Frankfurt, Schramberg, Glashütte: the heart of the German watch industry beats in three cities and brims with diversity. From the engineering wonder of a Sinn special watch to the Bauhaus-inspired elegance of Junghans watches, the spectrum of automatic models is huge and competes against a Glashütte brand world that couldn’t be more varied. Our guide explains which automatic watches are the optimum for your taste and wallet.

Sinn watches: Professional instruments for every use

If you talk about automatic watches from German manufacturers, you can’t avoid the traditional company from Frankfurt am Main, which was founded in 1961. Worldwide, the company represents the prototype of robust, technically advanced timepieces for everyday life and the toughest operations. Up to 2,000 meters water depth in the automatic U2? No difficulty at all. Special developments such as the JAGDUHR 3006, the EZM 12 specially designed for air rescue services and the EZM 7 fire department watch demonstrate the enormous degree of specialization at Sinn. Although the company uses mostly bought-in movements from Sellita, which is why manufacture enthusiasts don’t get their money’s worth, it offers an unparalleled pool of ingenious developments in return. No other automatic watches from German manufacturers can boast the scratch-resistant TEGIMENT technology, the Ar-Dehumidifying technology to increase functional reliability, or the HYDRO technology, which enables mirror-free reading under water.

Target group: Technology enthusiasts, practically oriented watch wearers who are looking for a quality product for life are in the right place with Sinn. But beware: classics such as the Frankfurt Financial District Watches and the Pilot’s Watch 104 also cater to elegant preferences.

Junghans: Dedicated to elegance

German automatic watches with a real “gentleman” factor are made in the small town of Schramberg in Baden-Württemberg, where Junghans has been manufacturing its quality mechanical products since 1861. Compared to Sinn, the manufacturer prioritizes aesthetic considerations in its most famous models: Max Bill watches, the Junghans Meister collection and other lines stand for minimalism, Bauhaus charm and domed watch glass with maximum recognition value.

From a functional perspective, few automatic watches from German manufacturers in this price segment are more exciting: the Meister Worldtimer has made the world time watch affordable, the Meister Gangreserve has established a completely new representation of the remaining automatic power, and the iconic Max Bill Automatic needs no explanation at all. Relative to Sinn, the entry into the world of automatics is more affordable: while the Frankfurt-based company starts at around 1,000 euros with the 556 model series, the Schramberg-based company has a chic basic model in its lineup for around 700 euros with the Form A watch.

Target group: Traditionalists who appreciate a timeless look and can do without German manufacture movements will get their money’s worth with Junghans watches. The variety of colors and functions is excellent for both sexes.

Glashütte: Where does the journey begin in the German watch mecca?

By far the largest variety of automatic watches from German manufacturers is produced in the Müglitz Valley in Saxony: Typical identifying features such as decentralized dials and the large panorama date extend through all price ranges – from the entry-level secret tip Bruno Söhnle to Germany’s most exclusive watch manufacturer, A. Lange & Söhne. Bruno Söhnle is one of those manufacturers that many buyers don’t have on their radar, despite an incredibly interesting automatic range. Wrongly so! Especially the collections Pesaro II, Munich and Stuttgart are a prime example of local elegance. Exceptional rarities like the Rondo Automatic Regulator stand for traditional design at a fair price and clearly stand out from the crowd. Although so-called “atelier calibers” with their own modifications and decorations are built into more upscale models, anyone looking for complete German manufacture movements should knock on Nomos Glashütte’s door in the neighborhood.

Nomos: Manufacture automatic watches in a unique style

Like Junghans, the brand, founded in 1990, draws much of its inspiration from the Bauhaus style that shaped its four basic collections: the Tangente, Orion, Ludwig, and Tetra. What excites us most about Nomos is the affordability of genuine manufacture movements like the DUW 3001 in the Club Campus Neomatik 39: no other automatic watches from German manufacturers offer fully in-house mechanics below the 2,000-euro mark that also feature the in-house developed assortment (“Swing System”). A cream puff for technology maniacs! Compared to the likewise in-house hand-wound movements, however, the percentage price surcharges are hefty, which is why we recommend taking a look at the variants without a rotor.

