Glashütte Original
Swatch Group · Germany
Glashütte Original is a German luxury watch manufacture based in Glashütte, Saxony, and owned by the Swatch Group. It makes mechanical watches in collections such as Senator, Pano and Vintage.
| Formed | 1994 |
|---|---|
| Parent group | Swatch Group (since 2000) |
| Location | Glashütte, Germany |
| Heritage | Glashütte watchmaking since 1845 |
| Website | glashuette-original.com |
What is Glashütte Original?
Glashütte Original is a luxury watchmaker based in the Saxon town of Glashütte, Germany, and part of the Swatch Group. It produces mechanical wristwatches and traces its lineage to the town's watchmaking tradition.
History
Watchmaking in Glashütte began in 1845, when Ferdinand Adolph Lange, Moritz Grossmann, Julius Assmann and Adolf Schneider settled there to make watch parts and pocket watches. In 1951 the East German state merged the town's seven watch companies into VEB Glashütte Uhrenbetriebe (GUB). After reunification, the remaining business was re-registered as a private company in 1990. In 1994 Heinz W. Pfeifer bought the company, which then had 72 employees, and renamed it Glashütte Original. The Swatch Group acquired it in 2000.
Products and positioning
The brand organises its watches into five model ranges:
- Senator, including the Senator Sixties and Senator Navigator
- Pano, including the Panomatic Lunar
- Specialist
- Vintage
- Ladies
Why it matters
Glashütte Original anchors the Swatch Group's presence in German watchmaking and is one of the main names keeping the Glashütte origin visible in the global luxury watch market.
Frequently asked questions
Who owns Glashütte Original?
Glashütte Original has been owned by the Swiss Swatch Group since 2000.
Where is Glashütte Original from?
Glashütte Original is based in Glashütte in Saxony, Germany, a town with watchmaking roots dating back to 1845.