Glashütte Original

Who are Glashütte Original?

Glashütte Original is a German watchmaker in Glashütte, Saxony, and part of the Swatch Group since 2000 (Swatch Group). It descends from VEB Glashütter Uhrenbetriebe (GUB), the state company that combined the town’s watchmakers in East Germany, and it traces its watchmaking roots to 1845 (Glashütte Original). This page covers its history, collections and ownership, then what to check when buying a second-hand Glashütte Original in the UK.

The company trades as Glashütter Uhrenbetrieb GmbH (Swatch Group). It says it makes up to 95 per cent of its movement components and its dials itself (Swatch Group). It is a separate company from A. Lange & Söhne and Nomos Glashütte, which are also based in the town.

The history of Glashütte Original

Glashütte Original’s history runs from the founding of the town’s watch industry in 1845, through the East German state company GUB, to privatisation after reunification and the Swatch Group’s purchase in 2000.

The town. In 1845 the Saxon government backed a plan to make Glashütte a watchmaking centre, and watchmakers including Ferdinand Adolph Lange, Moritz Grossmann and Julius Assmann settled there (Time+Tide; Glashütte Original). The German School of Watchmaking followed in 1878 (Glashütte Original). Our A. Lange & Söhne page covers this early period in more detail.

GUB. A bombing raid at the end of the Second World War largely destroyed the town, and partition left it in East Germany (Wikipedia). In July 1951 the surviving watch companies were merged into the state-run VEB Glashütter Uhrenbetriebe, known as GUB (Glashütte Original; Wikipedia). GUB made automatic calibres such as the Spezimatic in the 1960s and 1970s (Wikipedia), and a Spezimatic Type RP TS 200 for sport divers (Swatch Group).

After reunification. Glashütter Uhrenbetrieb GmbH was entered in the commercial register on 16 October 1990 (Glashütte Original). Some movements of the early 1990s were sold under the names Glashütte Original or Union Glashütte (Wikipedia). In 1994 the businessman Heinz W. Pfeifer bought the company, which then had 72 employees, and renamed it Glashütte Original (Wikipedia). Sources date the name differently: our Lange page, following Wikipedia, gives the privatisation as 1994, while the company’s own history starts the GmbH in 1990.

The Swatch Group. On 9 October 2000 the Swatch Group announced it had bought all the shares of Glashütter Uhrenbetrieb GmbH from Aureus Private Equity, with immediate effect. The company then had more than 150 staff, and Pfeifer stayed on as general manager (Swatch Group).

Recent decades. From 2002 Glashütte Original ran the Alfred Helwig School of Watchmaking, named after the inventor of the flying tourbillon (Wikipedia). In 2008 the German Watch Museum Glashütte opened in the former watchmaking school, supported by the Swatch Group and the town, with an exhibition developed by Glashütte Original (Swatch Group). Calibre 36 followed in 2016 (SJX Watches) and the Spezialist collection in 2019 (Swatch Group).

What is Glashütte Original known for?

Glashütte Original is known for making almost all of its movements and dials itself, for the asymmetric Pano dials, for reissues of GUB designs in the Sixties, Seventies and Spezialist lines, and for long-reserve movements such as Calibre 36.

Made in-house. The Swatch Group says Glashütte Original makes up to 95 per cent of its movement components and its dials. Its dial factory in Pforzheim, the former Th. Müller works, had supplied GUB, and Glashütte Original has had full control of its dial making since 2013 (Robb Report Malaysia). Our guide to in-house and outsourced movements explains why this matters.

Calibre 36. Introduced in the Senator Excellence in 2016, Calibre 36 has a 100-hour power reserve and was the brand’s first movement with a silicon hairspring. Each Senator Excellence was tested for 24 days in six positions and came with a certificate of its results (SJX Watches).

The “Original” name. Wikipedia says the word “Original” was used to tell genuine Glashütte movements from imitations sold as “System Glashütte”. Since 2022 a German regulation has controlled who may call a watch “Glashütte”; our A. Lange & Söhne page explains the rules.

Serial numbers. Each watch carries a four-digit serial number, which caps any model at 9,999 pieces (Wikipedia).

Which Glashütte Original collections are there?

