PUW (Pforzheimer Uhrenwerke)

Pforzheimer Uhrenwerke GmbH (PUW) was founded in 1948 in Pforzheim, Baden-Württemberg, by Hermann Wehner as a German movement manufacturer. The company peaked in 1971 as Europe's largest movement maker outside Switzerland, producing 2.3 million units annually. Pforzheim was Germany's watchmaking hub, producing 75% of domestic wristwatches by the mid-1970s. PUW developed several notable movements: the first electric movement Porta-Lip (Lip R27 caliber) in 1958, the in-house electric Kaliber 1000 (contact-controlled) in 1968, and the first quartz Kaliber 5002 in 1974. The company later collaborated with Junghans on women's quartz movements like Kaliber 632. By 1980, only mechanical Kaliber 1177 remained alongside quartz production; mechanical movement production ended in 1979. PUW movements like 1260, 1360, and 1001 (electric with date, circa 1966) gained international reputation for quality and precision, supplying local Pforzheim brands including Aristo, Laco, and Stowa. In 1988, PUW merged with case maker Rodi & Wienenberger (ROWI) to form Porta Micromechanik AG, peaking at 9 million quartz units in 1989. The quartz crisis devastated German watchmaking, and losses led to acquisition by Swiss SMH (later Swatch Group) in 1990. After the acquisition, production in Pforzheim ended, rendering the company defunct as an independent German entity.