The new gents’ and ladies’ watches meant for heavy sport use, as well as three dyed-in-the-wool diver’s watches, are added to the already existing Wempe Zeitmeister collection.
Wempe not only is one of the very big, worldwide acting watch & jewelry retailers, Wempe is also a successful manufacturer of watches. Ever since its founding in 1878, the family-owned Wempe business has never done anything by halves. Throughout the past 135 years, Wempe has also always upheld its policy of offering its customers outstanding horological quality at affordable prices. Precisely this is embodied in the wristwatches of the Zeitmeister line, which have been produced since 2006 in Saxony’s Glashütte. All these watches are officially certified as a German chronometer according to DIN 8319.
The yesterday presented Zeitmeister line extension now creates a complete watch family including self-winding sport and diver’s watches.
I yesterday, just after the official presentation, talked to Bernhard Stoll, he is member of the board of directors, business unit watches, about the Wempe line extension. With 29 years of experience in the watch business at Wempe Bernhard in my opinion is a real mover and shaker… 🙂
For a diver today a proper diver’s watch is absolutely obligatory as a second safety system independent of his diving computer. Corresponding to the strict DIN 8306 standard (or its international counterpart ISO 6425), a diver’s watch must undergo water resistance and temperature tests – and survive them undamaged. Among other ordeals:
- The watch must spend two hours at the pressure prevailing at a depth of 100m, then three hours at a depth of three meters.
- It must withstand a pressure 25 percent above the specified maximal pressure resistance.
- It must show no traces of corrosion after being submerged in warm saltwater for 24 hours.
- It must survive alternating immersions in water at 40° and 5° C and afterwards pass the condensation test.
- Its dial must be uncommonly legible.
- The watch must have a rotating ring that can be turned in only one direction (counterclockwise). When the dive begins, this ring must be rotated so the reference mark corresponds to the minute hand. The dive time can thus be read unambiguously and independently of the time of day. Unidirectional rotation is also essential so that if the ring’s position should be inadvertently shifted, it will always display what appears to be a longer interval underwater – and never a shorter interval.
At the Wempe Museum Kim-Eva Wempe, Uwe Beckman and Bernhard Stoll, together they are the driving force behind the manufacturing of own watches, discovered two early diver’s watches from the 1960s: the Zeitmeister Skin Diver and the Zeitmeister Swimproof were not as big, less pressure resistant because of the gasket technology used at the time, and equipped with bidirectional rotating bezels to preset the dive time. Nonetheless, these models prove that the family business in Hamburg already had an affinity for water – and not solely through Wempe Chronometerwerke in Hamburg. Wristwatches for water sports were already included in the product portfolio at an early date.
Of course another standard altogether is embodied by the new Zeitmeister diver’s watch line, which comprises a diver’s chronograph for men in a 45 mm case and two self-winding diver’s watches with black or blue dials in 42 mm cases. Not only do they provide greater safety because they’ve passed an additional chronometer test, they also resist pressure to a depth of 300 meters – much deeper than the maximal depth for an ordinary sport diving watch, which should be water-resistant to 40 meters. Everything about these new watches looks robust and sturdy. The safety precautions are comprehensive:
- Screw-down case back
- Screw-in crown with large protectors on either side
- Sapphire crystal with antireflective treatment on both sides to ensure optimal legibility
- Luminous hands and markers
- Second hand with luminous triangle
- Readily grasped, unidirectional rotating, ceramic bezel with notches at single-minute intervals to preset the dive time
- Luminous marking on the dive-time ring
- Five-part, high quality, integrated, stainless steel bracelets with quick-extension mechanism to lengthen it so that it can be worn over the sleeve of a wetsuit. The folding clasp is additionally protected by a practical safety catch.
All new features at a glance
Diver’s Watches:
Wempe Zeitmeister Diver’s Watch for Men, black dial, stainless steel case with stainless steel bracelet and extension element, self-winding movement (Caliber Sellita SW300), 42 mm case, screw-in crown, screw-down case back, pressure-resistant to 30 bar (300 m), black ceramic bezel. Price: USD 3,540.
