Glashütte Original Brings Its Secrets To Life In New Watchmaking Film

Ever wonder what goes into the making of fine timepiece? Especially one made completely (well, 95 percent) in house from the ground up. German watch brand Glashütte Original gives watch lovers a glimpse inside their Saxony region Manufacture to showcase just how much time, effort and work goes into each of its timepieces. The brand just unveiled a three-and-a-half minutes long video that pays homage to the art of German watchmaking.

With a motto of “Proud to be the Original,” this premier brand in the German city of Glashütte traces its roots back to 1845, when it first began building mechanical watches. As such, its timepieces today boast many features that are indicative of the region, including a German quarter plate and swan-neck bridges. The film showcases these signature pieces being made – revealing the behind-the-scenes soul of the brand.

The film follows the men and women at Glashütte Original who make not just the watches, but also the tools needed to make the watch parts, to hold the watch parts as they are being examined, etched, finished, engraved and more. From sketching and computer-aided drawings, to the creating of miniscule parts that are hand finished and hand assembled to form the beating heart of the watch, the case making, the dial making and even the making of the hands – the film follows birth to reality inside what just might be considered hallowed halls.

The filmmakers had access to all parts of the Manufacture, from design department to toolmaking workshops, movement and watch assembly, and more. Even all of the aspects of dial making – from cutting the dial and subsidiary dials, Their still photos and finished film celebrate the brand and offer insight and even a new appreciation for what few ever get to see.

Because Glashutte Original lays claim to the Made in Germany seal, the brand creates almost everything for each of its watches in house — from tiny screws to cases and more. It does not, however, make its own crystals or its own straps in house. In Saxony, there are multiple buildings that house the different department, including one for the headquarters and administrative offices, one for the parts, movement and watchmaking, and another for dial making. Strict quality control checks are maintained at every phase of building a Glasshütte timepiece.

The brand’s new film was created to serve as part of Glashütte Original’s marketing campaign that launched just last year, in early 2022: Proud to be the Original. The campaign has multiple meanings, including the fact that the brand was one of the original companies founded in the Saxony region in the mid-1800’s, including that the brand creates innovative and original timepieces, and that the people who wear Glashütte Original timepieces are all unique individuals in and of themselves.

The brand is also focusing on social media, #ManufactorySunday, where in every four weeks one of the six values that inspire the brand will be more closely examined. Those values: beauty, excellence, originality, tradition, modernity and exclusivity.