Posts filed under Glashütte Original

News: Glashütte Original Doubles the Number of Watchmaking Apprentices.

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Press Release

On Monday August 19, 2013, German watchmaker Glashütte Original welcomed twenty-eight new apprentices to start off their three-year training at the Alfred Helwig School of Watchmaking. Of 28 apprentices, 24 will learn the profession of watchmaking and 4 will acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to become toolmakers. This nearly 100% increase in the number of training positions represents one aspect of the Saxon manufacture's response to growing worldwide demand for its exclusive timepieces.

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Glashütte Original Managing Director Günter Wiegand formally presented the new apprentices to Gunnar Müller, director of the school, and his team of teachers. The new class is the 13th to begin its training since the company-owned school was opened in Glashütte in 2001.

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In the initial years of its operation, the school accepted 12 watchmaker apprentices each year; this year Glashütte Original doubled this number of watchmaker apprenticeship openings to 24. The number of beginning toolmaker apprentices grew from 3 to 4. The strong growth in the number of training positions has been accompanied by an expansion of the school's reach in recruitment; apprentices now come from all over Germany. Among the future watchmakers and toolmakers in this year's class are young people from Hamburg, the Rhineland and Baden-Württemberg. The Alfred Helwig school makes use of state-of-the-art equipment to provide students with the exceptionally high level of craft skills necessary to become professional watchmakers or toolmakers. Required courses in theory are accompanied by those offering experience and insight into in the practical aspects of the profession.

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In the course of the three or three and a half year training period, a number of different practical training courses bring students into selected areas of assembly and service at the Glashütte Original manufacture. The goal of the course is to teach students the traditional craft of watchmaking as well as introduce modern techniques and technologies and equip students to make effective use of them.

Considerable value is also placed on the maintenance of international standards of training, emphasized through the cooperation, unique in Germany, of the Glashütte Original Alfred Helwig School of Watchmaking with Switzerland's WOSTEP —Watchmakers of Switzerland Training and Educational Program. This partnership allows apprentice watchmakers who pass their final examination at the Alfred Helwig School to obtain, along with the German Skilled Worker's Certificate, the WOSTEP diploma.

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With the start of their training Managing Director Günter Wiegand made a promise to the new apprentices: if they complete their course with an overall grade higher than 2.0 —equivalent to mark B in the USA and in the UK—, they will obtain what has become a rarity in Germany today: a guaranteed job in the Glashütte Original manufacture or another Swatch Group company.

For more information on Glashütte Original click here.

Posted on August 27, 2013 by Editor & Publisher and filed under News, Glashütte Original and tagged Günter Wiegand Swatch Group Glashütte Original Manufacture Gunnar Müller Glashütte Germany WOSTEP Watchmakers of Switzerland Training and Educational Program Alfred Helwig School.

Insider: Glashütte Original Sixties Panorama Date. A German Modern Vintage Timepiece Where 'Less is More'.

In 1845, Ferdinand Adolphe Lange founded the first watch manufacture in Glashütte, Germany, a place well known for its silver mining industry. At the time, the goal was to turn Glashütte into a German watchmaking central. In 1927, the first Glashütte Original watch appeared —a ladies watch bearing the 'Glashütte Original' imprint on the dial.

In the early 1950s, GUB —VEB Glashütter Uhrenbetriebe— was formed through the merger of multiple firms including UROFA, UFAG, VEB Lange –formerly A. Lange & Söhne—, VEB Präzision Glashütte, VEB Messtechnik —formerly R. Mühle & Sohn—, VEB Feintechnik, VEB Estler and the Makarenko trade school.

In the mid sixties, two large automatic men's movements were launched under the 'Spezimatic' name and in 1978, the Glashütte Original 'Spezichron' with day and date was released.

Images below from the Glashütte Original website.

In the 1990s with the reunification of Germany, VEB Glashütter Uhrenbetriebe changed to Glashütter Uhrenbetriebe GmbH and in October of 2000, the brand was acquired by the Swatch Group to be transformed from a locally renowned brand into a global luxury name. Today, Glashütte Original is one of the most sough after watches by savvy watchlifestylers and those in the know.

The Sixties Panorama Date ref. 23947030204 we are reviewing here belongs to the 20th Century Vintage collection of Glashütte Original. The vintage look of this timepiece clearly reminiscences the iconic watches from the Mad Men era —a time in which your wristwatch didn't say much about yourself unless you were wearing a Rolex. Nowadays, watches have turned into a clear reflection of individual taste as well as personality.

The Sixties Panorama Date ref. 23947030204 in stainless steel is a vintage modern watch fitted with a 42 mm case, a domed flat top sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating, a black domed galvanized dial —with white markers and stylized Arabic numerals at 12, 9, 6 and 3—, a display case back and the usual Glashütte Original iconic big date indicator at 6 o'clock composed by two-independent discs.

While the dial on this watch is black —also available in blue and silver—, the color of it varies depending on lighting conditions, going all the way from jet black to graphite gray and every other hue in between.

The watch features a gorgeous Louisiana alligator strap with a pin buckle that is very comfortable, soft and extremely well crafted. You really can't expect anything less from a brand like Glashütte Original or any other brand owned by the Swatch Group.

The Sixties Panorama Date comes with a screwed display case back that is worth talking about. While most display case backs include a small sapphire crystal, the Sixties Panorama Date features a case back mainly composed by a domed flat top sapphire crystal —very similar to the one on the front of the watch— surrounded by a very thin stainless steel bezel that is secured to the case via five screws. This case back offers a fantastic full view of the gorgeous Glashütte automatic calibre 39-47.

Overall, this watch is not only beautiful but also very comfortable, regardless of its thick case construction. The watch sits very nicely on the wrist without protruding too much. One thing that is worth highlighting, is that due to the domed shape of the crystal, the watch appears to wear larger than 42 mm and more like a 44-45 mm watch.

The Glashütte Sixties Panorama Date is a watch that definitely comes with the prestige and craftsmanship that the most demanding watchlifestylers seek when buying that next piece to add to their collections.

If you want to look like Don Draper or Peter Campbell on that next new business pitch, this watch is a must have.

Sticker Price $9,200 USD. For more info click here.

Baselworld: Glashütte Original. Eight Novelties Handmade in Germany.

The Glashütte pavilion located right across from Jaquet Droz and some of the other Swatch Group pavilions presented a nice display of timepieces across their collections and the unveiling of eight spectacular new pieces of 20th century vintage looking watches including: the Sixties Panorama with date and without date, the PanoLunar Tourbillon, the Pavonina and four new Senators—Tourbillon, Chronometer Regulator, Panorama Date Moonphase and Panorama Date. Pictures below are in the same order.

For more info click here.