Wempe Zeitmeister Diver’s Watch for Men, blue dial, stainless steel case with stainless steel bracelet and extension element, self-winding movement (Caliber Sellita SW300), 42 mm case, screw-in crown, screw-down case back, pressure-resistant to 30 bar (300 m), black ceramic bezel. Price: USD 3,540.
Wempe Zeitmeister Diver’s Chronograph for Men, stainless steel case with stainless steel bracelet and extension element, self-winding movement (Caliber Sellita SW500), 45 mm case, screw-in crown, screw-down case back, pressure-resistant to 30 bar (300 m), black ceramic bezel. Price: USD 4,825.
Sport Watches:
Wempe Zeitmeister Men’s Sport Watch chronograph, stainless steel case with stainless steel bracelet, silver-plated dial, self-winding movement (Caliber Valjoux 7753), 44 mm case, self-winding movement crown, screw-down case back, pressure-resistant to 10 bar (100 m). Price: USD 4,255.
Wempe Zeitmeister Men’s Sport Watch, chronograph, stainless steel case with stainless steel bracelet, black dial, self-winding movement (Caliber Valjoux 7753), 44 mm case, screw-in crown, screw-down case back, pressure-resistant to 10 bar (100 m). Price: USD 4,255.
Wempe Zeitmeister Men’s Sport Watch, stainless steel case with stainless steel bracelet, silver-plated dial, self-winding movement (Caliber ETA 2892-A2), 40 mm case, screw-in crown, screw-down case back, pressure-resistant to 10 bar (100 m).Price: USD 2,970.
Wempe Zeitmeister Men’s Sport Watch, stainless steel case with stainless steel bracelet, black dial, self-winding movement (Caliber ETA 2892-A2), 40 mm case, screw-in crown, screw-down case back, pressure-resistant to 10 bar (100 m). Price: USD 2,970.
Wempe Zeitmeister Ladies’ Sport Watch, stainless steel case with stainless steel bracelet, silver-plated dial, self-winding movement (Caliber ETA 2892-A2), 35 mm case, screw-in crown, screw-down case back, pressure-resistant to 10 bar (100 m). Price: USD 2,825.
Wempe Zeitmeister Ladies’ Sport Watch, stainless steel case with stainless steel bracelet, black dial, self-winding movement (Caliber ETA 2892-A2), 35 mm case, screw-in crown, screw-down case back, pressure-resistant to 10 bar (100 m). Price: USD 2,825.
Please do also enjoy these additional pictures showing you the new and old Wempe Zeitmeister sports watches…
Thanks for showing these new models.
Personally I like the Wempe watches, but in this case my impression is somewhere between those expresed above.
The dial and the hands are characteristic and the overall concept including the German chronometer certicification and the branding is fine. Nevertheless the bezel looks like a spare part from the well known divers watch placed in the middle of the best window of the Wempe stores.
If we compare what Bucherer are doing, same business model, then I would buy a Bucherer watch then a Wempe; which looks like a Rolex. Here you have a company which controls the retail market in Germany, so if they would be smart then they could create something out of the box n not copy one of their biggest sellers. Not impressed at all!!
I personally don’t like the Bucherer watches and they are targeting a total different client. Just look at the prices… But this is another cup of coffee…
Wempe Zeitmeister are positioned in an entry price level and their design is conservative. Their buyers just don’t have more money or they don’t want to spend more, many are young and they often buy their first mechanical watch. So for those what Wempe does it is just ideal.
Interesting also the fact, that through the Wempe watches a lot of new customers come to Wempe…
I recommend you also to listen to the interview with Bernhard Stoll…
thanks for your comments I do not like Bucherer watches either but at least they are different and have their own design. But if they want to attract entry level buyers why then copy Rolex? They have the money to do their own design. anyway still do not like their watches sorry.
Interesting that the blue Wempe went with is similar to the white-gold blue Rolex Submariner– sometimes referred to as “Smurf” blue.
Octopus. Totally!