Watches from German Manufacturers

That being said, owning a watch from A. Lange & Söhne doesn't have to require an investment of several hundred thousand dollars. The Lange 1 is markedly more affordable and has been this manufacturer's most famous model since its release in 1994. The perfect arrangement of its off-center time display and outsize date make this watch unmistakeable. With Roman numerals, a round gold or platinum case, and a fine leather strap, the Lange 1 makes the ideal dress watch. Each watch contains an intricately refined in-house movement. A pink gold timepiece costs around 37,000 USD in mint condition and about 23,500 USD pre-owned.

If you'd like to call the Lange 1 Time Zone with a world time function your own, be sure to set aside around 38,000 USD for a mint-condition white gold watch. Pre-owned, the same watch costs just under 36,500 USD. The most expensive model is the Lange 1 Tourbillon Perpetual Calendar, which demands some 247,000 USD new.

The Tangente is usually the first thing people think of when they hear the word "NOMOS." No other watch is as closely associated with this Glashütte-based manufacturer as the Bauhaus-inspired timepiece. A flat, round case, angled lugs, a small seconds dial at 6 o'clock, and delicate hands define the look of this understated watch. The dial features alternating Arabic numerals and narrow indices. Small lines also make up the minute scale around the dial's edge. This unmistakable design has made the NOMOS Tangente a modern icon.

There are both manual and automatic Tangente models. The collection's highlight is the 41-mm Tangente Neomatik 41 Update from 2018. Despite having an automatic caliber, it's only 7.9 mm thick. Two red dots frame the current date on the edge of the dial. The manufacturer outfits this timepiece with the caliber DUW 6101. This movement features the NOMOS Swing System – the company's own escapement system, which debuted in 2014. The Swing System also serves as a statement of independence to the rest of the industry as very few brands are capable of building their own swing and escapement systems. A mint-condition Tangente Neomatik 41 Update demands around 3,100 USD. Pre-owned, this timepiece changes hands for about 2,600 USD.

The classic Tangente premiered in 1992, two years after the company's foundation. It is 35 mm in diameter and powered by the manual Alpha caliber. At 6.2 mm thick, it's the perfect watch to wear to the office. Prices for this timepiece range from under 1,100 USD pre-owned to around 1,400 USD new, making the Tangente one of the most affordable watches made in Glashütte.

The Senator luxury watch collection from Glashütte Original pairs classic design with modern in-house calibers. These movements often have intricate finishes and are on par with those from A. Lange & Söhne. Defining features of this timepiece include tempered blue pear-shaped hands, Roman numerals, and a railway minute scale around the edge of the dial. The Grande Cosmopolite Tourbillon is this collection's top model and a wonderful example of haute horlogerie with its perpetual calendar, tourbillon, and world time function. Plan to spend around 369,000 USD for this complicated luxury watch.

Simple three-hand watches with automatic calibers are markedly less expensive. At 7,300 USD new and 6,400 USD pre-owned, the stainless steel Senator Excellence is relatively affordable. On the other hand, the red gold model sells for between 11,500 and 13,500 USD.

If you're looking for a functional wristwatch with a sporty yet elegant design, you may enjoy the Senator Chronograph Panorama Date. The stainless steel edition with glow-in-the-dark hands and indices and Roman numerals at 6 and 12 o'clock is this collection's sportiest model. The in-house caliber 37-01 provides this timepiece with its flyback chronograph, power reserve display, and large panorama date. In stainless steel, this chronograph costs around 11,400 USD new and 10,000 USD pre-owned. The version in 18-karat red gold demands about 21,500 USD in mint condition and 18,000 USD pre-owned.

Junghans is one of the most famous German watch manufacturers outside of Glashütte. This company is based in the southwestern town of Schramberg and can trace its watchmaking tradition back over 150 years, making it one of the oldest German watch brands. In fact, in the 1950s, Junghans was Germany's largest manufacturer of chronometers and the third largest producer in the world. They also provided troops in the newly formed West German military with their first pilot's chronographs in the 1950s.

