2.0911 ARNEX ‘CADUCEUS’ DOCTOR’S WATCH, SWISS 1980s

Arnex was founded in 1971 by Claude Wollman with the goal of producing affordable pocket watches for the American market. Manufactured in Switzerland and sold in the U.S., Arnex watches became widely popular in the 1970s and 1980s due to their low cost. To keep prices down, the company used inexpensive materials such as acrylic crystals, base metal cases, and Unitas 6497 movements, which were considered cheap at the time but later gained recognition in luxury watches. However, the Swiss watch industry faced a downturn after the Swiss Franc declined in 1974, and by 1995, Arnex was prohibited from operating due to unpaid registration fees. Over the years, the brand changed hands multiple times, eventually becoming part of Lucien Piccard and shifting towards private-label watch manufacturing.

Arnex watches were sold under various brand names, including Neiman Marcus, Kaltron, Hallmark, and Le Jour, but they remained budget-friendly timepieces with little intrinsic value. While some models with Unitas 6497 or 6498 movements hold modest worth today, most are primarily collected for their mechanisms rather than their cases. Despite their lack of significant monetary value, Arnex pocket watches remain an interesting and nostalgic piece of vintage watch history.