"Made in Glashütte" is a seal of quality that stands for outstanding watchmaking and precision. Glashütte, a town in Saxony, Germany, is known worldwide for its watchmaking tradition and is home to some of the most renowned watch manufactures. The Bruno Söhnle watch atelier, founded in 2000, is one of them.
When it comes to watches from Glashütte, there are some important aspects to consider. First, watches that want to carry the "Made in Glashütte" label must have a majority of their value added in the region. This means that the main manufacturing and finishing steps, such as the assembly of the movement, the insertion of the decorations and the finishing, must take place in Glashütte.
Another special feature of Glashütte watches are the high-quality finishes that give them unique aesthetics and value. These include, for example, polished or blued screws, beveled edges, the Glashütte striped finish, perlage patterns, and sunburst finishes. These finishes are carried out by skilled craftsmen with great care and attention to detail, giving the watches their individual character.
With regard to the new law that came into force in 2021, the use of the "Made in Glashütte" label will be even more strictly regulated. According to this law, watches bearing this seal must have at least 50 percent of the value-added process in Glashütte. This includes in particular the crucial manufacturing steps such as the production of the movement, the finishing processes and the final assembly.
The new law aims to protect the quality and reputation of "Made in Glashütte" watches and ensure that they meet the region's high standards. It is a positive development for watch enthusiasts and collectors who wish to rely on the authenticity and excellence of these special timepieces.
Overall, "Made in Glashütte" stands for craftsmanship, precision and adherence to strict quality standards. The watches that bear this distinction are a symbol of the long tradition and ongoing innovative strength of Glashütte's watchmaking art.
The craftsmanship from Glashütte, especially in the mechanical and quartz watches from the house of Bruno Söhnle, is characterized by high precision, attention to detail and traditional watchmaking.
Centuries of craftsmanship come to the fore in Bruno Söhnle's mechanical watches from Glashütte. The master watchmakers and technicians devote themselves with great dedication to the manufacture of the movements. Each movement is assembled and refined with the utmost care. The watchmakers pay close attention to precise adjustment of the rate to ensure high reliability and accuracy of the watch. The result is mechanical movements of the highest quality that represent the traditional values and heritage of Glashütte watchmaking.
The craftsmanship from Glashütte is also evident in Bruno Söhnle's quartz watches. Quartz watches are distinguished by their precision and high power reserve, and are also carefully finished like mechanical movements.
In addition, the finishes play an important role in the watches of Bruno Söhnle from Glashütte. Hand-polished and thermally blued screws, perlage, Glashütte stripe finish and a specially designed rotor - all these are examples of the finishes that contribute to the aesthetic appeal and value of the watches.
The Glashütte craftsmanship expressed in Bruno Söhnle mechanical and quartz watches is a symbol of quality, tradition and perfection. The combination of precise watchmaking, first-class materials and meticulous finishing gives the watches their special appeal and makes them coveted timepieces for watch lovers all over the world.
But what exactly is being done?
The movements are completely disassembled. The tiny parts are nickel-plated (previously rhodium-plated), the screws are thermally blued and the cover plate is grinded, engraved and also nickel-plated in-house. The cover plate is an exclusive special production of Bruno Söhnle. After each cover plate is finished, it is necessary to change the tooling in order to maintain the high standard. A quartz movement of the Swiss company Ronda serves us as a basis and consists just like a mechanical movement of many screws and gears. For comparison: The quartz caliber Ronda 8040.B consists of about 250 components, while the Sellita SW200 consists of only 69 components. Furthermore, the quartz movements we purchase are completely serviceable, as no plastic components are used, only those made of solid brass. In 2008, the first mechanical watch from Bruno Söhnle is launched – the Mechanik Edition I. Proven calibers are used, which - as with the quartz movements - are refined with a high degree of finesse and in-house work. The Atelier caliber BS 175, which is based on the Swiss Sellita SW200-1, is a mechanical movement with automatic winding. The partially skeletonized rotor is specially manufactured for these movements and are made on site in Glashütte. The raw parts of the movement are nickel-plated at Bruno Söhnle, to which is added the perlage, the Glashütte striped finish and the thermally blued screws, as well as the assembly and and adjustment.
Which movements does Bruno Söhnle use?
Bruno Söhnle, founded in 2000, looks back on an interesting company history. When you think of Glashütte, you think of the craftsmanship and high-class finishes on the movements - but especially of mechanical movements. Bruno Söhnle always wondered why there were no high-quality watches with a quartz movement from Glashütte - so he decided to pursue the topic himself. While the founder, Bruno Söhnle himself, started with quartz movements, a few years later he expanded the collection to include mechanical movements as well. But regardless of whether the ticking of a watch from the house of Bruno Söhnle comes from a quartz crystal or a balance spring - the passion and the refinement levels are on the same level.
The Atelier caliber BS 175, which is based on the Swiss Sellita SW200-1, is a selfwinding mechanical movement. The rotor is specially made for these movements on site in Glashütte. You can see well the refinements like the the thermally blued screws or the perlage. Another feature that contributes to the finishing of the movements is the Glashütte striped finish. This is a decorative surface treatment in which the surface of the movement is decorated with fine stripes. The Glashütte striped finish is a typical German craftsmanship and gives Bruno Söhnle watches an elegant aesthetic. In the case of the automatic movement, the partially skeletonized Bruno Söhnle rotor is decorated with this cut. The rotor is an in-house development, which is exclusively manufactured for Bruno Söhnle. The development time was over 1 year to bring together the technical and aesthetic features. The thermally blued screws are another feature that distinguishes Bruno Söhnle movements from other watches. The screws are brought to a certain temperature by heating and then cooled to produce the characteristic cornflower blue color. This process is not only for aesthetic effect, but also helps to increase the corrosion resistance and durability of the screws. The atelier caliber BS 175 is equipped with a date display and a a power reserve of at least 38 hours.
The handwound BS 283 movement, based on the Swiss ETA Unitas 6498-1 movement, is modified and refined in Glashütte. This includes the polished ¾ plate, the swan-neck fine adjustment, the decorative finish on the ratchet and crown wheel, as well as the thermally blued screws and the perlage on the main plate. One of the most notable features of Bruno Söhnle's hand-wound movements is the three-quarter plate. This plate covers about three quarters of the movement and offers greater durability and robustness than a conventional plate. It is milled in various stages from a solid block of brass. The thermally blued screws are another feature that distinguishes Bruno Söhnle movements from other watches. The screws are brought to a certain temperature by heating and then cooled to produce a characteristic blue color. As described earlier, this process is also to increase the corrosion resistance of the screws. The hand-wound Atelier caliber BS 283 has a power reserve of approx. 50 hours. It has a small second and is also extremely precise and reliable.
And even with the quartz movements, the attention to detail and the dedication to the refinements does not stop. The quartz movement shown here is based on the Swiss Ronda 8040.B movement - a chronograph movement with a large date display. Here, the movement is also disassembled, and the cover plate is decorated with the Glashütte striped finish. In addition, the gear train bridges are replaced and the battery is covered to achieve a more beautiful and noble overall appearance, which can finally be admired through a crystal case back. For this, quartz movements from Switzerland are used, since only these movements are suitable for our value-adding process because of the metal plates and wheels. The exceptionally durable and low-maintenance movement offers a power reserve of about 60 months. It has a date display (Glashütte Großdatum), a stop function and a retrograde weekday display.
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