Mühle Glashütte
- Founded
- 1869
- Based in
- Glashütte, Germany
- In our catalog
- 2 watches from $1,900 to $2,800
Mühle Glashütte comes at watches from an instrument maker's angle. For most of its history it made precision tools for the watch industry, then speedometers and ship's instruments, and it still makes marine clocks. Its watches are tough, readable and designed to be used, and the company is run by the fifth generation of the Mühle family.
History
Robert Mühle founded the company in Glashütte in 1869, making precision measuring instruments for the town's watchmakers, including the young A. Lange & Söhne. Later generations made instruments for cars and ships. Like every Glashütte firm, Mühle was nationalized during the East German era.
After reunification, Hans-Jürgen Mühle re-founded the family business in 1994, making ship's chronometers and nautical instruments, and soon wristwatches. His son Thilo Mühle runs the company today. Mühle supplies watches to the German Maritime Search and Rescue Service.
Signature models
- S.A.R. Rescue Timer: Made for the sea rescue service, with a rubberized bezel you can grip with wet gloves and a large, very readable dial.
- 29er Big: A sporty everyday watch named after a fast two-person racing dinghy.
What it's known for
Practical design and a clever bit of engineering. Mühle uses Swiss movements but fits them with its own "woodpecker neck" regulator, a spring-loaded part shaped like a woodpecker's head that makes fine adjustments more stable. The watches are made in Glashütte with Glashütte finishing.
Price and positioning
Mühle watches mostly cost $1,500 to $3,000. Sinn is the main rival for German tool watches, and Nomos for German watches made in Glashütte at a similar price.
Mühle Glashütte watches in our library
- Mühle Glashütte 29er Big ($1,900 to $2,100)
- Mühle Glashütte S.A.R. Rescue Timer ($2,500 to $2,800)