A. Lange & Söhne, Aristo & Askania

Little by little many watchmakers all over Germany are forming an industry. Not big enough to replace the Pforzheim and Black Forrest clock and watch industry in the seventies of the last century. But especially in the Saxonian region of Glashütte, besides brands like A.Lange & Söhne and Glashütte Original some smaller companies are constantly growing. They have employed many people and have become the biggest employer in southeast Saxony, where unemployment in general is very high.
But it is not only famous companies that represent the German watch branch. Every year two or three young watchmakers or technicians have ideas and are encouraged enough to establish a small company. A network is developing. Some fail, but it is clear that there is a tendency for a larger amount of watch companies – which is something nobody would have considered possible a couple of years ago.

A. Lange & Söhne
A watch named after Richard Lange is intended to honour both the high precision pocket watches A.Lange & Söhne made before World War II and one of the sons of the brand’s founder, who was a scientist rather than a watchmaker. The gold watch ‘Richard Lange’ (diameter 40,5 mm, a platinum version is available) is equipped with a specially designed movement L041.2, consisting of 199 parts and featuring all the typical characteristics of Lange watches.

Aristo
Messerschmitt was a German aircraft producer in the thirties and forties of the last century and the ‘ME 109’ fighter planes were a kind of ‘natural enemy’ of the British ‘Spitfire’, after which an IWC-collection is named.
The Aristo men’s watch ‘ME 262’, however, is dedicated to the world’s first jet airplane. The watch with its oversized crown and a front view of the ME 262 on the dial is available with leather strap and steel bracelet. That version is called the ‘Small Tango’.

Askania
Askania is said to be named after an aristocratic Brandenburg family. The company Askania, however, was founded in 1871 by Carl Bamberg in Berlin. He was a watchmaker’s son and was an apprentice at Carl Zeiss, the famous producer of optical instruments. Askania then made precision instruments for the German navy as well as for scientists and observatories, and pilot watches. After its revival a couple of years ago, the brand now produces robust men’s watches like the ‘Quadriga’ a GMT-watch with a limited production of 135 pieces to honour this year’s anniversary of the establishment of the company.

Brior
Holger Wecker, watchmaker and goldsmith and owner of Brior made his first step into watch production with wristwatches with cases of briarwood. Besides his wood collection of some 15 different models, Wecker turned to ‘normal’ timepieces made of steel. His latest creation is the ‘Diamond Date’ in which Wecker lets a disc turn instead a hand showing the date. The pointer is a diamond, which rotates once in a month.




Mühle, Junghans & Glasshütte


Glashütte Original
The ‘PanoMaticVenue’ of Glashütte Original is a second time zone watch with exemplary readability and clarity. The second zone time is shown on a small sub-dial. Though it is not necessary, the Glashütte watchmakers added a darkened sector, in order to make it perfectly clear whether it is day or night at the place one travels to or where the intention is to call someone.
The ‘Venue’ is available in a limited edition of 200 pieces in Platinum and, in an unlimited version with a red gold case.

Junghans
Junghans, German biggest watch and clock manufacturer of the past, after a remarkable career as the number one producer of radio controlled wristwatches, seems to have returned a little to its roots. A good example for this trend is the new Junghans model ‘Attaché Chronograph’ which was launched earlier this year. The chronograph is made in the style of sports watches of the 1940s and 50s. Hence the big pushbuttons and a very clear dial with old fashioned looking numerals.

Mühle
‘Quadrant’ is the latest watch model of Nautische Instrumente Mühle Glashütte, which fits perfectly into one of the current trends. Mühle, originally a producer of heavy duty watches such as the watches for the staff of Germany’s SAR sea rescuers, has turned to a totally different kind of watch. The ‘Quadrant’ is a 38 mm square watch available with silvered or black dials and bears the name of a the nautical instrument used to find a ship’s position on the open sea.

Nomos
The ‘Tangente Sport Index’ is a mixture of the handsome Nomos Tangente and the elegant Nomos Orion. The dial, originally of Orion, is black with silver coloured hour markers, whilst the case was taken from Nomos’ success model Tangente. The new watch has a screw-on caseback and is especially robust and waterproof down to 100 metres.

Rainer Brand
The ‘Argus’ is a very elegant, very masculine and distinguished looking new watch from the Rainer Brand. With a diameter of 38 mm not one of the large watches so popular at present, the Argus is ideal for lovers of watches with a clear, classical design - and also suitable for men with small wrists. The watch comes in a stainless steel case and is water-resistant 100 metres.




Rainer Nienaber, Sothis & Temption


Rainer Nienaber
“I’ve added a gold case to my complicated watches,” Rainer Nienaber says with a smile. Obviously he made very solid cases, because they weigh more than 80 grams each. The configurations of the very classical watches have remained. There is one with a Regulator display, one with retrograde hour hand and one with retrograde minute hand. All watches look elegant and are also available with diamond settings.

Sothis
Sometimes, less is more, was the motto of Sothis, while designing their new model ‘Horus’. This chronograph works with only one rotating hand to show the time. The hand moves along a scale of some 190 degrees, pointing to the numerals with a sun symbol during the day and a star symbol at night. That way the user can clearly distinguish between a.m. and p.m. However, if you need to catch a train, go to the station early enough because the Horus is a watch for watch lovers, not for people who count the minutes.

Temption
Very sporty, with a clean design and perfect quality, but sometimes a little crazy. That is the likeable mixture for Temption watches. This year, Klaus Ulbrich, founder and owner of the small company, has introduced an automatic chronograph with red numerals and bezel as well as some other parts. The watch is equipped with an additional 24-hour sub-dial and has displays for the weekday, month and moon phases. Ulbrich has constructed a new steel case (34 mm diameter) and a new especially flat clasp for the leather strap.

Tutima
‘Valeo Reserve’ is the name of a new Tutima men’s watch which looks different to the other collections of the brand. The red gold Valeo is available in three dial versions (silver, dark grey and blue), has a big date at 12 o’clock and a power reserve indicator at 6 o’clock. The gold case has a screw-down crown and is water-resistant to 100 metres.


Source: Europa Star April-May 2006 Magazine Issue