Glashütte Original Open Their Own Factory in Pforzheim

By Valerie Jack | April 1, 2013

Luxury watchmakers Glashütte Original have announced the opening of their own manufacture in Pforzheim, Germany. Günter Wiegand, the managing director of Glashütte Original, presided over the opening of the factory, which will produce the dials for the German brand.

Wiegand joined the facility’s manager Kurt Müller in giving tours of the 1,300 square meter space at Stuttgarter Straße 24. The new factory has been years in the making, and incorporates not only the traditional stations for hand-made work, but also advanced machinery dedicated to the production of watch dials. In particular, the Pforzheim site will allow Glashütte Original to maintain its position as one of the few manufactures to produce its own blanks.

At the opening, Wiegand said; “The production of dials is undoubtedly one of the most difficult tasks in the making of high-value watches. For this reason we shall take advantage of the dial making traditions and competencies of the Pforzheim site, which will be expanded further in the future.”

With plans for significant growth in the future, the Glashütte Original management decided it was time to restructure by adding the dial factory to its production resources. The Pforzheim site will allow the brand to double their employees in the coming years, up from the current 48 positions. The brand is taking over the facility from parent company Swatch Group, which has owned the facility since 2006.

A number of watchmakers have recently moved to expand their production bases, including last month’s announcement that Richard Mille have also opened their own manufacture in Switzerland.