In the mid-19th century, court watchmaker Ferdinand A. Lange from Dresden decided to establish a Saxon watchmaking industry in the Erzgebirge mountains together with several highly regarded colleagues, including Julius Assman, Moritz Grossmann and Adolf Schneider. The little town of Glashütte was ideal for the new venture because its ore mining industry was in long-term decline and many former miners were seeking a new occupation. Over the years, the founders invested in training and education for their workers and set up the first German watchmaking school in 1878, thereby laying the foundation in Glashütte for future generations of Saxon master watchmakers. One thing was clear: only the very highest quality had any chance of success, because the number of customers who could afford expensive timepieces was very small and such individuals were also extremely demanding. Subsequent developments showed that this was the right approach to take, and the watchmaking school still exists today. The historic building in the centre of Glashütte has also housed the German Watch Museum Glashütte since 2008, where over 400 exhibits illustrate the development of the watchmaking industry in the town. Visitors can see exquisite pocket watches, high-precision marine chronometers, early wrist watches, patent certificates and historic watchmakers’ workbenches.
