|  | In tribute to the Wrights’ accomplishment, coins have been made, replications of the original Flyers have been produced, museum exhibits are touring from city to city and impresarios are ordering champagne by the truckload. Ernst Benz Limited, appointed by the First Flight Centennial Foundation as official watchmaker of the ceremony, has hatched its own tribute. The Wright Flyer Centennial watches, in steel and gold models, will debut in the fall and winter, respectively – in time for the festivities. If any watch company is suited for the task of crafting a sentimental timepiece for the occasion, it’s Benz. Apart from being headquartered in North Carolina (a detail that was presumably dutifully noted by the centennial committee), the freshman company plunged into the watch industry by way of an aircraft instrument chronograph.
Ernst Benz has the look of a man who’s accomplished many things. An image taken of him in front of an airplane runway shows a slightly tanned man with a sly smirk belying an otherwise poker face. Portraits of the Wright Brothers bear a certain similarity to Benz’s own image; the three have a vague look in their eyes as if they might be privy to a secret of which most people are totally unaware. Perhaps, it’s the look of a person who gets behind things, understands their inner workings and replaces mystery with magic. Like the Wrights, Swiss-born Benz is a creator, craftsman and problem solver. (Not to mention an entrepreneur of the first order!)
In the 1960s, Benz worked as an engineer at Consolidated Electrodynamics in California, designing accelerometers and pressure transducers for the aircraft industry. After many years in the United States, he moved back to Switzerland where he developed a patented process for making diamond styli for hi-fi cartridges. Aware that he was sitting on a small fortune, Benz packed up his process and started up his own company. The enterprise was so successful that he acquired a former client, Empire Scientific – a leading manufacturer of stereo turntables and cartridges. The masterstroke, however, took place in the 70s when Benz conceived the moving coil cartridge, christened the Benz Micro. The Micro was considered premium stereo equipment at the time and an absolute necessity by deejays and audiophiles. By the time the late 80s and 90s arrived, Benz could see the writing on the wall, according to business partner and president of the Orbita Corporation, Chuck Agnoff, referring to the advent of the compact disc.
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