From the beginning of flight, pilots needed time measurement devices and in this way, the history of wristwatches are uniquely linked to that of aviation. These were no ordinary wristwatches and had to be extremely accurate and easy to read as the pilot maintained control of aircraft. As such, the solution was a design wristwatch with an extra long strip which could fit over the pilot’s flying suit or even on his or her leg.

The golden age of aviation in the 1930’s brought with it a boom in wristwatch design in order to satisfy the demands of the new pioneers of the sky.

In this context, a German ministerial order of 1936 would publish the FL23883 specifications which would set down the requirements for time devices for German Luftwaffe air crews. In this way, observation watches were born “beobachtungsuhren”, making watch-making history.

The design of these watches, authentic flight instruments in their own right, was entrusted to the master watchmakers of the Black Forest who had a proud and noble tradition of excellence.