Union watch factory
| Union Uhrenfabrik GmbH
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|---|---|
 |
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| legal form | Company with limited liability |
| founding | 1893/1996 |
| Seat | Glashütte (Saxony) |
| management | Adrian Bosshard , Frank Kittel |
| Branch | Watch manufacturer |
| Website | https://www.union-glashuette.com/ |
Union Glashütte is the brand name of the German watch manufacturer Union Uhrenfabrik GmbH Glashütte / SA. from Glashütte (Saxony) , which exclusively manufactures and sells mechanical wristwatches with automatic or manual wind movements. The label was founded by Johannes Dürrstein in 1893.
philosophy
The Glashütte watch factory Union was founded in 1893 by Johannes Dürrstein. The guiding principle behind the founding of the company at that time was to build high-quality, precise watches that were affordable for a larger group of customers than the watches offered by other Glashütte companies. The Union Glashütte brand has been adopting this approach since 1996 and exclusively produces mechanical watches with the seal of origin “Made in Glashütte”, which they understand as “affordable luxury”.
history
In 1874 the businessman and watch connoisseur Johannes Dürrstein founded the watch wholesaler "Dürrstein & Compagnie" in Dresden. The business that Dürrstein runs together with his brother Friedrich becomes the exclusive sales partner of the Glashütte watch manufacturer A. Lange & Söhne. At the same time, Dürrstein set up its own watch manufacture in Switzerland, the movements of which are completed and sold in Glashütte. On the basis of this experience - and after the termination of the exclusive contract with A. Lange & Söhne - Dürrstein founded his own watch production in Glashütte in 1893.
The clocks from Glashütte Uhrenfabrik Union quickly became popular all over the world. The brand is characterized by a wide range of products, global sales and modern production methods. In addition to simple and comparatively inexpensive pocket watches, models with sophisticated complications are also manufactured. Some of these collector's items are now on display in the German Watch Museum in Glashütte.
With the onset of the global economic crisis, the Glashütte watch industry is also coming under increasing pressure. In 1926, like many other brands, the Union watch factory had to cease production; In 1936 it was deleted from the commercial register. In 1951, the remaining Glashütte watch companies are merged into the VEB Glashütter Uhrenbetriebe (GUB). After the reunification in 1990, the VEB was renamed "Glashütter Uhrenbetrieb GmbH" and privatized in 1994. In 1996 the "Union Uhrenfabrik GmbH Glashütte / SA." Was founded as a subsidiary of the "Glashütter Uhrenbetrieb GmbH", which in 2000 became the property of the Swatch Group AG. Union movements were manufactured in the Glashütte watch factory until they were taken over by the Swatch Group. The development of the sister brand Glashütte Original soon exhausted the production capacities to the full, and so there was an increasing lack of resources for the manufacture of Union watches. In 2008 Union Glashütte will therefore be realigned. As an independent brand with its own studios, only mechanical timepieces with the “Made in Glashütte” seal of origin and quality are now being manufactured, with an average price between 1,000 and 3,000 euros. Individual precious metal variants or limited special models can cost up to 8,000 euros.
In 2018 Union Glashütte will celebrate the 125th anniversary of the brand's foundation with various events and campaigns. This also includes a special exhibition in the German Watch Museum Glashütte on the subject of "Union Glashütte - 125 years of German watchmaking".
production
Union Glashütte's watch production has been located in the Glashütte workshops on Frühlingsweg 5 since 2012 and is not open to the public. It comprises several production steps: the watchmakers divide their work into parts production, where individual components and decorations are created, movement and watch head assembly, and quality management. Every watch from the brand is assembled, regulated, refined and checked by hand. In addition, every watch from the brand has a sapphire crystal bottom through which the automatic or hand-wound caliber can be seen.
Products
a) Historical models
Anniversary watch No. 43 216 (1893):
This pocket watch is the first Grande Complication that was manufactured in Glashütte. The watch has a chronograph with split seconds and jumping seconds, 30-minute counter, perpetual calendar, flashing seconds, moon phase, minute repeater as well as Grande and Petite Sonnerie. A total of 6 pieces of this model will be produced.
L'Universelle (1900):
The pocket watch was offered for 12,000 marks in 1900 and was advertised as the “most complicated precision watch in the world”. In addition to a perpetual calendar with moon phase and leap year display, the timepiece also has a double chronograph, an alarm clock and a minute repeater with Grande Sonnerie. It is now part of the Audemars Piguet Heritage Collection and will in future be on display in the brand's museum in Le Brassus.
La Grandiose (completed in 1950):
In addition to the universal watch, two other Grande Complications of this type were planned, which were initially to remain unfinished. One of them was subsequently completed by Martin Seidel and is exhibited today in the Mathematisch-Physikalischer Salon in Dresden.
La Fabuleuse (completed 1985):
The second unfinished movement from the time of Julius Bergter (1856–1944), the director of the Glashütte watch factory Union, was completed by Richard Daners at Juwelier Gübelin (Switzerland) in 1985 and named “La Fabuleuse”. Edition Julius Bergter manual winding 2003–2007: With the manual winding movement caliber 30, traditional details of Glashütte watchmaking were used in the Julius Bergter model series, such as three-quarter plate , swan-neck fine adjustment, rubies set in gold chatons and blued screws.
Edition Johannes Dürrstein 2001-2004:
Three model series with a limitation to 50 or 25 pieces (John Dürrenstein 3) which each have a housing made of red gold feature. Inside the watches are the hand-wound movements caliber 40 or - in the case of the "Johannes Dürrstein 3" - caliber 45, specially developed for Edition Johannes Dürrstein . The caliber 45 is equipped with a flying tourbillon . The movements have the traditional Glashütte design features such as three-quarter plate, screwed gold chatons, and gooseneck fine adjustment.
b) Current collection
The current Union Glashütte collection currently differs in six model series. Some of these models were presented to the public in 2008 as part of the realignment.