Mühle and Union: Renaissance Glashütte traditional brands

If you want to wear a German watch with a nautical tradition dating back to the 19th century, Mühle Glashütte is the right choice: Compared to Nomos, the self-winding calibers, such as the SW-200 in the Teutonia II Medium, are bought in, but are more affordable in return. The Panova three-hand watch brings endless character to the wrist in three-digit spheres and is one of our absolute watch favorites from Germany.

Those who prefer professionalism to elegance benefit from the nautical experience at Mühle: models like the S.A.R. Rescue Timer withstand the toughest conditions, while the chronographs are powerful masculine statements. The Teutonia Sport I in particular deserves a closer look.

If you want to experience your automatic watches from German manufacturers in classic beauty and without frills, you can’t miss the Union Glashütte range. Timeless dress watches like the Viro Datum, Noramis and Seris are the hobbyhorse of the brand founded in 1893 by entrepreneurial genius Johannes Dürrstein. But there’s another way: if you love edgy watches with the exotic factor, you couldn’t wear a more original design legend than the Union Glashütte Averin Chronograph Moonphase.

High-end with a German touch

We’ve talked a lot about affordable automatic watches from German manufacturers, but the domestic watch industry also dominates the upper end of the spectrum with two top manufactures: Glashütte Original and A. Lange & Söhne. At first glance, the similarities can be striking; especially the dials of the luxury Pano Edition and Lange 1 collections seem like siblings. The difference lies in the price range: if you want to wear perfect luxury in the traditional style of Saxon watchmaking, you buy an original and get a top-notch overall package with a very good price-performance ratio, from the manufacture movement to the finest ornaments. Those who spend an average of 5,000 to 15,000 euros for a Glashütte Original receive quality standards that surpass even Swiss contenders like Omega and Breitling.

It’s hard to imagine Lange & Söhne playing in a different league again. The fact is: the high-end luxury brand produces the most exclusive, elaborate and in every respect spectacular hand-wound and automatic watches from German manufacturers. Only 5,000 units are produced per year, each one meticulously assembled, disassembled and reassembled by hand to ensure a level of perfection that has no equal in this country. The manufacture also sets technical standards: most watch experts worldwide agree that the Datograph ticks the best chronograph movement of all time. The pleasure begins at around 20,000 euros for the simplest Saxonia with three hands.

Der Beitrag German manufacturer automatic watches in comparison erschien zuerst auf Uhrinstinkt Magazine.

One of the greatest mysteries of the mechanical watch world is how to construct a precise escapement. Only a few companies possess the expertise to manufacture the extremely delicate assembly that sets the pace. In 2014, Nomos Glashütte succeeded in doing the seemingly impossible: After seven years of development and an investment of eleven million euros, the successful Saxon brand launches its own escapement, the Swing System, and gains complete independence in movement production.

What makes the escapement so complicated?

The escapement, also called assortment or regulator, is both the heart and the most complicated component of a mechanical movement. Acoustically characterized by the typical ticking sound, the escapement gives its timepiece its beat and consists of several components, all of which must have only minimal manufacturing tolerances. Otherwise, the precise display of the time would be impossible.

The main components of the assortment are the balance, hairspring, escape wheel and pallet, supplemented by other microscopic parts. The extremely thin hairspring in particular, which is increasingly made of silicon in modern watch movements for reasons of reliability and robustness, requires an immeasurable amount of effort to produce, which only companies with generous budgets can afford. The central challenge is the small format of the escapement in wristwatches – if the assembly is designed for larger timepieces, the implementation is far simpler.

Knowledge from a past time

The fact that Nomos came up with its own escapement, the Swing System, in 2014 caused quite a stir in the watch world. That’s because the Glashütte company couldn’t use existing literature or mathematical calculations of assortments – the latter didn’t exist. There were historical reasons for this: With the emergence of the first quartz movements in the late 1960s, many people in the watch industry believed that the mechanical movement had no future. They imagined an electronic future on the wrist.

