Watchmaking in Germany

Watchmaking in Germany

THE WATCH FILES

Watchmaking in Germany

A curated selection of Europa Star articles on the German watch scene.

German watchmaking

German watchmaking

GALLERY

From Pforzheim to Glashütte

From Pforzheim to Glashütte

Mention Germany and the conversation will likely turn to topics such as football, particularly as the country recently hosted the Euro cup. But the nation (...)

“The number one challenge in Glashütte is finding labour”

“The number one challenge in Glashütte is finding labour”

A small cog in the great Swatch Group machine, the Union Glashütte brand has a history which stretches back to the 19th century and since the 1990s has made (...)

Tutima, pioneering the German wristwatch

Tutima, pioneering the German wristwatch

Tutima originated with the transition from pocket watch to wristwatch; a movement spearheaded in Glashütte, in the 1920s, by the founder of the brand. (...)

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Nomos, independence all the way

Nomos, independence all the way

SERIES

The Glashütte brand invested some 11 million euros in its Swing System escapement. Established in 1990, in a German watch industry whose high-end production (...)

Junghans, Germany's industrial champion

Junghans, Germany’s industrial champion

Few German brands came through the turbulent twentieth century unscathed. Junghans is one. Possibly the only one. In the early 1900s, it was the largest (...)

Mühle-Glashütte: multiple lives, one family

Mühle-Glashütte: multiple lives, one family

SERIES

Because of the industry’s tumultuous history, it’s rare for a German watch brand to have remained in the hands of successive generations of a single family (...)

Alexander Shorokhoff, different by design

Alexander Shorokhoff, different by design

SERIES

In complete contrast with the functional, minimalist designs of many German brands, Alexander Shorokhoff’s watches are an explosion of creativity. Not (...)

MeisterSinger single-handedly reinvents dial design

MeisterSinger single-handedly reinvents dial design

SERIES

Since the first modern wristwatches, dials have served a practical purpose to display the hours, minutes and seconds. Even with the addition of (...)

Jean Marcel, a family affair

Jean Marcel, a family affair

SERIES

There are brands whose story is one of centuries of craftsmanship and heritage mixed with innovation. Others, such as Jean Marcel, tell of a family’s (...)

A. Lange & Söhne, beauty from within

A. Lange & Söhne, beauty from within

SERIES

The Glashütte brand is the flag-carrier for fine German watchmaking, yet unlike certain of its Swiss rivals, its history is one of stops and starts, great (...)

Our series on German watchmaking

Our series on German watchmaking

INTRODUCTION

Mention Germany and the conversation will likely turn to football, particularly as the country recently hosted Euro 2024. But this soccer-loving nation has (...)

Leica's dream: to capture time and keep it

Leica’s dream: to capture time and keep it

With its new ZM11 watch, the German company is detaching itself from its photographic aura and launching itself body and soul into a watchmaking venture, (...)

Watch Q&A with... Hannes Steim – Junghans

Watch Q&A with... Hannes Steim – Junghans

“Expanding internationally with genuine ’made in Germany’ products”

Watch Q&A with... Uwe Ahrendt – Nomos Glashütte

Watch Q&A with... Uwe Ahrendt – Nomos Glashütte

“With slim, elegant watches from Glashütte we’re right on target today”

Sinn, a German success story

Sinn, a German success story

HISTORY

CEO and owner Lothar Schmidt is celebrating 25 years as the manager of Sinn Spezialuhren. In a tough environment for independent watch brands and without (...)

150 years of resilience at Mühle-Glashütte

150 years of resilience at Mühle-Glashütte

GERMAN WATCH INDUSTRY

For five generations, the Mühle family has been producing high accuracy instruments in Glashütte: first measurements tools, then marine chronometers, and (...)

Hanhart 2.0

Hanhart 2.0

GERMANY

The German chronograph brand founded in 1882 is undergoing a major transformation. It is now run by two young entrepreneurs from the region, who have set (...)

Meistersinger: oh happy Moon…

Meistersinger: oh happy Moon…

An astronomical single-hand watch, the Lunascope is the new Meistersinger’s offering with moon-phase display. The Big Moon featured on the dial is (...)

An unspectacular German watch market

An unspectacular German watch market

WORLD MARKETS

2017 will be remembered as an unspectacular year for the German watch market. Yet, with hardly any growth, a business that just represents 2012 figures and (...)

An interview with Eva-Kim Wempe

An interview with Eva-Kim Wempe

GERMANY

An interview with Eva-Kim Wempe, CEO of Wempe watch retailer

Germany: losing the mid-price segment

Germany: losing the mid-price segment

MARKETS

Germany is considered a conservative and demanding watch market. Due to its overall robust economy, in times of crisis the watch market feels negative (...)

Glashütte: a 170-year-old watchmaking start-up

Glashütte: a 170-year-old watchmaking start-up

GERMANY

Ruined, oppressed, plundered – Germany’s watchmaking stronghold has succeeded in rising from the ashes several times over. Its “quartz crises” were real wars, (...)

Glashütte: one village, several manufactures

Glashütte: one village, several manufactures

GERMANY

Ruined, oppressed, plundered – Germany’s watchmaking stronghold has succeeded in rising from the ashes several times over. Its “quartz crises” were real wars, (...)