Ernst Benz founded his Swiss instrument-making business in 1947 producing precision aviation chronometers and laboratory instruments for industrial and military customers. Through the post-war decades the workshop established a reputation in Swiss aviation circles as a serious supplier of cockpit chronometers, navigation instruments, and timing equipment for military and civil aviation applications. The brand identity from that period is anchored in the technical-instrument language that continues to define modern Ernst Benz wristwatches.
Ernst Benz transitioned to wristwatch production through the 1990s and 2000s, applying the aviation-instrument design heritage to oversized wrist-format pilot watches. The signature aesthetic combines large 47mm+ cases, high-contrast pilot dials (typically white-on-black or with bright orange accents), oversized luminous numerals and indices, and aviation-themed dial graphics referencing the brand's instrument heritage. Movements are largely Swiss-supplied (ETA, Sellita, Valjoux 7750 chronograph) with selected COSC chronometer references.
Today Ernst Benz operates as an independent Swiss watchmaker with a catalogue centred on the ChronoSport automatic, ChronoLunar with moonphase complication, ChronoScope chronograph, and various pilot-themed limited editions. The brand has maintained a focus on the aviation-instrument identity and oversized tool watch positioning rather than expanding into dressier or more conventional segments. Production is small (estimated low thousands per year) and pricing spans CHF 3,500-12,000+ across the catalogue. The brand has built a niche following among collectors who specifically value the aviation-instrument aesthetic and the heritage from the 1947 instrument-making origins.