As you may remember from
this or
this heads up there is currently a special exhibition going on at the German Watch Musuem:
Glashütte on Board .
It is about the recent 130 years of building Marine Chronometers in Glashütte. Marine Chronometers attract me in a special way and so I had a good excuse to go again to the little town that is so dear to me.
They have set a nice atmosphere for the exhibition. The sea above the bridge showing modern Nautical timing equipment is slowly rolling and the sound of the sea is played as an ambient background.
(The suspicion that during this exhibition the way to the restrooms is being asked more frequently than usual has been officially confirmed ;-) )
We were hosted by guided by the most cordial and charming Mrs. Hauschild. I has to ask for a picture. This one is for you, Art!
The people who formed the history of German Marine Chronometers in Glashütte are paid at least the same attention as the clocks and their evolution from a Glashütte style to the German Standard Chronometer and back to a Glashütte kind during VEB GUB times. Here are some clocks:
This ALS Chronometer went onto an expedition to the south pole in 1911/12 together with two more "colleagues". The ship "Deutschland" (Germany) was stuck in the ice for months but eventually returned safely.
Time warp to the fifties. After WW II the Sovjets had captured the plans for the German Standard Chronometer. But they had missed the old plans of latest pre-war ALS types.
So there was something for the VEB Glashütter Uhrenbetrieb to start over with.
The tradition goes on until today. There are still two companies that are at least partially based at Glashütte and that build maritime timing equipment:
Nautische Instrumente Mühle does so in Glashütte itself while Wempe build their Marine Chronometers in Hamburg, but their chronometer wrist watches in Glashütte.
(You can go to a Wempe store today and buy a brand new mechanical Marine Chronometer. I like!)
And if that one is too large for your wrist the G.O. manufacture has something more fitting to offer:
Of course we could not be in Glashütte without a stop at the manufacture where we had a great time with Our Man In Glashütte. Thanks a lot, Mr. Marx!
Next was a visit to the Boutique at Dresden. But that will a different post.
Best, Martin
This message has been edited by stromer on 2016-09-06 09:40:56