150 years of Junghans - Sparkling anniversary weekend in Schramberg
April, 2011
Birthday in Schramberg: on 15 and 16 April 2011 Uhrenfabrik Junghans celebrated 150 years of its existence with numerous guests and visitors. The event began with a ceremony attended by key figures from the worlds of business and politics, as well as business partners. On Saturday the longstanding Schramberg-based company invited visitors to peek behind the scenes on an open day. In the scope of this the new company museum was also inaugurated, depicting the exciting history of the company in great detail.
Ceremony in a special atmosphere
A glittering ceremony on 15 April marked the beginning of a weekend of celebratory highlights for Junghans. The authentic venue for the event, an old machine room in the building where alarm clocks were once made, created a great impression on the total of 250 invited guests. In keeping with a custom from the 1950s the guests were welcomed by a traditional Weckermädle - an "alarm clock girl". Guests included the Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg, Stefan Mappus, numerous state and municipal politicians, descendants of the Junghans family, Dr. Jakob Bill, the son of Max Bill, the owners Dr. Hans-Jochem Steim and his son Hannes together with their family. The varied and vibrant evening began with a welcome from Managing Director Matthias Stotz, who gave his personal welcome to the large number of guests of honour. Highlight of the evening was the speech of Stefan Mappus, who paid particular attention to the historical significance of the Junghans company: "Junghans is a major name in the economic region of Baden-Württemberg and has enormous resonance," praised the Prime Minister in his speech. Dr. E. h. Thomas Diehl, as former shareholder, the Mayor of Schramberg, Dr. Herbert O. Zinell, and Dr. Hans-Jochem Steim also contributed to the allround success of the evening with their addresses. The symphony orchestra of the Schramberg music school provided musical accompaniment to the evening.
Opening-ceremony of the Junghans company museum
On Saturday morning Junghans opened the new company museum, which volunteers had helped to equip. Together with owner Dr. Hans-Jochem Steim, Mayor Dr. Herbert O. Zinell cut the red ribbon to grant the numerous visitors access to the museum for the first time. A collection that points proudly to the treasures, rich in tradition, and historic artefacts of the company. Amongst the guests – including the evening before – was Jürgen Vietor, co-pilot of the Lufthansa plane Landshut, which was hijacked in 1977. At the opening of the museum he was presented with a pilot watch from the current Junghans collection by Hannes Steim. The company museum does not compete against public museums, but complements these, providing customers from Germany and abroad as well as numerous visitors participating in company tours with an overview of the extensive range of products and services offered by Uhrenfabrik Junghans.
Rush of visitors on open day
A hive of activity on the Geißhalde: with around 1,800 visitors, the open day exceeded all expectations. In radiant sunshine countless people streamed into the Junghans building to see the success story of the brand for themselves. Long queues of watch enthusiasts and friends of the brand were delighted at the chance to see the high-precision manufacturing of wristwatches for themselves in the scope of a tour of the company. One particular highlight was a visit to the production area, in which it was possible to follow the complete manufacturing process of a Junghans watch. The day was also the first on which the book '150 Moments from 150 Years of Junghans' could be purchased.
Junghans – the German watch
For more than 150 years, the Junghans brand has stood for quality, reliability and passion. Based in Schramberg, Germany, the long-established, independent company designs and manufactures watches that set new standards and are held in high regard around the world. Having close ties to the company’s location and being committed to the values that Junghans embodies, the owners work hard to maintain traditions and to move purposefully forward to a successful future. Tradition and an unswerving spirit of innovation are also reflected in the design and engineering of the company’s watches. In this regard the spectrum embraces all current watchmaking technologies: from classic mechanical watches and quartz technology all the way to the company’s own radio-controlled and solar technology. With innovative products ‘Made in Germany’ and an international outlook, Junghans will continue in future to further develop the unique success story of the watch with the star.