In 1965 Ollech & Wajs launched the eponymously named ‘Early Bird’, 24-hour dual-time-zone watch, which paid tribute to a satellite of the same name. The Intelsat I, or ‘Early Bird’ as it is better known, was the world’s first geosynchronous communications satellite, and handled all commercial telecommunications transmissions between Europe and North America between 1965 and 1969. This included the live transoceanic TV coverage of the Gemini 6 splashdown; footage of the Apollo 11 moon landing; and the first ever performance of ‘All You Need Is Love’ by The Beatles, live to a global audience of 700 million people.
Of all the watches that carried the OW monogram, the Early Bird is said to be Albert Wajs’s personal favourite. This is why we delayed its reintroduction until 2026, the platinum anniversary year of Ollech & Wajs itself. It was relaunched at precisely 19:56 (CET) 1st July and priced at 1,956 CHF, in honour of our founding year
Independent Creative Director
