Karl Geitz

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Karl Geitz (1913-2008)
Escapement model by Karl Geitz from 1988

Karl Geitz (born October 10, 1913 , † September 27, 2008 ) was a German watchmaker , specialist teacher and namesake of the Hessian watchmaking school .

Life

After completing his apprenticeship as a watchmaker, Karl Geitz received a scholarship to attend the German Watchmaking School in Glashütte in Saxony for his outstanding achievements . During his stay at the school from May 1934 to October 1935, he passed the Reife- und Meisterprüfung. As a school watch , he made a first-class pocket watch with lever escapement and, as a masterpiece in 1935, a large ladies' wristwatch with a three-quarter plate and Glashütte escapement wheel clamps based on a Urofa movement.

As a master student of the legendary DUS teacher Alfred Helwig , in 1935 he also built a flying one-minute tourbillon with spring escapement, up and down movement and two spring barrels connected in series , which went down in history as a particularly outstanding work with the DUS special number 34. At that time, tourbillons were only allowed to be built with the approval of the school management after it was determined that the student had the necessary skills and stamina. This tourbillon won first prize in the special class category at a chronometer competition organized by the Deutsche Seewarte in Hamburg in 1937 - the highest award that a mechanical pocket watch could achieve at the time.

Upon leaving school, Karl Geitz received a certificate of appreciation from the Großmann Foundation and worked for a short time at Willenberg in Mainz. From October 1936 to 1945 he was a teacher at the German watchmaking school Glashütte in Glashütte and the local watchmaking school there

In 1951 Karl Geitz set up the state specialist class for watchmakers in Frankfurt am Main. This was the cornerstone for the Hessian watchmaking school. He remained the director until his retirement in 1979. Today the school bears his honorary name.

After his retirement, Karl Geitz made 25 large escapement models of the most varied of escapements , which are now in the Frankfurt Watch and Jewelry Museum.

Web links

Commons : Karl Geitz  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ HUS Hessian School of Watchmaking. Karl Geitz School; Karl Geitz
  2. ↑ HUS Hessian School of Watchmaking. Karl Geitz School; Archive. History of our school
personal data
SURNAME Geitz, Karl
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German teacher and watchmaker
DATE OF BIRTH October 10, 1913
DATE OF DEATH September 27, 2008