Glashütte Original

Watchmaking in Glashütte began in 1845 when Ferdinand Adolph Lange, Moritz Grossman, Julius Assmann, and Adolf Schneider established operations in the Saxon town, chosen for its proximity to Dresden. By 1865, they had developed signature components that remain hallmarks of Glashütte watchmaking: the three-quarter plate, gold lever wheels, and chatons. Grossman founded the German School of Watchmaking in Glashütte in 1878. Alfred Helwig invented the flying tourbillon in 1921. World War I and hyperinflation affected sales. World War II bombing devastated the town. Under East German rule, all seven watchmaking companies were consolidated into the state-run VEB Glashütter Uhrenbetriebe (GUB) in 1951. Isolated from Western markets by the Iron Curtain, GUB continued producing mechanical movements. After German reunification in 1990, the company was re-registered as a private business. In 1994, Heinz W. Pfeifer acquired the company with 72 employees and renamed it Glashütte Original. The Swatch Group acquired the company in 2000. Since 2002, the company has operated the Alfred Helwig School of Watchmaking.