German Watch Manufacturers

In the list below we present the websites of the established German watch manufacturers. Companies buying their collection from Asia are not included. This list is constantly "under construction". If you are a German watch manufacturer and want to be in this list then please send us an e-mail: info@watchuseek.com

A.Lange & Söhne
Alexander Shorokhoff
Almanus
A.Mantei Archimede (by Ickler)
Arctos
Aristo Vollmer
Ars eTempus Watches in Gold and PT
Askania Uhren
Autran & Viala (by Ickler)
Bagger & Gehring, featuring precious cases in silver, gold, white gold
Bethge & Söhne
B. Junge & Söhne
Blancier Lotterman & Söhne
Botta
Brior
Bruno Söhnle
Bunz Christian Klings
Chronoswiss
Churpfälzische UhrenManufactur
Costro by Peter Göttert
Damasko
Damasko US
DEFAKTO
D.Dornblüth & Sohn
Egon Hummel
Erhard Junghans
Erwin Sattler
Forum
Fricker
Garde
Genesis
Genius by Wolfgang Steinkühler (Sothis)
George J Von Burg
Germano
Glashütte OriginalGraf Zeppelin (from Pointtec)Greve-Uhrendesign
Guinand (former Chronosport by Helmut Sinn)
Hacher
Haldi Hanhart
Heinrich Geisen
Hemess
Hentschel
H.F. Bauer
Holdermann & Sohn Jacques Etoile
JB-Gioacchino
Jochen Benzinger
Jörg Schauer
Jubilar
Joyeux
Junghans
Junkers (from Pointtec)Kadloo
Kazimon
Kronsegler
Kudoke
Laco Lang & Heyne
Lehmann Schramberg
Leinfelder Uhrenmanufaktur
Leumas
Limes (by Ickler)Lindburgh & Benson LOWIN Cologne
Marcello C.
Maximilian (from Pointtec)Mechanische Zeitinstrumente
Meer - MAR, 2010 - web site active, but Jürgen Meer says no more watchesMeistersinger
Mercure by Klaus Jakob
Montano
Moritz Grossmann
MSC uhren (M. Schneider & Co.)Mühle Glashütte
Nauticfish
Neuhaus
Nienaber Bünde (Rainer Nienaber)Niessing
Thomas Ninchritz
Nivrel
Nomos Glashütte
Otium Otto Berger
Philippe Rosen
Rainer Brand
Rainer Nienaber
Rheinmeister (Dirk Maier, 1 NOV 2011: rheinmeister.com and watchplan.com exist, but no content)Riedenschild
Schäuble & Söhne
Schaumburg
Schmeltzer 1881 Schneider Manufaktur Sinn Sothis
Steinhart
Stowa Temption
Tourby Watches Hagen
Tutima
Uhr
Union Glashütte
UTS
Volker Vyskocil
Wempe
Wilhelm Rieber Tourbillons
Zeppelin Uhren (from Pointtec)ZiB Uhrenatelier ("Zeit in Berlin")

Mike A. (aka redstart) compiled a google map documenting current German watchmaking.
You´ll find the map here: GERMAN WATCHMAKING
The map is accessible to the public, and - according to redstart - the site location should be permanent.

source: http://forums.watchuseek.com/f8/german-watch-manufacturers-3277.html

SINN - GERMAN TECHNOLOGY INC.

Five Sinn Watches Being Tested on Simulated Round-road Track

Posted by admin on March 5th, 2011

To demonstrate how our watches react to shocks, Sinn contacted the Fraunhofer-Institut LBF in Darmstadt. They were to subject the watches to endurance tests carried out on the steering wheel of a test chassis on a simulated rough-road track. The renowned and internationally recognised institute has over 70 years of experience in conducting endurance tests. These provide the scientific basis for all safety-relevant designs such as automobile structures, aircraft wings or rolling stock. Their core competence still lies primarily in system reliability and adaptronics. The research work of the Fraunhofer LBF feeds into the approval conditions for development work carried out by the German, European and American automotive and aircraft industries and their suppliers. For the endurance tests we deliberately chose not just rally chronographs but also classic watches such as the Frankfurt Finance watch (model 6000). After all – all SINN watches need to be robust and suitable for everyday use!

The planned tests on the full vehicle test rig at the Fraunhofer LBF in Darmstadt were a first: it is normally cars which are subjected to rigorous tests here under the watchful eye of Dipl.-Ing. Marc Wallmichrath. The 757 DIAPAL, 900 FLIEGER, U1000, Frankfurt Finance Watches 6000 and 91 models were fastened to the steering wheel of the test chassis for the endurance tests. Drivers’ hands intuitively compensate any jolts, and so the watches were mounted on plastic rings to simulate this damping action.

