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JimJupiter
·Hey guys,
the last few years and more intensively the last few weeks I was busy building a website about the East-German Glashuette divers. Diver you said, didn't the East Germans just build chrome plated watches that started to rust, when they saw water? Yes and no. Among the usual "waterproof" Spezimatic watches, there were also some watches, that had an interesting History I would like to share with you in short.
In 1967 (VEB - people owned factory) Glashuette started a test run of some own dive watches, when a group of scientist were ordered to salvage a coral reef in Cuba. Among a few other Western watches (Submariner, Squale, Enicar Ultradive) they also had a prototype of the Glashütte Dive watches in their luggage. The diving magazine "Poseidon" stated, that the watch was ok with some room for improvements especially at the bezel and crown.
Unfortunately no surviving example is known yet. From his successor we know that the case was made of chromed brass and most likely just watertight to 50m. It allready was a model of the Spezimatic line and had the famous movement claim (3.7mio movements were build till 1979) on the dial.
In 1968 Glashütte made some improvements with the watch and send 100-200 watches to the East-German Marine, were it was tested by the special forces KSK 18 (frogman) and other diving units. The most obvious change is the dial, that wasn't change more or less till 1979.
The dial and hands were influenced by French dive watches of this time. The case was build in West Germany by Karl Rexer in Pforzheim and bought by the GDR. The testrun was not very successfull. To memories of old Glashütte watchmakers all watches came back with waterdamaged movements and the factory ordered to destroy all watches. Luckily some workers at the factory ignored the order, so some examples survived.
The better watch made his debut in late 1969 and is similar to contemporary skin divers. Now with a stainless steel case in 36mm, made again by a West-German manufacturer, Richard Pfisterer (RP), Pforzheim. Because of the inscript on the caseback, we call the watch today Glashütte Spezimatic RP TS 200. The watch was watertight to 200m and therefore the first real dive watch (half 😁 ) made in GDR.
About 2.000 watches were build and they are most known for their use with the KSK 18 again. Glashütter Original remembered this watch a few years ago and launched the SeaQ.
The watch was build till around 1974 and was then changed to a new case design (also stainless steel), but with a similar watertightness (at least with the first watches). Later examples were just watertight to 60m, which was also the maximum depth, the KSK 18 was diving. It's the watch that was most used in the KSK 18 to the memories of old members.
This watch was the last example with the Spezimatic movement. At the moment I am researching the successors with Spezichron movement, at least to other models are known.
All that and more you can find at glashuettetaucher.de . The page is German only at the moment, but Google Translate is your friend.
I hope I showed you a watch you maybe havn't heard before and that is different to the cheap base metal watches we all think of when we hear East German Glashütte.
Cheers Nico
the last few years and more intensively the last few weeks I was busy building a website about the East-German Glashuette divers. Diver you said, didn't the East Germans just build chrome plated watches that started to rust, when they saw water? Yes and no. Among the usual "waterproof" Spezimatic watches, there were also some watches, that had an interesting History I would like to share with you in short.
In 1967 (VEB - people owned factory) Glashuette started a test run of some own dive watches, when a group of scientist were ordered to salvage a coral reef in Cuba. Among a few other Western watches (Submariner, Squale, Enicar Ultradive) they also had a prototype of the Glashütte Dive watches in their luggage. The diving magazine "Poseidon" stated, that the watch was ok with some room for improvements especially at the bezel and crown.
Unfortunately no surviving example is known yet. From his successor we know that the case was made of chromed brass and most likely just watertight to 50m. It allready was a model of the Spezimatic line and had the famous movement claim (3.7mio movements were build till 1979) on the dial.
In 1968 Glashütte made some improvements with the watch and send 100-200 watches to the East-German Marine, were it was tested by the special forces KSK 18 (frogman) and other diving units. The most obvious change is the dial, that wasn't change more or less till 1979.
The dial and hands were influenced by French dive watches of this time. The case was build in West Germany by Karl Rexer in Pforzheim and bought by the GDR. The testrun was not very successfull. To memories of old Glashütte watchmakers all watches came back with waterdamaged movements and the factory ordered to destroy all watches. Luckily some workers at the factory ignored the order, so some examples survived.
The better watch made his debut in late 1969 and is similar to contemporary skin divers. Now with a stainless steel case in 36mm, made again by a West-German manufacturer, Richard Pfisterer (RP), Pforzheim. Because of the inscript on the caseback, we call the watch today Glashütte Spezimatic RP TS 200. The watch was watertight to 200m and therefore the first real dive watch (half 😁 ) made in GDR.
About 2.000 watches were build and they are most known for their use with the KSK 18 again. Glashütter Original remembered this watch a few years ago and launched the SeaQ.
The watch was build till around 1974 and was then changed to a new case design (also stainless steel), but with a similar watertightness (at least with the first watches). Later examples were just watertight to 60m, which was also the maximum depth, the KSK 18 was diving. It's the watch that was most used in the KSK 18 to the memories of old members.
This watch was the last example with the Spezimatic movement. At the moment I am researching the successors with Spezichron movement, at least to other models are known.
All that and more you can find at glashuettetaucher.de . The page is German only at the moment, but Google Translate is your friend.
I hope I showed you a watch you maybe havn't heard before and that is different to the cheap base metal watches we all think of when we hear East German Glashütte.
Cheers Nico
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