An Amazing Gift + I Need Your Help!
My wonderful wife did something very cool for my birthday and I thought I'd share, since it involved a watch.
When it comes to birthdays, we joke about having a "birthday week," instead of just a birthDAY. She asked me, "Do you want your gifts all at once or do you want them spread out over the week?" I said, "Them? I have multiple gifts? Over the week then!"
And so it started.
Monday: German chocolates. I like sweet treats & cats, and they were delicious (and gone in 2 days, lol):
Tuesday: German watch. This modest quartz Bergmann 1957 on a black suede strap:
Wednesday was skipped and I was notified that Wednesday would be a "skip day."
Thursday: Dinner at Fest, a German restaurant that is a favorite of mine, for the food and great beer:
Friday was skipped as well, as we were traveling out of state to my dad's house for the weekend, to celebrate my birthday and for Mother's day with my step-mom (my birth mother died over a decade ago):
Saturday: I received a card written in German, which I didn't understand, with a Rosetta Stone certificate to learn German. I was thinking to myself, "I really have no desire to learn German, I already speak English and some French, I don't understand this."
The next gift from her was a book, Fodor's guide to Germany, and then it all made sense. She had given me a trip to Germany to visit my "homeland," (Bavaria) so I could see where my ancestors came from!
I'm from German heritage and our family came to America in 1856 on a 3-masted schooner called the "Hermine," from Bavaria, and I've always dreamed of going there. She has now made that possible. I was blown away. What a thoughtful, heartfelt gift! It got a little dusty in the room...
We frequently read about others having special memories attached to watches and the Bergmann watch will always remind me of this special birthday. The trip is next year, for when I turn 60, and I'm already planning on buying a German watch over there to commemorate the trip.
If anyone has a German watch they'd recommend (preferably under $2,000) or know of a shop in Bavaria that sells watches (if we have any WatchCrunchers over there) please post them for me, with my thanks in advance for helping color my thoughts.
Cheers!
-Eric
~Father ~Christian ~Husband ~Gearhead ~Fisherman ~Ailurophile ~Woodworker ~Gun Collector ~Photographer ~Watch Collector ~Caribbean Traveler & Beachgoer ~IT Professional: MS-ISM, BA-COMM, SOC
Fabulous week and still more to come , lovely watch , enjoy it all
Thank you, kind sir!
That's an awesome story, and an even more awesome birthday surprise from your wife. Love the look of that Bergmann ( a brand I have to admit I haven't heard of).
I have a few Sinn watches in my collection, and would highly recommend them as a brand. I don't have any, but I think that NOMOS makes some awesome watches as well - I'd have a Tangente in my collection (the silvercut version is my fav) if the lugs were a bit shorter.
Very nice! I've been learning German for about the last 8 months. The grammar can be pretty tricky! I visited Germany about 20 years ago, but couldn't understand anything. I'd like to go back and actually be able to read and communicate this time. As far as German watches, I like Sinn. Interesting, well built, toolish watches. I have the 556i and the 105. I'd like to add a U50 someday too.
Alles Gute zur Geburtswoche!
Love the name of the chocolates - Cat Tongues 😀
If you are in Bavaria you will no doubt be passing through Munich. Lots of nice watch shops there.
Great german watches under $2000, got to look at Sinn www.sinn.de Sinn 556 is a classic
Their website has a link to dealers, here are the Munich ones:
München
Christ Juweliere und Uhrmacher seit 1863 GmbH Kaufingerstraße 11 80331 München T 089 / 13 95 78 10 muenchen002@christ.de
Franz C. Bauer Uhren & Juwelen Peter-Auzinger-Straße 11 81547 München T 089 / 6 90 45 77 F 0 89 / 6 90 44 49 info@uhrenbauer.de Servicewerkstatt für Sinn Uhren inkl. Ar-Trockenhaltetechnik
Juwelier Hilscher Carl Hilscher GmbH Nordendstr. 50 80801 München T 089 / 27 27 51 78 servus@juwelier-hilscher.de Servicewerkstatt für Sinn Uhren
Juwelier Schwedler Pfisterstraße 7 (Am Platzl) 80331 München T 089 / 28 80 99 50 info@uhren-schwedler.de
That's an awesome story, and an even more awesome birthday surprise from your wife. Love the look of that Bergmann ( a brand I have to admit I haven't heard of).
