West German watch brands: watch manufacturers Junghans, Lehmann, Stowa, Rohde, Sinn, Botta and Damasko enliven the watch scene

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Go West:

Deep in the west and south of the republic, manufacturers such as Lehman (photo), Stowa and Meistersinger are expanding their range

When you think of German watches, you immediately think of the Saxon watch mecca

. It wasn't until 2020 that the 175th anniversary of the watch industry was celebrated there. Since the fall of the Wall, there has been a race like Germany's Next Top Model - especially between the

Meanwhile, newcomers and underdogs like

the scene. The town, which only has around 7,000 inhabitants, can boast ten watch companies.

The watch manufacturers in the old federal states are less offensive.

Made in West Germany doesn’t need to hide.

If you look closely, you will discover famous traditional and family businesses, obsessed inventors and saucy start-ups that shape the second largest watch country in the world (after Switzerland).

In terms of precision, functionality and design, German watches are not only competitive, but are on average lower in price than luxury brands from Switzerland.

In the meantime, almost 100 German watch brands and a number of suppliers have established themselves, which are building up a steadily growing in-house production and in some cases even supplying their Swiss colleagues.

But it is also true that many German manufacturers are dependent on supplied Swiss watch movements and components.

Made in the country

The Black Forest is another large clock cluster. First and foremost the most famous manufacturer from the

with its 160-year history. Located in Schramberg, the company is privately owned by the Swabian investor Hans-Jochem Steim and produces around 60,000 watches annually. Success is not only due to the Swabian pricing policy, but also to the purist design

, which are particularly popular with younger audiences. In the global digitization boom, Junghans recently reanimated its world premiere from the 1970s - the radio-controlled wristwatch Mega, which can be had for just under 1000 euros.

In the neighboring town of Hardt, precious watches from the

brand are being built

. The cases are arched and the bracelets are integrated so that the watches nestle better on the wrist. In order to optimize the proportions, the completely retractable crown was invented and patented. And in order to be able to marvel at the calibers optimally, the rotors are made of sapphire glass. Ultimately, the design moves somewhere between modern classics and sober engineering style. But there is a perfectionist and enthusiast behind it: Markus Lehmann only founded the mini-manufactory in 2011, quickly gained the attention of watch connoisseurs and now has 12 employees. However, Lehmann's know-how has its price: Manufacture watches made in Hardt cost from 6,000 euros.

By contrast, the watch manufacturer

has won over fans around the world

with its digital pioneering work and affordable prices

. Jörg Schauer took over the somewhat outdated company from 1927 from the Black Forest 25 years ago. He consistently relied on mechanical calibers, reinterpreted successful models for pilots as well as Bauhaus design fans and only used direct sales - he promptly established the first online shop of a German watch brand. This strategy paid off especially in the Corona crisis. The

only took over

this summer

. The Munich group of the entrepreneur and scientist

is currently busy shopping and has also taken over the watch manufacturer Lang & Heyne Dresden and Uhren-Werke-Dresden.

In 2010 the Empus Arte Group founded

and has been involved in Blaken, the experts from the Sauerland for customizing luxury watches, since the summer.

German virtues as sales promoters - customer growth in the USA and China

Watch brands and jewelers with their own online shop have so far got through the pandemic best. Recently, some even experienced a small boom, but were mostly unable to resolve the misery by the beginning of the fourth wave. "At the moment, watchmaking companies are once again very satisfied with the development of orders," says Guido Grohmann. According to the managing director of the Federal Association of Jewelry and Watches, it is not the number of items, but rather "the average price of the receipt, which is even well above the value we had before Corona." It is bought in a higher quality and more consciously, especially from well-known brands.

The export figures of the Swiss watch association FHS also confirm the trend "quality instead of quantity".

Models over CHF 3,000 recently experienced double-digit growth.

The US (+ 35.6%) and China (+ 23%) markets serve as the driving force.

Europe, on the other hand, is weak (-6.2%), where Germany is one of the largest markets in the midfield (-6.0%), but Spain (-15.6%) and France (-28.3%) fall sharply.

The federal association does not see delivery bottlenecks or problems with suppliers for German watches.

The pandemic also shows in the watch industry that the strategy of relying on increased in-house production in the country is worthwhile.

However, the price of gold could continue to rise and these watch models could become more expensive in the foreseeable future.

Family businesses like

in Regensburg, that doesn't affect much. They rely on nitrogen-hardened submarine steel, silicon spirals and engineering with a strong character. Numerous patents and a lot of know-how of the materials expert and founder Konrad Damasko are behind it. He is actually a supplier of high-precision metal parts for the aerospace or automotive industries. The watch brand was added in 1994. She is now headed by his wife Petra, the two daughters are responsible for sales and marketing, the son is technical director with a total of 30 employees. The proportion of frills is almost zero, and that for vertical integration is 90 percent. Damasko was one of the very first watch manufacturers to use silicon spirals - they are corrosion and shock resistant, non-magnetic and work particularly precisely - and is thus the only German to this day.Despite the many patents, the prices for chronographs are less than 3,500 euros. That is well received internationally, especially in the USA, the brand's largest market.

Withstands the highest loads, is mercilessly functional and easy to read at all times - this is what the sporty special watches from

in Frankfurt am Main

stand for

.

Even the command of the Special Forces of the Navy (KSM) carries the models made of the extra hardened steel in action.

In the meantime, the owner Lothar Schmidt has expanded his range and is also equipping bankers and brokers for their combat missions on the stock exchange: the "Frankfurt Finanzplatzuhren" collection is less martial and a reasonable investment for less than 5,000 euros.

One-hand models: watches to slow down

These are also typical German watches: puristic one-hand models. You do without hectic seconds and minute hands, only have an hour hand. That has a relaxing, almost generous effect. Nevertheless, they allow meticulous reading of the time using distinctive five-minute indices and clear contrasts. Inspired by models from the Middle Ages, the designer

created

the first modern single-hand watch in 1986. Radical purism combined with extreme modernity define the character of his models, which he manufactures cheaply and, above all, successfully in Königstein using proven Swiss technology. Also the

company, founded in Münster in 2001

has specialized in one-hand watches and is particularly popular with Scandinavians and Dutch.

In the meantime, the company has developed its own calibres together with Swiss watchmakers and has an annual production of around 9,000 watches.