co. He began conducting training courses in Switzerland at the factory that produced machines, and was offered jobs there in the Jura region, the heart of the watch industry. He spent the next two years in Switzerland before returning to Australia via the US in 1970. Neil’s relationship with the Automobile Club returns to the Australian 240Z Club, which was founded in 1972.
According to his wife, “Five years later, the club merged with the Datsun Sports Owner Club, and Neal was officially a member from July 8, 1977. This was the club that he knew Neal when he joined in 1981. Club records show that Neal was president and vice president twice for three years. He also won the club championship twice in motor racing.
A watch suitable for a man who lived a motorsport life
Neil competed in the Mark Sports Car Association and advanced to the state championships. According to his wife, “Neil and the race car he prepared were sensational. I had no results, but Neil was often the winner and he may have won the championship at least once. During this period, he heavily used the Aniger Sherpa Graph as a racing and timekeeping instrument.
It was with this background that Antonio came across watches. Talking with Neil’s family and hearing the story behind it, Antonio was captivated by the watch. Enicar Sherpa graphs are useful to be an underrated classic in the first place. Sadly, Neil died and could not speak directly to him for this story. But what we can do is appreciate the vintage watch that was used for the gust of lace winds, as originally intended. If only this watch could speak, I’m sure it has some great stories to tell!
Fratelli, is there a particularly good story watch? If so, I would be happy to read those stories in the comments!
