n the heat of summer, an impressive light show transformed the facade of a grand hotel on the shores of Lake Lugano. Its creator, Gerry Hofstetter, exports his work globally and is an ambassador for a particular form of Swiss expertise: light art. Hofstetter has already projected the Titanic onto an Arctic iceberg, a tiger onto the north face of the Eiger in the Bernese Alps and carnival masks onto St. Mark’s Square, Venice.

To say that this internationally renowned artist works on a grand scale would be an understatement: his tiger covered 11.2 million sq. m. of the Eiger (5.3 km long by 2.2 km high). “I always seek out the right image for the right project,” Hofstetter tells us over coffee. “I’m old-school. I work with projectors and carry my equipment on my back. Climbing at 6,000 metres altitude to illuminate Kilimanjaro and raise awareness of climate change was quite something.” Hofstetter, who never projects light onto trees so as not to disturb wildlife, has also used his activist art to deliver powerful messages on the Covid pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

Gerry Hofstetter’s projection of a giant tiger onto the Eiger. The Swiss artist, who creates light art all over the world, is sponsored by Swiss Military Hanowa.

This latest endeavour was for the centenary of the Association of Swiss Air Force Officers (AVIA) and featured the Swiss flag and fighter jets in carefully composed tableaux. “Timing is everything in this job,” Hofstetter explains. “Between scouting locations and preparation, sometimes it takes years to deliver a few minutes, maybe even a few seconds, of emotion.”

One of a handful of brands to be officially licenced by the Swiss Confederation, watches by Swiss Military Hanowa echo the image and values of the Swiss armed forces. The brand previewed a series of special editions In honour of AVIA’s centenary at the event, before an audience of army officers, aviation specialists and guests who travelled from around Switzerland in honour of these 100 years of service to the country.

The story of Swiss Military Hanowa is an unusual one, told to us by CEO Hilde Niedermann. This accessible brand began life in 1963 in Biel/Bienne as Hanowa, from the first letters of Hans Noll, its founder (Hans Noll Watches).

A 1983 article in Europa Star on Hanowa’s 20th anniversary highlights Hans Noll’s dynamic management and reports that Switzerland is already the brand’s main market.

©Archives Europa Star

Owned and managed by Hans Noll and his wife Elisabeth, Hanowa specialised in women’s fashion watches and created a huge variety of designs – abundantly illustrated by Europa Star’s archives for the 1960s, 70s and 80s.

Hanowa watches featured in Europa Star in the 1970s. Throughout the Seventies, Hanowa made its name for watches at affordable prices, primarily for women, that emphasised a wide variety of shapes and designs – a strategy that helped the brand weather a difficult decade for the Swiss watch industry.

©Archives Europa Star

©Archives Europa Star

©Archives Europa Star

©Archives Europa Star

©Archives Europa Star

©Archives Europa Star

©Archives Europa Star

Alongside its original vocation, the brand moved into a new area, that of military watches (the Hanowa and Swiss Military Hanowa brands still coexist, in separate segments). As Hans Noll explains in a video produced for the brand’s sixtieth anniversary, its military watches were quickly picked up by leading retailers of Swiss-Made products, in particular for the tourist market, such as Casagrande in Lucerne.

In the 1980s Hanowa began exploring a new segment of robust watches, illustrated by this 1984 feature on the Super Watch. This would lead to the launch, in the 1990s, of a separate brand, Swiss Military, and in 2015 official accreditation by the Swiss armed forces.

©Archives Europa Star

©Archives Europa Star

©Archives Europa Star

©Archives Europa Star

©Archives Europa Star

©Archives Europa Star

©Archives Europa Star

In 2010 the Nolls sold the business to International Luxury Group (ILG). Headquartered in Möhlin in the canton of Aargau, it produces or distributes under licence watches by some two dozen mainly lifestyle brands (including Police, Timberland, Escada and Kenneth Cole).

“Development of military watches from 1990 was a turning-point for the brand, as was the awarding of an official licence by the Swiss Confederation in 2015,” notes Hilde Niedermann. “Prior to that, there was no real legislation, nothing to protect this terminology. Even now, there are many watches around the world that make unauthorised use of the Swiss Military designation, which is reserved for a small number of approved brands.” A situation not unlike that of the Swiss-Made mark of origin, also frequently misappropriated.