Glashütte Original groups its range into Senator, Pano, Spezialist, Vintage and Serenade collections (Glashütte Original). Time+Tide describes the Sixties and Seventies lines separately.

The collections table on this page gives a line on each. A few points help when you read listings:

• Model names. Names such as PanoMaticLunar or Senator Chronometer combine the collection with a complication. Read the full reference.
• Calibre numbers. The calibre number tells you the movement: the SeaQ uses Calibre 39-11, with a 40-hour reserve, while the SeaQ Panorama Date uses Calibre 36-13, with a 100-hour reserve (Swatch Group). Ask the seller which calibre the watch has.
• Dive watches. The SeaQ is rated to 20 bar and the SeaQ Panorama Date to 30 bar (Swatch Group). On a second-hand watch the seals matter as much as the rating; our water resistance guide explains what to ask.

Who owns Glashütte Original?

The Swatch Group has owned Glashütte Original since October 2000, when it bought all the shares of Glashütter Uhrenbetrieb GmbH (Swatch Group). The Swatch Group lists it among its watch brands, with an address in Glashütte (Swatch Group).

The Swatch Group is a Swiss watch group based in Biel/Bienne (Swatch Group). In Glashütte it also supports the German Watch Museum, set up by a foundation named after Nicolas G. Hayek (Swatch Group). A. Lange & Söhne, in the same town, belongs to Richemont (A. Lange & Söhne page).

Buying a Glashütte Original watch second-hand in the UK: what to check

Check that the serial number matches the papers, which calibre the watch has, whether the five-year warranty applies, and the service history; then run a stolen-watch check.

1. Papers and serial number. The four-digit serial number should match the warranty certificate (Wikipedia). For a Senator Excellence, ask for its test certificate (SJX Watches). Our guide to what “full set” means explains what each item proves.

2. Warranty. Glashütte Original gives a five-year warranty from the date of purchase on watches bought on or after 1 January 2025. It is valid only if the certificate was filled in fully and stamped by an official dealer (Glashütte Original). The page does not say whether it passes to a second owner. Ask for the stamped certificate and the purchase date. See watch warranties explained.

3. Servicing. The warranty excludes damage from work by unauthorised people (Glashütte Original), so ask who serviced the watch and for the paperwork. Our guide on how to care for a mechanical watch covers what a service involves.

4. Authenticity and theft. Buy from a seller who will put authenticity in writing and accept returns. Our guide on how to spot a fake watch covers what a watchmaker looks at, and our stolen-watch check guide lists the UK registers to search before you pay.

For the full process from setting a budget to collecting the watch, see the guide to buying a luxury watch.

Frequently asked questions

Who owns Glashütte Original?

The Swatch Group, since October 2000 (Swatch Group).

Is Glashütte Original the same as A. Lange & Söhne?

No. Both are in Glashütte, but Glashütte Original belongs to the Swatch Group and A. Lange & Söhne to Richemont (Swatch Group; Wikipedia).

Is Glashütte Original the same company as Nomos Glashütte?

No. Nomos Glashütte is a separate company in the same town, founded in 1990 and not part of the Swatch Group.

Where are Glashütte Original watches made?

In Glashütte, Saxony, with dials made at the brand’s factory in Pforzheim (Swatch Group; Robb Report Malaysia).

Does Glashütte Original make its own movements?

Yes. The Swatch Group says it makes up to 95 per cent of its movement components itself.

What was GUB?

VEB Glashütter Uhrenbetriebe, the state company formed in East Germany in 1951 from the Glashütte watch companies. Glashütte Original descends from it (Glashütte Original; Wikipedia).

How long is the Glashütte Original warranty?

Five years from purchase for watches bought on or after 1 January 2025, with a correctly completed, dealer-stamped certificate (Glashütte Original).

What is the Glashütte Original SeaQ?

A dive watch launched in 2019 as the first model of the Spezialist collection, based on a GUB diver’s watch (Swatch Group).

This page is general information. Watch60 is independent and has no commercial relationship with Glashütte Original.

We check the facts on this page against the sources listed, and it is correct to the best of our knowledge as of October 2026. Brands change their warranty, servicing and sales terms, so confirm them with the brand or the seller before you buy.