The first endurance test got under way. How well would the five SINN watches perform? They were facing an extreme endurance test, after all. The test chassis was gradually subjected to ever stronger movements, shaken by powerful jolts and vibrations as if driving along a road full of pot-holes. The steering wheel with the watches had been secured with belts beforehand, as there was no driver in the test vehicle. As a consequence of the simulated jolts, the steering wheel made small but violent movements to the right and left, punctuated by short, relatively motionless phases. The test was designed so that any acceleration to the wrist could be measured, too. After two rough test runs – for 30 minutes and 13 hours (equivalent to 300 km) respectively – all eyes turned to the unerring electronic timing machine. This indicated how well the watches had passed the unusual test by taking measurements and making comparisons. “During their 13 hours on the test rig, the watches have experienced 300 km under the most severe rough-road conditions – an ordeal which no test driver could be expected to endure,” said Dipl.-Ing. Marc Wallmichrath. Would the watches’ accuracy be compromised, for instance? No, in both tests, the watches performed admirably – test passed with flying colours. Read the report on the next page for more detailed results.

From the test, we can see this, despite the enormous stress levels to which our watches were subjected, they all passed both tests with flying colours. This proved their robustness and suitability for everyday use – even when exposed to severe vibration and jolts. As we see, SINN watches are very difficult to shock! The test conducted by the Fraunhofer LBFin Darmstadt demonstrates impressively just how perfectly SINN watches function – even when subjected to extreme conditions. You can always rely on mechanical watches – especially those protected by innovative SINN technologies. Nevertheless, all types of stress leave their mark and so your should keep it to a minimum by ensuring that you never expose your watch to unnecessary wear and tear.

Buckle-up the Explorer

Buckle-up the Explorer

Rolex Explorer I Darling of Fashion?

Rolex Explorer I has always been one of the most popular and attractive watches, black dial and 3-6-9 Arabic numeral hour markers gave Explorer I charming style – elegant and sports. It was the favorite of celebrities and has been reported by many popular watch magazines, even Explorer I has become the darling of fashion in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan. The initiator leading this trend was Takuya Kimura in the film Love Generation. Because Love Generation was very hot, the crystal apple that appeared occasionally in the movie, the Explorer I Ref. 14270 Takuya Kimura wore and other related items, they therefore became the center of public attention.(You feel exaggerated ? So imagine that: in the film Beautiful Life, which was played by Takuya Kimura and Takako Tokiwa, there were even some people rushed to buy the wheelchair that was sat by Takako Tokiwa, you could realize the craziness of groupies.)

Love Generation still: left is crystal apple, the right shows Takuya Kimura was wearing Explorer 14270.

Leaving groupies’ fanaticism, Explorer I itself was actually a very attractive watch, besides its technological achievements, there were full of historical allusions behind the sports and elegant appearance of Explorer I, like Rolex’s other sports models. Although the latest Explorer I Ref. 114270 (that was introduced in 2001) was still similar to 14270 in appearance, it has a few modifications, the most obvious was the original 3-6-9 luminous hour markers have been replaced by metal markers, case design, movement and crystal glass also had slight changes.

Read more :  http://www.rolex-chat.com/a-complete-review-of-rolex-explorer-i.html

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012

Hopefully it is not too late to wish you all a happy new year 2012.

I think it's gonna be a casual season for my Explorer this year.

The Argument Against Rolex Watches

Disagree? Let us know on the posts. And come back to AM next Thursday, when the rebuttal to this argument - Ariel Adam's Argument For Rolex Watches - will be published.

Let’s get one thing straight: Rolexes are for people that know names but don’t know watches. For the price Rolex charges, you can buy dozens of other watches that are better looking, more accurate, much less common, and don’t make you look like you're an overweight white man coming off the golf course. Consider this: When former model Carla Bruni hooked up with newly minted French president Nicolas Sarkozy, the very first thing she did was make him swap out his gold Rolex for a much more refined Patek Philippe. Rolexes reek of desperation.

No one in their right mind should spend their hard earned money on a new Rolex. Here's why.

Rolex movements are over-hyped
First, the movement quality of your run-of-the-mill Rolex is nothing special. In fact, many much more affordable Swiss watches use movements that keep time just as well. To add insult to injury, there are even some Chinese, Japanese and Russian movements that are just as -- if not more -- accurate as a standard Rolex movement.

Rolex watches look stale
Rolex’s designs are stale. This brand hasn’t released a truly new model in over a decade, and the majority of the watches it makes today are exact duplicates of the watches it made half a century ago. In fact, the biggest innovation it has made in recent years is a new metal called “Rolesor,” which is heavily advertised as a great new substance for watchmaking. Guess what; it’s just steel and gold.