I have a few Sinn watches in my collection, and would highly recommend them as a brand. I don't have any, but I think that NOMOS makes some awesome watches as well - I'd have a Tangente in my collection (the silvercut version is my fav) if the lugs were a bit shorter.
Thank you! The Bergmann is a very inexpensive watch. My wife said she bought it because she was looking for German watches, couldn't find any, and when found that one she just bought it.
I'm perusing the #germanwatches forums for ideas and Sinn and NOMOS are on my radar. 👍
In the city center of Munich there are many, many jewelers and watch boutiques. IWC, Omega, AP, Boucherer, Wempe, Tiffany, 1929, etc. And at least a couple of stores dedicated to used and vintage pieces (Ashley's and World of Time).
Very nice! I've been learning German for about the last 8 months. The grammar can be pretty tricky! I visited Germany about 20 years ago, but couldn't understand anything. I'd like to go back and actually be able to read and communicate this time. As far as German watches, I like Sinn. Interesting, well built, toolish watches. I have the 556i and the 105. I'd like to add a U50 someday too.
Alles Gute zur Geburtswoche!
Thanks, Rob!
We'll see how I do learning German. Old dog, new tricks...I don't know...I'll learn enough for it to be helpful, but from what I understand they speak a lot of English over there anyway.
Another vote for Sinn!
That’s amazing and very thoughtful. Happy birthday, Eric!
Thank you! The Bergmann is a very inexpensive watch. My wife said she bought it because she was looking for German watches, couldn't find any, and when found that one she just bought it.
I'm perusing the #germanwatches forums for ideas and Sinn and NOMOS are on my radar. 👍
The Bergmann is very Germanic looking - reminds me of Junghans, another brand that might be worth checking out.
I had stumbled across an interesting video a while back that I found somewhat helpful in trying to translate written German into English. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VebSZrHmsI4
Very cool story. Just checking but the chocolates were defo for humans right? Not treats for cats?? It wouldn’t be the first time hahaha
Happy Birth-day and week, my friend! 🥳 Great gifts from your wonderful wife.💯 The gents above have given good leads to German brands. There are also several YT videos citing Top 15 German Watch Brands. Teddy Baldasarre also has a video on German brands. There's a microbrand based out of Hamburg called Sternglas. Gave my son a Sternglas watch for his high school graduation back in 2018.
Happy Birthday and I don’t need to tell you that you’re a lucky man. I’m a huge Nomos fan if that’s your style.
I'm jealous - mostly of those steins of beer! If you ever pass through London, there's a good German restaurant at Kings Cross/St Pancras - "The German Gymnasium".
I also love German watches, and can't speak any German. I get away with that, though, as my wife is a German teacher. I let her do all the talking!
Happy birthday! I think Nomos would be the way to go.
Thanks, you may be right!
Thank you! 🍻
I'll check out Teddy's vid this evening, I watch him but haven't seen that one yet. I may have to bump up my spending limit a bit for this watch.
Your tip about Sternglas was on-point. So much so, that I may get one as a birthday treat for myself this week! 💸
Teddy either has a YT video on it, or a blog on his website. Or both. I'm sure you'll find one that you will really love with that increase in budget hehe..
Woot! Woot! 🥳 Yep, Sternglas is an under the radar microbrand that makes really quality watches with classic Bauhaus design. Can't wait to see pics of your new Sternglas soon. And don't forget the Timex Waterbury. 😉 Advanced congrats, and Happy Birthday again! 🍻
What a great birthday week...Happy Birthday!
My choice for German watches in the price range mentioned...
Hanhart
Pioneer - Hanhart Chronographen
Also, if those are too retro for you, then Tutima makes some amazing watches...
Thanks!
I love all kinds of watches, so "too retro" is not possible. 😉
G'day Eric
I am really happy for you; thanks for sharing about your birthday gift. Bavarian people are a wonderful lot - I enjoyed my time in Bavaria very much, and miss visiting as often as I used to. The beer gardens are a must, obviously, and if you go during winter, it's quite fun to just ski up to a beer house at the end of the day and walk into the warmth and have a great beer!! My Bavarian friends reckon Augustiner is the best beer/brew-house, so check it out when if you can. I am not a beer lover, but I must say that Bavarian beers changed my mind. :-)
Re watches, when I was last there, there is a great selection of German watches at Munich airport terminal shopping itself. Most of the brands have been mentioned, but check out also Junkers. They have a pretty good range of watches for under US$2000, including automatics. Well known for their Tante Ju (Auntie Ju) JU52 derived pieces, where the dials are akin to the corrugated fuselage of the famed Junkers JU52 airplane.
