In 1930, Glycine released the first mass-produced automatic watches, and in 1959, it developed vacuum-sealed cases, allowing for more durable and water-resistant timepieces.

The Glycine Airman, the first watch capable of tracking two 24-hour time zones, has been used extensively in commercial and military aviation, as well as in spaceflights; notable examples include its use by United States Air Force pilots during the Vietnam War and astronaut Pete Conrad during the Gemini 5 and Gemini 11 spaceflights.

Later that year in October, Glycine, in collaboration with Meylan's new company,[5] manufactured the first mass-produced automatic watches,[3] allowing it to survive the global depression in the 1930s, that caused many Swiss watchmakers to close shop.

(In the 1980s, through a series of mergers, ASUAG became part of The Swatch Group,[8] a Swiss conglomerate consisting of numerous watchmakers, including Omega, Longines, and Hamilton.

The watch’s precision movement operates in a near vacuum, sealed within a metal case and crystal from which the air has been removed.

The Airman debuted in 1953 and was designed by Glycine with full consultation from the U.S. Air Force and made available at exchange stores on military bases.

[7]On September 24, 1955, the body of Glycine founder Eugène Meylan, age 64, was found stoned to death in a remote path east of Neuchâtel, Switzerland.

Leading up to his death, Meylan was bankrupt and left his Geneva home for Neuchâtel for unknown reasons.

The capsule used in the Gemini 11 spaceflight featured an open-cockpit design, exposing Conrad and his wrist to outer space during his colleague's 2 hour and 41 minute spacewalk, making Conrad's Airman the first automatic watch flown in and exposed to outer space.

Glycine's LED watches were made possible through Ditronic, a collaboration with four other Swiss watchmakers, formed in an effort to stay afloat during the quartz crisis.

[7] Katharina assumed sole control of Glycine in 2005 with a goal to deprioritize quartz and focus largely on mechanical offerings.

Katharina Brechbühler, owner of Glycine in the 2000s, claims the company's name is a result of its founding during the Jugendstil period, when plant-inspired motifs and floral designs were in fashion.

In 1965, the company debuted its crown logo, and in 2015, added wings to the design to reference its historical ties to aviation.

The Commercial Court of Bern ruled in favor of Armani; however, Glycine successfully appealed the decision.