- Averin (until 2015): The men's watches in this line were all equipped with eye-catching square cases.
- Viro : The line includes watches with purist designs that are only available in stainless steel cases.
- Noramis : With their domed dials and glasses, the models take up design elements from watches from the 50s and 60s. You remember z. B. the well-known Spezimatik models from GDR production.
- Belisar: The sporty Belisar models include u. a. also sports and aviator watches. The screwed-on flanks on the side of the housing are typical.
- 1893 : Various elements of this line, such as enamel-white dials, blued hands or hand-wound movements with classic three-quarter plates, are supposed to be reminiscent of historical pocket watches from the Glashütte watch factory Union.
- Sirona : Elegant ladies' watches with diamonds or mother-of-pearl.
- Seris : The Seris is a sporty ladies watch and has a small second.
1893 Johannes Dürrstein Edition (2018):
To mark the 125th anniversary of the brand, Union Glashütte is launching a special model with an exclusively developed manual winding caliber with a three-quarter plate, Glashütte stripes and a modified ratchet.
The anniversary edition is limited to 125 pieces and has a rose gold case. At the same time, an unlimited version in stainless steel is available.
Clockworks
Union Glashütte only uses mechanical movements.
Current automatic movements:
U 2892A2: three hands with date
U 2893-2: GMT
U 2895-2: Small seconds
U 2896: outsize date
U 2897: power reserve
U 2899-0Z6: regulator module
U 2899-ZZ6 : Small seconds module
U 2899-993: Small seconds module ("large seconds")
UNG-07.01: Three hands with date
UNG-07.S1 : three-hand with silicon spiral
UNG-14.01: Chronograph with day of the week
UNG-25.01: Chronograph with moon phase
UNG-27.01: Chronograph (three totalizers)
UNG-27.02: Chronograph (two totalizers)
UNG-28.01: Small seconds
Manual wind movement (since 2016):
UNG-56.01
UNG-58.S1: Small seconds, moon phase and silicon hairspring
Union Glashütte uses industrially manufactured components from the Swiss movement manufacturer ETA SA Manufacture Horlogère Suisse , which are completely assembled by hand in Glashütte, provided with their own components and optimized. Among other things, the movements and rotors are rhodium-plated and partially skeletonized and fitted with blued screws. With the older calibers (U XXXX), the designation of the ETA name is identical to the leading letter. The younger calibers (UNG-XX.XX) are again equipped with a rotor modified by Union Glashütte, a 60-hour power reserve and, in some cases, a regulator- less regulation system.
Partnerships
Union Glashütte has been involved in various classic car events for several years. The brand appears here as a partner and sometimes launches limited special models for the respective event.
Current partnerships include:
- ADAC Germany Classic
- Paul Pietsch Classic
- Silvretta Classic
- Saxony Classic
Others
Web link
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f German Watch Museum Glashütte - Nicolas G. Hayek: Union Glashütte - 125 years of German watchmaking . Verlag Stiftung Deutsches Uhrenmuseum Glashütte, Glashütte 2017.
- ↑ Chronos Special: Union Glashütte . Ed .: Ebner Verlag. 2018.
- ↑ a b Michael Brückner: Union Glashütte: Homage to Johannes Dürrstein. 2017, accessed March 26, 2019 .
- ↑ Hans-Georg Donner: Glashütter Uhrenfabrik Union Dürrstein & Co 1893-1936. Retrieved March 25, 2019 .
- ^ German watch museum Glashütte: Selected masterpieces. Retrieved March 25, 2019 .
- ↑ a b c Percy Christian Schoeler: 125 years of Union Glashütte. 2017, accessed March 26, 2019 .
- ↑ Theodossios Theodoridis: UNION GLASHÜTTE - HIDDEN (PRICE) CHAMPION FOR 125 YEARS? 2018, accessed March 26, 2019 .
- ^ Official and bulletin of the city of Glashütte in Saxony, edition 10/2012. Retrieved March 25, 2019 .
- ^ Union Glashütte: German watchmaking art. Retrieved March 26, 2019 .
- ↑ Balance: How much Switzerland is there in a Union Glashütte watch? Interview with Adrian Bosshard. 2019, accessed March 25, 2019 .
- ↑ Hans-Georg Donner: Deutsche Uhrmacher Zeitung No. 23 from 1901. Retrieved on March 25, 2019 .
- ↑ Audemars Piguet at home in Le Brassus. Retrieved March 25, 2019 .
- ^ State enterprise Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden: Silver pocket watch, Grand Complication, "La Grandiose". Staatsbetrieb Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, accessed on March 25, 2019 .
- ^ Union Glashütte: Viro. Retrieved March 26, 2019 .
- ↑ Union Glashütte: Noramis. Retrieved March 26, 2019 .
- ^ Union Glashütte: Belisarius. Retrieved March 26, 2019 .
- ↑ Union Glashütte: 1893. Retrieved on March 26, 2019 .
- ^ Union Glashütte: Sirona. Retrieved March 26, 2019 .
- ^ Union Glashütte: Seris. Retrieved March 26, 2019 .
- ↑ Melanie Feist: Union Glashütte: 1893 Johannes Dürrstein Limited Anniversary Edition. 2017, accessed March 26, 2019 .
- ↑ NeueUhren.de: Union Glashütte official watch partner of ADAC Deutschland Klassik 2015. 2015, accessed on March 26, 2019 .
- ^ Union Glashütte: Our partnerships. Retrieved March 26, 2019 .
Coordinates: 50 ° 51 ′ 3.5 ″ N , 13 ° 46 ′ 52.4 ″ E