I have 2 pieces from Limes myself, but these are the older ones, which I prefer to the current lines, except for the Leviathan. Quite a nice watch that. Give a call to Mr. Ickler, the watchmaker for the Limes brand/group, and he'll chat with you about his watches, except it might help if you can speak some German. I am not sure they have been mentioned earlier, but check out Archimedes and Defakto watch brands as well as they are part of the Ickler group (I think cases supplied by Ickler).
If you have a chance to pass through Frankfurt, do try and visit the Sinn watch offices/factory when there. Just watch your credit card...
If you do know some locals there, ask about where you might find off the beaten track watches as I came across a couple of local stores where you would not hear about that watch brand unless you lived in that locality, and there were some lovely pieces that I had seen for around your budget or less.
Wish you a pleasant and safe journey when you travel to Muenchen, Bavaria.
Habe die Ehre,
Ed.
Interesting post & thanks for the tips and advice, Ed! Well taken. 🤝
I'm a beer snob and well acquainted with German beers. 🍻 I love a nice marzen.
I'm going to have to do some further research on Archimedes and Defakto, thanks for introducing me to those brands! I'm also keenly interested in the of the beaten track watches, as I am a fan of unique and lesser-known things, thanks for that tip in particular!
I see you are in Perth. I spent the first three years of my life there. It's a shame I wasn't older, so I'd have memories of the area. My father was in the US Navy and was stationed there.
Teddy either has a YT video on it, or a blog on his website. Or both. I'm sure you'll find one that you will really love with that increase in budget hehe..
Woot! Woot! 🥳 Yep, Sternglas is an under the radar microbrand that makes really quality watches with classic Bauhaus design. Can't wait to see pics of your new Sternglas soon. And don't forget the Timex Waterbury. 😉 Advanced congrats, and Happy Birthday again! 🍻
I appreciate that, thanks again.
Just read Teddy's blog on it. 👍
I'm going to start fresh in the morning looking at the Sternglas site, and I haven't forgotten about the Waterbury! It's still on the list. I have some $ burning a hole in my pocket.
Interesting post & thanks for the tips and advice, Ed! Well taken. 🤝
I'm a beer snob and well acquainted with German beers. 🍻 I love a nice marzen.
I'm going to have to do some further research on Archimedes and Defakto, thanks for introducing me to those brands! I'm also keenly interested in the of the beaten track watches, as I am a fan of unique and lesser-known things, thanks for that tip in particular!
I see you are in Perth. I spent the first three years of my life there. It's a shame I wasn't older, so I'd have memories of the area. My father was in the US Navy and was stationed there.
You are welcome!! My pleasure really. Fond memories of Bavaria for me. Who knows, I might bump into you there. :-)
Yes, I am in Perth. If you are ever here for a visit, let me know. Might not be able to get you a marzen here, but the Aussie craft beers...
All the best to you!
I appreciate that, thanks again.
Just read Teddy's blog on it. 👍
I'm going to start fresh in the morning looking at the Sternglas site, and I haven't forgotten about the Waterbury! It's still on the list. I have some $ burning a hole in my pocket.
Thank you so much for your time composing your thoughtful reply. 🤝 You have mentioned two brands I have never heard of before (still a neophyte, I am): Bruno Söhnle & Limes.
This one is stunningly simple & elegant, with its thin hands and plenty of white space:
The hands immediately brought to mind my Seiko alarm watch:
Limes watches have been bookmarked for perusal as well.
I'm going to read your Affordable German Watch Brands posts, thanks! 🍻
I'll research and have an idea of what I like before we get there, will visit the stores around me and make a purchase based on what's available.
You are welcome. Thank you for sharing your wonderful story.
About Bruno Söhnle you should consider a "down side" (individual point of view). They are often oversized. Not just by diameter but also in hight. They have only a few "normal sized".
Limes (I guess in english you might pronounce like the green lemon fruit🍋 but actually it's more like "Lee-Mess" 😊 ) belongs to the Ickler Family in Pforzheim. They are traditionally specialized as producer for watchparts like cases, bracelets and Hands for other brands. But less known because no other watchbrand tells who made their hand and cases :-) . So if any german watchbrand offers special cases like hardend steel or special shapes, it is verylikely that Limes did it.
