About Elka Watch Co.

Mr. Hakim El Kadiri has been nick-named ELKA ever since his childhood. 

He always wanted to become an entrepreneur and after a long & successful career at world leading Swiss watch brands, ELKA was an obvious choice for him when it came to naming his new company. 

Born in the 1960s, he was inspired by the products and aesthetics of that era. 

Therefore, he decided to use it as inspiration for his collections. While trying to protect the name, he realised that a brand called Elka Watch had existed but disappeared in the 1970s. 

The historical brand of Elka watches was created by Dutchman Mr. Louis Eduard Kiek. Together with his father and brother-in-law, he founded a company in 1913 that was later called Elka Watch Co. ELKA was an abbreviation for Edouard Louis Kiek Amsterdam. 

In 1949, a branch was opened in Switzerland as well.In addition to pocket watches, wristwatches and jewellery watches, the Dutch company supplied Braille, chess, signal and stamp watches, among others. In addition, the family operated exclusive boutiques in Amsterdam, where Rolex, Ulysse Nardin, Vulcain, Breitling, Universal, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Blancpain watches were sold (with co-branding on the dials), as well as large and small watches of the Elka brand.

In the 1970s, the brand disappeared like so many others under the influence of the quartz watch. Ernst Louis Kiek, the last owner, continued to run the shop on the Kalverstraat with his wife Edith Verpoort until 2000, when the company was finally dissolved. As they did not have any children, it was their wish that the brand name went with them. Therefore, the current Elka Watch Company has no ties with the original Dutch brand.