“From the outset, we vowed to create watches that stand out thanks to their unique design, excellent price/performance ratio and high product quality that is MADE IN GERMANY,” states Willi Birk, POINTtec’s founder, and that’s precisely what they achieved.
More than 30 years later, POINTtec is one of the frontrunners in German watchmaking, thanks to its outstanding artistry, engineering and creativity. The brand is known worldwide for its brands, IRON ANNIE, ZEPPELIN and bauhaus, and they serve as figureheads for the pioneering spirit that underpins POINTtec watchmaking.
For Birk, it was an ambition to revive watchmaking after the quartz crisis that inspired the move to open the company. Initially making its first timepieces in France, the bold and striking designs became an instant talking point on the watch scene. Considered by many as daring and different, POINTtec’s unusual take on classic watches propelled them into the spotlight and, since that moment, have never stopped producing first-rate watches.
During the mid-90s, POINTtec consolidated its manufacturing process back in a reunified Germany, in the town of Ruhla, where watchmaking tradition dates back as far as 1892. Besides traditional timepieces, radio-controlled watches under the brand name Maximilian München were also developed there, which proved to be a huge success. The company soon became one of Germany’s largest watch producer by volume.
POINTtec is a family-owned business that remains independent and owner-run even today. This gives them the necessary decision-making autonomy and flexibility to react in real-time to the needs of their customers.
“We offer experience and proven watch design/development expertise that we have been demonstrating for over 30 years. All designs are developed by POINTtec. We trust our first-class and reliable suppliers, who also supply well-known manufacturers of high-priced luxury watches. All our watches are made by experienced watchmakers in Germany and are a genuine quality product that is MADE IN GERMANY.”
POINTtec continued to develop more watches, and soon the company launched ZEPPELIN, another brand that would fly the flag for German watchmaking. Around the same time, the company also scored its first deals to manufacture private label watches for well-known German automotive and tech businesses, such as Audi, VW, Bosch, and Siemens.
Over the past 30 years, POINTtec has produced mechanical watches, quartz watches, certified chronometers and watches with hand-painted porcelain dials. They have also produced watches for Lufthansa, Air France and significant organisations such as the German Armed Forces, NATO, KFOR, SFOR, ISAF and the navy, highlighting their impressive portfolio and support for ‘MADE IN GERMANY”.
Another of its well-known brands, IRON ANNIE, was created as a replacement for its bestselling Junkers collection. Named after the Junkers’ Ju 52 German transport aircraft, royalties over the name became a topic for dispute, so POINTtec decided they would use this opportunity to form new pathways for the brand. Since 1990, Iron Annie has continued to gain popularity for its reliable technology and unique designs, all finished to the highest spec according to the brand’s strict quality control.
Currently boasting distribution partners in 35 countries, POINTtec is expanding its global network and still producing around 150,000 high-quality watches annually. Its three brands: IRON ANNIE, ZEPPELIN and bauhaus, use only Swiss and Japanese movements.
From a business and technological perspective, POINTtec never stops innovating, which is why they created its youngest addition, bauhaus, in 2019. The brand celebrates the infamous German art and design school by creating watches that are in keeping with the movements’ reduced aesthetic and a “form follows function” ethos. The fresh and colourful watches also pay homage to the building that housed POINTtecs’s manufacturing in Ruhla for decades, a Bauhaus style building by the renowned architects Schreiter & Schlag, from 1929.
As a movement defined by a rational and functional design, this less-is-more-approach remains popular today, and the bauhaus collection fits perfectly into that narrative. The brand makes up the third signature in the POINTtec portfolio and aptly represents why this company has successfully endured the test of time.
“Our trademarks IRON ANNIE, ZEPPELIN, and Bauhaus all stand for a pioneering spirit and innovation, traditional craftsmanship, high quality and a long service life. These values spur us on in the present and are our promise for the future.”
POINTtec also delivers exceptional watch technology with every new design. This includes the upcoming POINTconnect smart watch strap that allows a classic watch to become a smart device with technology for health tracking, messaging, contactless payments and maps, all viewed via an embedded screen.
As one of Europe’s leading watchmakers, POINTtec is always striving to push the boundaries of watchmaking and design. With over three decades of experience, POINTtec offers experience, development expertise and first-class watches that are an emblem of the genuine quality of being MADE IN GERMANY.
Find out more about POINTtec’s fine watchmaking at www.pointtec.de or email here to contact the team.