Survival was in the foreground. After the end of the quartz crisis, the decisive knowledge about precise assortments remained with two companies: Swatch subsidiaries ETA and Nivarox. Those who wanted to build mechanical watches from then on had two options: The safe and relatively inexpensive purchase from the Swiss monopolist or the risky in-house development with unknown costs.

90 percent manufacture movement are not enough

It is understandable that, in view of this uncertainty, most watch brands in the mid-price segment opt for the safe route. In practice, however, this means that many of the manufacture calibers we know are not at all one hundred percent in-house developments – although most components are manufactured, assembled and checked “in-house,” the tiny assortment has to be bought in. Nomos Glashütte was in the same position before the Swing System. Since its foundation in 1990, the brand has gradually increased its independence.

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First from an aesthetic perspective – with the timeless Bauhaus designs of its original collections Orion, Tangente, Ludwig and Tetra from 1991 – and then from a technical perspective. The most important year for the brand was 2005, when it made its ceremonial step towards manufacture with the presentation of the Alpha movement. The latter enormously enhanced the reputation of the young brand in professional circles and contributed significantly to its recognition as a permanent fixture in the Glashütte watch world. A whopping 80 percent of the work on the movement is now carried out in the hometown.

Swing System from Nomos: The ultimate in-house technology

However, 80 percent is not enough to achieve the goal of complete independence from third-party sources – the Alpha factory’s assortment still has to be sourced from Switzerland. Only the Swing System from Nomos was to change this situation. In 2007, the vision of an in-house escapement was born when the watch manufacturer embarked on the mammoth task in cooperation with the Technical University of Dresden.

The advantage over previous decades: Complex computer simulations allow calculation of the interaction of all components that must mesh smoothly in the assortment. In addition to the structure, the materials are a central challenge in the Swing System. Nomos is receiving support from the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology in Dresden, which is driving the search for modern materials. Key roles on the way to a one hundred percent manufacture caliber are played by the young technicians Theodor Prenzel and Lutz Reichel, who help the Swing System progress from prototype to series production.

“Like landing on the moon”

In 2014, the mega-project is completed after seven years and over 11 million euros in development costs. The Swing System celebrates its glorious world premiere at Baselworld, where the experts cannot help but be amazed. Suddenly, Nomos is no longer one of many brands in the mid-price segment, but belongs to a small circle of elite watch companies that can mass-produce their own regulation system. How significant the step is for the company is aptly expressed by CEO Uwe Ahrendt at the time: it feels like landing on the moon, says the company boss.

Speaking of showcases, the technology made its market debut in the Metro hand-wound watch, followed by its gradual adoption in the rest of the product portfolio. Today, the Swing System is mainly represented in the middle and top of the product world, while most entry-level models are fired by the Alpha.

In which watches does the Swing system work?

To identify watches with the Swing System, you should look for the movement designation “DUW”: Common hand-wound movements with the in-house escapement are the DUW 4101, which is installed in the classic Nomos Glashütte Metro 38 Datum, among others, and the DUW 4401 used in the Tangente Datum Gangreserve.

If it has to be an automatic movement, we recommend the Nomos Glashütte Minimatik and the Nomos Glashütte Metro neomatik – both editions are powered by the DUW 3001 and are distinguished by their simple, reduced aesthetics. Enthusiasts can also enjoy the manufacture escapement in automatic watches with the DUW calibers 5201, 5101, 5001 and 6101.

Once the decision has been made in favor of the Swing System, there is of course still the big question of appearance. Those who prefer compact watch sizes should definitely get to know the Minimatik in night blue (Ref. 1205) with its 35.5 millimeter diameter – if automatic winding is preferred, we recommend the 35 millimeter slim Metro neomatik (Ref. 1114).

Der Beitrag The Nomos Swing System erschien zuerst auf Uhrinstinkt Magazine.