Welcome to another episode of Fratello On Air! This week, we discuss German watch brands, focusing on the sportier marques. There's no doubt about it; this show is close to our hearts. Balazs lives in the Fatherland, and Mike spent 12 years there. Therefore, we've built an appreciation for these companies. Ah, Germany! If you've listened to us for any length of time, you know we enjoy poking harmless fun at mainland Europe's economic center. That said, the watches from the "Land" are anything but funny. While the Swiss may receive most of the glory, German watch brands are no slouches. In this installment, we walk through some of the key ones, add our personal experiences with each, and mention models. Enjoy the show! Handgelenkskontrolle Some of you will appreciate that our episode on German watch brands is appropriately serious. In other words, there is zero banter! Instead, Mike starts with a story about a vintage watch he purchased a couple of years ago. The chronograph ran beautifully until, all of a sudden, it didn't. For whatever reason, this past weekend, he decided to chat with friends and pull out his inexpensive blue demagnetizer. This tool was used in concert with an app called Magnetick and another called Oscillo, yielding amazing results. The first app helped detect that the watch was magnetized, while the second acts as a timegrapher. What was the watch? Well, it happens to be the watch Mike wore for his Handgelenkskontrolle, a 1947 Breitling Chronomat 769. Balazs is wearing the recently reviewed Albishorn Type X-Graph. German watch brands Huge thanks to Balazs for researching the brands' backstories for this episode and being our travel guide. We kick off the discussion with arguably the most well-known German tool watch company. Sinn, from Frankfurt am Main, has been one of our favorites for more than a decade. Mike even owns a handful of these watches. We mention our visits with the brand, its unrelenting focus on creating useful watches for specific environments, and these pieces' no-nonsense designs. Next, we move to Hanhart in Gütenbach. This brand is best-known for its chronographs, including the 417 ES worn by Steve McQueen. We share our admiration for this heritage brand's overall quality and attention to detail. Tutima takes us to the famous town of Glashütte in eastern Germany. This company is also known for its robust pilot chronographs. Today, that continues, but it also focuses on higher-end dress watches. We stay in town and mention Mühle Glashütte. This relatively under-the-radar marque produces fantastic tool watches at relatively approachable prices. We mention collectors' serious devotion to this brand. Brands are located throughout the country Balazs has us racking up kilometers on the autobahn as we move to the Black Forest again. Junghans is located in Schramberg. Balazs has visited the impressive headquarters, with its stepped architecture. For Mike, the name reminds him of his first business trip to Germany. He marked the occasion by purchasing a manual-winding Max Bill watch. A trip back to Glashütte brings us to another brand we love: Nomos. This relatively young company has always done things its own way. The Bauhaus-like designs are incredibly simple, but equally as pleasing. Once again, we discuss our history with the good folks at this brand. Finally, we end our travels in Pforzheim, one of Germany's most important areas for toolmaking and watchmaking. We talk about Stowa and Laco, two of the original makers of the B-Uhr. Yes, we know the history of these watches can be polarizing, but their legible designs are still relevant today. Both brands have expanded their offerings, but they also produce some interesting heritage-inspired pieces at affordable prices. We hope you enjoy today's episode, and thank you for listening! As always, if you have ideas for future shows, please let us know.