Swiss Military Hanowa positions itself at entry level: a segment that certainly attracts less attention than haute horlogerie but plays a fundamental role in maintaining an ecosystem that benefits the industry as a whole. These accessibly priced models are often a first purchase for customers on their journey into Swiss watchmaking and the brand, which employs around 30 staff, is proud of these values.

Dark Matter with Musou Black dial, which absorbs 99.4% of light, and a 42mm case and bracelet in black stainless steel. Ronda quartz movement. A watch with a strong identity, listed at CHF 329.

“Our watches range from CHF 200 to CHF 500, with an average price in the region of CHF 350,” says Hilde Niedermann. “The majority are quartz but with a growing number of mechanical movements, which currently account for between 15% and 20% of our 150-some references. We source the majority of our quartz calibres from Ronda and our mechanical movements from Soprod and Sellita.”

Dark Night with a Soprod automatic movement.

Particularly noteworthy – and a bestseller for Swiss Military Hanowa – is a stealth model whose dial is coated with Musou Black, which absorbs 99.4% of light. Both the case and the bracelet are in black stainless steel. It’s a powerful concept, retailing at CHF 329 for the 42mm Dark Matter, equipped with a Ronda quartz movement, and CHF 749 for the Dark Night version, driven by a Soprod P024 automatic three-hands and date movement, with a matte fluted bezel on a 41mm case.

This year’s new releases all align with the Swiss armed forces’ values of robustness, endurance and ability to perform under extreme conditions. They include the Sirius Lightning whose 40mm cushion case alternates brushed and polished surfaces. However, the real standout feature of this special edition is the forged carbon dial incorporating a luminous material that produces fascinating, almost iridescent shapes.

Sirius Lightning whose forged carbon dial displays changing luminous patterns.

Also on offer is the Offshore Diver Green Water whose malachite dial echoes the emerald waters of the Verzasca, an Alpine river that flows through Ticino. A limited and numbered edition, it pairs a 44mm stainless steel case with a screw-down crown and unidirectional rotating bezel, and is water-resistant to 20 ATM.

The dial of the Offshore Diver Green Water captures the emerald colours of the Verzasca river.

As these latest models show, the brand keeps up a steady supply of creative ideas in its price segment. Its biggest markets are Europe (Switzerland, followed by Germany), then the Middle East. Its watches are widely available through retail chains such as Christ in Switzerland, the brand’s main partner.

“Despite a difficult period for Swiss watch exports right now, we’re satisfied with our performance,” says Hilde Niedermann. “Attractive collections and a solid network of retailers and distributors are the basis for continued and steady growth across all regions.”

“More than anything, we like to capture the spirit of Switzerland’s armed forces in our watches,” continues Swiss Military Hanowa’s CEO. Accordingly, to coincide with AVIA’s centenary the brand released a series of aviation-themed special editions] referencing the Swiss air force.

Swiss Military has unveiled a series of limited editions dedicated to the Swiss air force.

Three models feature the insignia of the Swiss aerobatics PC7-Team. One pairs a red sandblasted dial with luminous hands and numerals, on a black silicon strap. A second is a 44mm chronograph with a black-green dial, tachymeter scale and brown nubuck strap. The third is a 41mm model with cushion case, black dial, luminous hands and Italian leather strap.

The Challenger watch, released for the centenary of the Association of Swiss Air Force Officers (AVIA).

Two other models sport the AVIA logo. They are a special edition Challenger whose 42mm case frames a black dial that emphasises legibility, and a special edition Hornet that channels aerial precision in a 44mm chronograph with a silver-blue dial, tachymeter scale and sleek subdials.

The PC-7 Wing, in honour of the PC-7 Swiss aerobatics team.

As for Gerry Hofstetter, he has plans for a light art project, sponsored by Swiss Military Hanowa, that will continue this celebration with illuminations of monuments across Switzerland, in a tribute to the history of Swiss aviation.

And then what? Hofstetter, himself a helicopter pilot, has dreams of travelling to the International Space Station to create light art that can be seen by all humankind. An ambition that echoes the brand’s tagline: Your Only Limit Is You.