watchmaking capital Glashütte
tradition and entrepreneurial spirit
Glashütte in Saxony is the most important location for watchmaking in Germany. For just 7,000 inhabitants, there are 2,000 jobs "in the watch industry", as they say here. The German "watchmaking capital" has a long history, characterized by tradition, but also by a courageous entrepreneurial spirit.
The Transformation
Glashütte was originally founded in the 15th century to operate a mining industry. This is still evident today in the town's coat of arms with its crossed mining hammers. When mining was exhausted, the town had to reinvent itself - today we would probably speak of "transformation".
The beginnings around 1845
And, as is the case today, the focus was on replacing the old branch of industry with high technology. In the middle of the 19th century, this was watchmaking. The Saxon government encouraged and supported founders to settle in Glashütte and - in modern terms - to develop a cluster. The first entrepreneur in 1845 was Ferdinand Adolph Lange, after whom today's company A. Lange is named. As a student from the manufactory of the greatest watchmaker of all time, Abraham Louis Breguet, and the Saxon court watchmaker, he brought the highest level of expertise and contacts to the town.
First BLOOMING TIME
Watchmaking soon flourished in Glashütte. In 1878, the watchmaking school was founded by Moritz Grossmann - which also gave its name to a Glashütte factory today. Glashütte thus became a worldwide synonym for watches of the highest quality. The symbol of the watch became the second element of the city's coat of arms.
GLASHÜTTE TODAY
After the fall of the Berlin Wall and German reunification, Glashütte was soon able to renew this reputation. Since 2022, Glashütte has even been a term for watches protected by the federal government, such as champagne for sparkling wines. A watch that bears the sonorous name Glashütte on the dial must meet strict criteria. It is the only significant watch seal in the world outside of Switzerland.
AUS GLASHÜTTE
DIRECTLY TO YOUR HOME
The German Watch Manufactory Glashütte, or DUG for short, is a new company that builds on the unique tradition and quality of local watchmaking. DUG is now the tenth manufacturer in Glashütte. A DUG watch is therefore also on display in the local Museum of Watchmaking. At the same time, it also builds on the entrepreneurial spirit that made Glashütte so strong from 1845 and then again in the 1990s, because every era needs its new idea: through direct contact with the customer, genuine Glashütte watches can be sold really cheaply.
