Walter Storz
Walter Storz (born September 20, 1906 in Hornberg ; † June 10, 1974 in Pforzheim ) was a German master watchmaker and founder of the watch manufacturer Stowa .
Life
Walter Storz has been producing pocket and wristwatches in Hornberg since the 1920s , which are considered to be very accurate and reliable. In 1938 he expanded, built a new factory in Pforzheim and introduced the “Stowa” brand (as an abbreviation for Sto rz Wa lter). One of the big buyers of his watches was the German Wehrmacht , for whom Storz built numerous aviator , marine and B-watches (observation watches ), which are coveted collector's items today. With the Stowa Antea , Storz succeeded in the 1930s with a design masterpiece in the New Objectivity style that is still produced by Stowa today.
After the factory was completely destroyed in World War II, Storz started again with the manufacture of watches in Rheinfelden and shortly afterwards rebuilt the Pforzheim company. In addition to inexpensive everyday watches, jewelry watches and later quartz watches were also made.
The company after his death
In 1974, Stowa became a partner of the Pallas Deutsche Uhrencooperation, which, with the merger of six Pforzheimer watch factories (Adora, Eppo, Exquisit, Ormo, Para and Stowa), formed a cooperation against the difficult market situation due to the introduction of quartz watches since 1971 .
Today, the Stowa company in Engelsbrand continues to produce mechanical watches in the medium to high price category under the management of Jörg Schauer (who bought the company in 1996 from the son of the company's founder Werner Storz) .
literature
- Fritz von Osterhausen: The great watch lexicon . Heel, Königswinter 2005, ISBN 3-89880-430-5
- Thomas Wanka: Stowa im Uhren-Magazin , Ebner Verlag, Ulm, Monograph 8, 2010
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Storz, Walter |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German watchmaker and watch manufacturer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 20th September 1906 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Hornberg |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 10, 1974 |
| Place of death | Pforzheim |