Laco Uhrenmanufaktur

Laco Uhrenmanufaktur GmbH (formerly Lacher & Co) is a German watch manufacturer founded in 1925 in Pforzheim by Frieda Lacher and Ludwig Hummel.[1][2]

History

The company name derives from the surname Lacher[3] and the abbreviation Co. Laco Uhrenmanufaktur was founded in the mid-1920s, when Swiss movements dominated the market in Pforzheim.

After several years, the founders decided to go their separate ways.[4] Hummel (*26 July 1889) stayed in the original company, the watch factory Laco, whereas Frieda Lacher joined the precision parts production for wristwatches. In 1936, Erich Lacher, Frieda Lacher's son, joined her business branch and assumed the management. For this reason, the company was renamed Erich Lacher Uhrenfabrik. Again, the firm started producing complete watches.

In 1933,[5] Hummel founded the company Durowe (Deutsche Uhren Roh Werke), also located in Pforzheim.[6] Like other watch manufacturers in Pforzheim, Hummel aimed at being independent from Swiss producers and at creating his own line of watches. As the wristwatch demand was slow to take off in Germany and as many factories in Pforzheim still needed raw movements from Switzerland, Hummel's plans were difficult to implement.

The company continued to grow until World War II. The number of produced movements per month increased from 20,000 to 30,000. The watch models were equipped with 22-line pallet bridge movements of Durowe, and they were adjusted through a chronometer.

Durowe also supplied raw movements to other watch manufacturers. Soon, the product portfolio included a range of wristwatches. Two round mechanisms – 8¾ (cal. 318) and 10½ (cal. 410) – as well as three non-round movements – 5¼ (cal. 50), 7¾ x 11 (cal. 275) and 10½ – were produced. An additional "F" for "Formwerk" distinguished them. All of these models were pallet anchor mechanisms with clutch winds. Cylinder anchor and pin pallet fork mechanisms were still favoured, but full pallet fork mechanisms tended to feature ratchet winds. Following the destruction of 80% of Pforzheim by Allied air raids, Laco and its sister company resumed operations in 1949. By means of the Marshall Plan, Hummel built a 5-storey factory for Laco-Durowe, which was later extended. In the mid 1950s, 1,400 people worked there.[7] The raw movement production rose to 80,000 per month.

The manual winding and also the automatic movements – manufactured since 1952 – contributed to Laco's upturn. Durowe supplied watchmakers with an increasing number of movements.

Production in Pforzheim

The model Laco Sport included the first automatic movement of Durowe, produced since 1952: the Duromat – 11 ½ lines (cal. 552). This movement, with 18,000 half-oscillations and bidirectional rotors, was based on 422 cal. In 1957, the Laco chronometer with manual wind 630 (13 lines) was developed. It is unknown how many Laco chronometers were produced.[8]

Laco worldwide

On 1 February 1959,[9] due to a drop in sales, Hummel sold the company to Timex Group USA.[10] Timex was particularly interested in Laco-Durowe's progresses regarding the possibilities of electric and electronic watches. The Laco-electric, the first electric German watch that functioned reliably, entered the market in 1961. Helmut Epperlein's attempt in 1958 to bring the first electric watch on the market failed because of design mistakes. On 1 September 1965, after 6 1/2 years of ownership, Timex sold Laco-Durowe to the Swiss company Ebauches S.A.. Lacher & Co. retained its company name. The new Swiss owners wanted Durowe to produce exclusively mechanical movements for ladies' and men's watches. Through the German company, the Swiss company got easy access to the markets of the European Economic Community (EEC), which (since 2009) has been incorporated into the larger, more integrated European Union. Durowe remained a dominating manufacturer for another decade - in 1974, a total of 550,000 movements were produced. But as a result of the Japanese quartz revolution, Durowe's presence diminished significantly, eventually leading to the cessation of its large-scale manufacturing operations by the late 1970s.[11]

Development since the 1980s

In the 1980s, the name Laco was relaunched. Erich Lacher Uhrenfabrik continued to exist as a sister company. On 8 September 1988, executive manager Horst Günther[12] acquired Laco's name and logo rights. In this way, the company was able to fabricate a modern product range of Laco watches. Most of these watches are still mechanical ones today, but function with Swiss and Japanese movements. Andreas Günther managed the company in the sixth generation.

