The First Ruhla Pocket Watch
The “Fearless” watch from the designer Emil Dürer was an unpredictable success story.
With 1.000 employees 4 thousand were produced per day in 1869.
In 1892 the first pocket watch was industrially manufactured in Germany. The “Fearless” was a simple and inexpensive pocket watch with a running time of 10-12 hours. The watch became a hit, especially in the English-speaking world, with a retail price of three marks, and remained unrivalled in this segment for almost a decade. To meet the demand, seventy watchmakers were recruited in Switzerland.
The small town on the edge of the Thuringian Forest with its 150-year-old tradition is a center of the watch industry.
The Gardé company initially manufactured precision mechanical components and in 1892 it went into watch production. After the Second World War, millions of watches and clockworks were produced here in East Germany by the “VEB Uhrenwerk Ruhla”. Afterwards, “Gardé” and “Ruhla” were established as own watch brands and offered production and assembly for other watch brands.
In June 2019 Gardé Uhren- und Feinmechanik Ruhla GmbH filed for insolvency. The family business Pointtec from Ismaning near Munich took over all employees from the watch assembly department of the insolvent company.
This decision was made after decades of successful cooperation: Pointtec had already had its brands “Zeppelin” and “Iron Annie” assembled in Ruhla.
Thus, a new company was established here, which revives the spirit of the Thiel brothers. In 1878, the company developed the first children’s music box at the request of American customers. This clock ran for at least one hour.
Due to the favourable price, a monopoly position for these “clocks” was achieved in a short time. The most important markets for these articles were the USA, England, Germany, France, Italy and Switzerland.
“Made in Germany” is a synonym for technological high-quality products that are appreciated all over the world, as well as the company’s commitment to its location in Thuringia. Continuous research and development, modern technology, an in-house design department but not least the know-how of the employees ensure that only quality products leave our company.
The Ruhla Watch Museum is also continued by Pointtec.