The return of chronometer controls and manufacturing to Germany.The road up to the Wempe watch production facility on the site of the Glashütte astronomical observatory is steep, but well-marked. That was far from the case back in 2004, as Kim-Eva Wempe remembers all too well. A member of the fourth generation of Wempes, Kim heads up the well-known jewellery company with headquarters in Hamburg and branches in New York, Paris, Madrid, Vienna, and London. She laughs at the recollection. “We had an appointment at Glashütte and I wanted to see the observatory. I was aware of its existence because of our firm’s history; together with Otto Lange, Ferdinand Adolph Lange’s grandson, my grandfather had planned to set up a joint research institute there”. Inevitably, the combined effects of World War I and socialism put paid to that. And even in 2004, it turned out to be difficult to reach the observatory – especially for someone wearing ankle boots.
With the help of a local watchmaking entrepreneur with a four-wheel drive, Kim did eventually manage to reach the Ochsenkopf. It was there, in the Erzgebirge mountains, close to the Czech border, that Ferdinand Adolph Lange had given birth to German precision watchmaking in 1845. As Kim cast her gaze over the valley steeped in tradition, she lost no time in reaching her decision: the observatory should be rebuilt – and watch production should resume. The Wempe firm already had some experience as a watch manufacturer, having bought out Hamburger Chronometerwerke in 1938. That history offered further encouragement to embark on this singular enterprise. The onboard marine chronometers made in Hamburg served as a model and a source of inspiration: in its turn, Glashütte would become a place where only wrist-chronometers with officially controlled precision would be crafted. The first step was in the basement, where a centre responsible for bi-monthly controls, supervised by the State and open to all watchmaking firms, was set up in early 2006. After that, production and controls could begin, later followed by watchmaker training. And so it is that Wempe Chronometerwerke models use only calibres designed and produced for Wempe – which all goes to show how short detours can lead to historic decisions.
*Written by Thomas Wanka
*On the occasion of GMT Magazine and WorldTempus' 20th anniversary, we have embarked on the ambitious project of summarising the last 20 years in watchmaking in The Millennium Watch Book, a big, beautifully laid out coffee table book. This article is an extract. The Millennium Watch Book is available on www.the-watch-book.com, in French and English, with a 10% discount if you use the following code: WT2021.