To celebrate 75 years of the watch factory, Lacher reissued 75 of its 40s-pilot-watches. Eighty percent of the components used have been replicated from the original model. All the other components, especially the pinions and the wheel plate for the indirectly powered central second pointer, were produced in restricted amounts. The 75 limited edition watches were sold for 7,500 DM each.

After the release of the jubilee edition, the company decided to launch a new series of Laco pilot watches at the start of 2003. Five new exclusive models were available. They include movements with Geneva Stripes and dyed blue screws.

New start with new owners

Laco declared insolvency on 30 June 2009.[13] After a brief period under Kienzle Uhren, the company was restructured in 2010 with eight employees.[14][15] Since then, the brand has focused on updating its pilot watch designs.

Historical link to B-Watches (B-Uhren watches)

During World War II, B-Watches (B for the German Beobachtung, meaning "observation"; in German Beobachtungsuhren, B-Uhren or B-Uhr) were produced – also known as observation watches, navigator's watches, pilot watches or Flieger watch.[16] Five manufacturers[17] produced B-Watches for the German Luftwaffe:[18] These watches included pocket watch movements: The Imperial Air Ministry (Reichsluftfahrtministerium – RLM) defined the specifications of these watches. On the basis of these specifications, the watches had the following features in common:

• Lange & Söhne
• Laco (Lacher & Co)
• Stowa (Walter Storz)
• Wempe (Chronometerwerke Hamburg)
• IWC

• Lange & Söhne: Cal. 48/1
• Laco: Durowe cal. D 5
• Stowa: Unitas cal. 2812
• Wempe: Thommen cal. 31
• IWC: Cal. 52 SC (SC = seconde central)

• Case diameter of 55 mm
• Engraving with FL 23883 on the case's back and left side (FL = flight, 23 = navigation, 883 = specification by the German Research Institute for Aviation (Deutsche Versuchsanstalt für Luftfahrt))
• Large crowns, in order to be able to operate with a pair of gloves
• Hacking movement (by pulling the crown, the second hand stops / important for a precise time setting)
• Breguet balance wheel
• Regulated and tested as chronometers
• Leather strap (for easy attachment on a flight jacket's sleeve)

See also

• List of watch manufacturers
• List of German watch manufacturers
• Manufacture d'horlogerie

Literature

• Michael Brückner: Auf SpUHRENsuche. Zu Besuch in innovativen Manufakturen und Ateliers. 1. Auflage. Pro Business, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-86805-804-8.
• Fritz von Osterhausen: Callweys Uhrenlexikon. Callwey, München 1999, ISBN 3-7667-1353-1.
• Wolfgang Pieper: Geschichte der Pforzheimer Uhrenindustrie. Verlag Dr. Klaus Piepenstock, Baden-Baden 1992.[19]
• Konrad Knirim: Militäruhren. Die Uhren der deutschen Streitkräfte 1870 bis 1990. Verlag Peter Pomp, Bottrop 1998, ISBN 3-89355-180-8.
• Konrad Knirim: Militäruhren. 150 Jahre Zeitmessung beim deutschen Militär. Verlag Peter Pomp, Bottrop 2002, ISBN 3-89355-232-4.
• Helmut Kahlert, Richard Mühe, Gisbert L. Brunner: Armbanduhren. 100 Jahre Entwicklungsgeschichte. 4. Auflage. Callwey, München 1990, ISBN 3-7667-0975-5.

External links

• The history of Laco
• German watch manufacture