What do people say when they’re asked where all high end watches come from? That’s right, Switzerland. But what a lot of people don’t know is that for decades now, the Germans are making high end watches that match every aspect of their Swiss counterparts.
The German village of Glashütte doesn’t ring a bell with most people. But in fact it is the epicenter of German watchmaking. Brands like A Lange & Söhne, Glashütte Original, Nomos and Moritz Grossman all house there. In 1845, Ferdinand A Lange brought watchmaking to the village.
The brand flourished until the second world war. As all companies, A Lange & Söhne had a rough time during the war. After the war was done, all companies in Glashütte fell under the Soviet-regime and had to produce military watches. After the fall of the iron curtain, the watchmakers of Glashütte started to rebuild the reputation of their watches. Thankfully, a lot of watch enthousiasts fell in love again with the charm of the watches and their characteristics such as the three-quarter plate, the swan-neck fine adjustment and the sunburst decorated wheels. These features are all typical for watches from Glashütte and even date back to the late 1800’s. Today the German watches are known for their highly decorated movements and quality which can easily match that of Swiss watch manufacturers.