Later they founded their own brands like Archimede and Limes.
So long story short:
Except of their movements everything else is made literally inhouse by their own manufacturing. Even the decoration of their movements.
If you should visit Glashütte you can also check out the Brand Kronsegler. They are offering mechanical watches for very resonable prices due to their Miyota Movements. They have two shops as I know. In Glashütte and Dresden. I actually never had one in my hand yet and there is very little information. But if you would visit Glashütte anyway I think it would be worth to check them out.
Yes, you truly do have a wonderful wife. Happy Birthday to you and good on her! I know you enjoyed your birthday week - how could you not! ❤️
Thank you! The Bergmann is a very inexpensive watch. My wife said she bought it because she was looking for German watches, couldn't find any, and when found that one she just bought it.
I'm perusing the #germanwatches forums for ideas and Sinn and NOMOS are on my radar. 👍
I recommend Muhle-Glashutte as well. They’re a smaller family owned company producing nautical timepieces, including the SAR rescue ticket for the German SAR.
You are welcome. Thank you for sharing your wonderful story.
About Bruno Söhnle you should consider a "down side" (individual point of view). They are often oversized. Not just by diameter but also in hight. They have only a few "normal sized".
Limes (I guess in english you might pronounce like the green lemon fruit🍋 but actually it's more like "Lee-Mess" 😊 ) belongs to the Ickler Family in Pforzheim. They are traditionally specialized as producer for watchparts like cases, bracelets and Hands for other brands. But less known because no other watchbrand tells who made their hand and cases :-) . So if any german watchbrand offers special cases like hardend steel or special shapes, it is verylikely that Limes did it.
Later they founded their own brands like Archimede and Limes.
So long story short:
Except of their movements everything else is made literally inhouse by their own manufacturing. Even the decoration of their movements.
If you should visit Glashütte you can also check out the Brand Kronsegler. They are offering mechanical watches for very resonable prices due to their Miyota Movements. They have two shops as I know. In Glashütte and Dresden. I actually never had one in my hand yet and there is very little information. But if you would visit Glashütte anyway I think it would be worth to check them out.
Thank you again. You are a wealth of knowledge and I appreciate your imparting some of that for my benefit. More brands to investigate!
You mentioned Miyota movements, I noticed that Sternglas uses them in some of their watches and I'm looking at getting one (unrelated to this trip next year) due to their relatively reasonable cost. What's your informed take on them? I'm aware of the Miyota 8215's quirky second hand movement.
Yes, you truly do have a wonderful wife. Happy Birthday to you and good on her! I know you enjoyed your birthday week - how could you not! ❤️
Thank you! She is a blessing in my life beyond words. ❤
You're very kind, thank you!
I started losing my hair when I was in my 30's and didn't want to fight it (and back then you couldn't), so I just started shaving my head. Both of my grandfathers were bald, so it was my destiny anyway!
Trust me you did the right thing. It really suits you. I worked as a hair stylist in my early years and wearing a piece or as they call it today a system takes up so much time and most don't even look that good.
Thank you again. You are a wealth of knowledge and I appreciate your imparting some of that for my benefit. More brands to investigate!
You mentioned Miyota movements, I noticed that Sternglas uses them in some of their watches and I'm looking at getting one (unrelated to this trip next year) due to their relatively reasonable cost. What's your informed take on them? I'm aware of the Miyota 8215's quirky second hand movement.
Never mind. Feel free to ask anything. I don't know everything, but I'm willing to help.
I actually never had a watch with a Miyota movement. But the 8215 might be a reliable movement. I don't know if they changed anything so far, but as I know it is a none-hacking movement if this is important for you (I actually do not much care). But there is a little trick: If you turn the hands counterclockwise wile setting the time, it will hack. :-)
Anyway. Many affordable german watch brands do use Miyota movements. Also Laco in der Basis-Line.
I also never had a Sternglas in my hand as they sell online only. But I never heared something bad.
They are actually quite open and transparent on their website about their vallue stream and which parts are from which Country and City. They say that their production is in the area of Hunsrück. In that are is only Dugena. A hundret years old watch manufacturer. Making also affordable watches, but they are quite experienced. So I expect the Watches of Sternglas as at least as "not bad" but in relation to their very low prices as very good. But as I said, I have no direct experience. Actually I have an eye on this one, which reminds very strong on Nomos:
Got several Bergmanns, they're great watches!