Ravisa - History, Models and Owners' Reviews

This RAVISA Electric System is a watch that is a bit different. I bought it 4 years ago purely out of nostalgia for my childhood. Indeed, we have to go back to the early 70s, when quartz was ravaging everything in its path. The appearance of digital LED watches, so characteristic with their red screen, gave me the impression of being in the future, in the year 2000. It is probably laughable today, but it was a reality at the time. So when my father bought his first LED, I was amazed and I couldn't stop fiddling with these magic buttons that made the hour, minutes, month, date, and seconds appear. And then there was my favorite TV series hero, KOJAK, who wore a golden LED (a Hamilton I think). All that to say that LED was the big watch fashion of the moment. RAVISA was a small Swiss brand created in the 60s by Roger E. Mathis, and located in Delémont, but which did not have the technical or financial means to offer a quartz alternative to these models. So what to do? Disappear like many of its peers. Or persevere and save what can be saved by offering an alternative. Why not create a watch with the appearance of LED, but mechanical with "jumping hours" (therefore digital), with a backlight. The initial idea was laudable, even brilliant on paper, but in reality very naive. Because when you think about it, buyers of LED watches were not only interested in the look, but also in the precision of quartz and the comfort of not winding their watch. However, if the design was there, the RAVISA Electric System was not at all precise for reading the time. The time was not instantaneous jumping, but called "dragging". The reading of the minutes was very approximate, and there was no second. In addition, because of the space of the battery for the backlight, it was impossible to put an automatic movement. So, it was necessary to wind the watch every day. Consequently, the concept was doomed to failure. And to top it all off, the LED trend only lasted a few years, supplanted by the revolutionary LCD technology. This is why the RAVISA Electric System did not have the expected success, and why the majority of those I saw for sale (including mine) are NOS watches (new from stock) that former traders were unable to sell at the time. To return to my personal case, I had wanted to have an LED for a long time. But over time, my preference for mechanical watches prevented me from taking the plunge. And 4 years ago, I came across this UFO by chance on an English site, and it was obvious to me to buy it. The RAVISA Electric System had finally found its clientele: lovers of mechanical watches......nostalgic for the LED look. I admit that there must not be many of us in this case, but that's a good thing because the prices are consequently not very high. Otherwise, to talk specifically about the watch, the caliber is an EB (Ebauches Bettlach) 8461-73 of 17 jewels with manual winding, of average precision. The case, which has no horn, is 39.5 x 37.5 cm and will therefore suit any type of wrist. The original bracelet in Milanese-style braided mesh is ultra comfortable, and can be adjusted to the nearest millimeter. Reading the time is complicated in full sunlight (like any good LED that respects itself). And winding the crown is difficult because it does not protrude enough from the case. On the other hand, when I wear it (very rarely), it is a watch that intrigues a lot. So, even if the LED period speaks of a time that those under 50 cannot know, it remains true that this RAVISA is an original and cheap alternative for those who really know how to appreciate it.