The Max Bill is perhaps the most famous Junghans watch. The eponymous artist, architect, and designer studied at the Bauhaus school of art in the German city of Dessau and was also one of the founders of the Ulm School of Design. Like the Bauhaus, this design school managed to have a lasting influence on modern design despite its short existence. In the early 1950s, Bill worked with his students to design a functional, easy-to-read wall clock for Junghans. This everyday object went on to serve as his inspiration for the Max Bill wristwatch; the design has changed very little over the decades. Narrow hands and indices, hour indices that stretch well into the dial, and small luminous dots at 3, 6, 9, and 12 o'clock characterize this timepiece. In fact, two of these dots sit on either side of the hour marker at 12. Some models feature shorter hour indices to make room for a set of Arabic numerals.

Inside the Junghans Max Bill, you'll find either a mechanical or battery-powered ETA caliber. Both have been on the market for a long time and are, therefore, proven to be reliable. Models with precise quartz movements are especially affordable at around 450 USD. The Max Bill MEGA costs about 230 USD more and uses a radio-controlled quartz movement. If you're looking for a manually-wound mechanical Max Bill, plan to spend around 620 USD. The automatic version sells for some 850 USD. Prices for a new Max Bill Chronoscope with a chronograph function sit at just under 1,500 USD.

The Junghans Meister is yet another simple wristwatch collection from this Schramberg-based company. Tidy dials with dauphine hands and narrow indices or Arabic numerals define this series. The retro Meister Pilot watch resembles German military chronographs from the 1950s thanks to its black dial and twelve-sided bezel. However, with a diameter of 43 mm, this new model is much larger than its historic predecessor. The Junghans caliber J880.4, based on the ETA 2824, powers this timepiece. It has a chronograph module, can measure periods of time up to 30 minutes, and offers a power reserve of 38 hours. The final watch offers great value for money, with never-worn examples costing around 1,900 USD. Depending on its condition, a vintage model from the 50s can cost anywhere between 1,500 and 4,600 USD.

Germany is home to countless watch manufacturers. Companies dot the landscape from east to west, north to south, in big cities and small towns. The two main centers, however, remain Glashütte in southeastern Germany's Ore Mountains and the Black Forest – particularly the city of Pforzheim – in the country's southwest. Brands like Archimede, Benzinger, Laco, and Stowa reside in or around the bigger cities. Laco is especially well-known for their pilot's watches.

In Ismaning near the southern German city of Munich, you will find POINT tec Electronic GmbH. A series of brands known for their affordable yet high-quality watches, including Junkers, Zeppelin, Iron Annie, and Maximilian, all belong to this larger company. Other brands located in Munich include UTS München and Erwin Sattler.

The most notable watch manufacturer in Berlin, Germany's capital, is Askania. Founded in 2004, this company uses precision and optical equipment from the now-defunct Askania Werke AG, which also called Berlin home. Film cameras and projectors were among Askania Werke AG's most famous products.

The Berlin-based manufacturer Lilienthal is one of the industry's young start-ups. Their approachable wristwatches are all made in Germany with sleek modern designs. Swiss movements power these timepieces. Most feature a quartz Ronda movement, though they also recently released their first automatic watch with a Sellita caliber. On the other hand, each dial and band comes straight from Germany.

Back in western Germany, you'll find the brand Meistersinger. Located in the northwestern city of Münster, this manufacturer specializes in one-hand watches, which they've been producing since 2001. While the company may be rather new, one-hand watches have a long established history. Single-hand tower clocks were a widespread phenomenon back in the Middle Ages. The brand's name also has historic origins: Back in the 15th and 16th centuries, poets and singers often came together to form guilds. Their members were known as "Meistersinger" or "master signers." Famed German composer Richard Wagner even wrote an opera about this guild, titled "Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg" or "The Master Singers of Nuremberg."

The one-hand design has a notable advantage: It slows everything down. This is also represented in the brand's logo, an upside down fermata or pause as used in music. Meistersinger's catalog ranges from classic round dress watches and timelessly simple Bauhaus-inspired pieces all the way to sports watches with 200 m (20 bar, 656 ft) of water resistance. Prices for their distinct one-hand watches begin around 570 USD for a quartz watch and go all the way up to about 17,000 USD for a limited edition in gold. However, prices for the vast majority of their mechanical timepieces fall between 1,100 and 2,300 USD.