Mühle-Glashütte

Mühle-Glashütte is a German watch and instrument producer with roots in Robert Mühle's Glashütte business founded in 1869. Its early production concerned measuring instruments for the watch industry. That date therefore does not mean that today's wristwatch types were already being made then.

In 1994 Hans-Jürgen Mühle re-established the family business as Mühle-Glashütte GmbH nautische Instrumente und Feinmechanik, initially producing marine chronometers and ships' clocks. The producer's timeline associates its first commercially available wristwatches with 1996, including the Marinefliegeruhr-I and a sports diving model. Instrument history, re-establishment and wristwatch production must be separated when dating an object.

For a used watch, the model reference and movement designation matter more than the brand's earliest date. Establish whether information concerns a ship's clock, wristwatch or another instrument. Do not transfer water resistance, power reserve or regulation figures from a new model to an older example. A nautical model name does not automatically establish use aboard a particular vessel. Purchase and service records should relate to the individual watch.

Sources: Mühle-Glashütte: History; Mühle-Glashütte: 30 years, 2024.