Rolex stories are nothing but a myth
All those stories you hear about Rolexes being chosen as the watch for great adventures are only half true. For example, Rolex claims Sir Edmund Hillary wore an Explorer when he scaled the summit of Mount Everest for the first time. This is not the case. In fact, he only carried the Explorer until he reached the summit and then put on a watch from a small British company called Smiths. Hillary even wrote a signed letter endorsement to Smiths stating: “I carried your watch to the summit and it worked perfectly.” Rolex also submitted a watch to NASA in the early ‘60s to be considered for use in the moon missions. We all know how that turned out.

Rolex watches are for seniors or rappers
It is rare for a brand to be considered both stodgy and lame and ghetto fabulous at the very same time, yet Rolex has done it. If you ask one person on the street what they think of Rolex, they’ll tell you their elderly grandfather wears one in between rounds of golf and his daily 2 p.m. nap. If you ask another, they’ll tell you the only people that wear Rolexes are athletes and rappers. So which are you, a sleepy 85-year-old bald man or an 18-year-old athlete from the hood trying to prove his worth to the world?

Still not convinced that Rolex watches are overdone? We have one more argument after the jump..Rolex watches are for posers

If you are not one of the two groups mentioned above, wearing a Rolex oozes desperation. Yes, a Rolex is the most recognizable watch on the planet -- now is that supposed to be a good thing? Young men that don a Rolex are perceived as self-absorbed, insecure and image-obsessed by those around them. Essentially, you just look like a douche. Be confident enough in yourself and in your sense of style that you don’t need to be wearing a veritable calling card of the nouveau riche.

to rolex or not to rolex? not.
Rolex is masterful at branding, and mediocre at watchmaking. Do yourself a favor and pass on the Submariner, Datejust and Daytona. For the price you’ll pay for a new Rolex you can buy a vintage Steve McQueen Heuer, an equally high-quality Omega Aqua Terra Chronograph or even a limited edition boutique diving watch from Linde Werdelin. Don’t be fooled by the Rolex marketing machine. Be your own man and the next time someone tries to impress you with a Rolex, sit back and try not to make them feel bad about wearing an overpriced, under-designed, neon sign of a watch. If all this wasn’t enough to make you forget Rolex forever, we’ll leave you with one final argument: Tara Reid loves Rolex. If that doesn’t make you run in the other direction, we don’t know what will.

Read more: http://www.askmen.com/fashion/trends_500/515b_the-argument-against-rolex-watches.html#ixzz1iJoIupws

SEIKO 7S26-0020 vs ROLEX 3130 Re Test

ROLEX EXPLORER and SEIKO DIVER'S RE TESTED AND COMPARED AFTER 9 MONTHS OF HEAVY USAGE.

Conclusion:
With the price tag,
with all the day-date complication,
with the age circa 1996 2001 Production date 1D (same age as the Explorer K series)
SEIKO 7S26(A)-0020 functions accordingly as expected.(including the SKX013)

With the price tag,
without day-date complication,
with COSC standard,
with the age circa 2001 (K series),
ROLEX 3130 function accordingly as expected.

I'm happy with both watches, plus the Pro Trek as well.

I'm returning the 7S26 gold plated to my dad. Hopefully he will be happy with the performance of the overhauled watch too.

If God willing, perhaps the next test will be a high end Seiko Movement vs Rolex Movement. I'm hoping to get a sample for the test, (I mean if I got extra cash to purchase the next watch and to do the testing, not to purchase just for testing :-)). The bulky Marine Master perhaps...?aaaa...just wait.

Japanese's high end mechanical movement is known for it consistency and reliability, can wait for the next purchase...no problem, not in hurry.

SOMEBODY NEED TO TEST THIS :-) ( as I couldn't find it in youtube).

(A3) ACCURACY AND RELIABILITY
My Marine Master is almost on par with my Submariner Date. Both watches are running at +5 to +7 seconds per month. For the Seiko Marine Master priced at 1/3 the cost of a Rolex Submariner, I would say that it is good value for the money. However, we have yet to see a Marine Master perform accurately for a 10 to 20 year period for they have not been around that long. Rolex Submariners from the 1980s can run very accurately for their age. Some owners claim accuracy of about +/- 10 to 15 seconds per month.

Both watches have been tested in the open ocean and not in some machine isolated a watch laboratory. Rolex had officially issued COMEX and US Navy SEALS professional divers with Submariners and Sea Dwellers for their jobs. Likewise, Seiko had issued Japanese Marine Biologists with their watches as well. Not to mention the countless testimonials from deep sea divers, their trust on Rolex and Seiko. Thus, I would say that they are “battle” proven over the years.

The down side to the Marine Master is that it must be sent back to Japan for maintenance. The regional Seiko service centers do not conduct servicing of the 8L35 movement. Warranty is only valid in Japan. On the other hand, Rolex service centers are around the world. This also makes the Marine Master a much rarer watch outside Japan when compared to the Submariner or Sea Dweller. Warranty is international.
source :

Seiko Marine Master vs Rolex Submariner Date (Version 3)