Believe it or not: Munich, the city of world-famous beers, also has a watchmaking tradition which can be documented as far back as the year 1394, when the first mention is made of an "ormaister," i.e. a master clockmaker.

Nikolaus Kratzer, a watchmaker, mathematician and astronomer at the court of Henry VIII, occupied himself with various timepieces in the early 16th century. Tobias Volkmer, a native of Braunschweig, arrived at the ducal court in Munich in 1594 to serve as a goldsmith and mathematician. He is credited with having made box sundials and mathematical devices. Hans Georg Mayr, Johann Wolfgang Lieb, Georg Melchior Chur, Johann Paulus Graf, Johann Martin Arzt and Joseph Gallmayr are several other names which certainly shouldn't be forgotten in the context of watchmaking in Munich , a city which developed into a leading center of precision engineering during the first quarter of the 19th century.

Men such as Joseph Liebherr, Georg Reichenbach, Joseph Utzschneider and Joseph Fraunhofer demonstrated their prowess in the field of time measurement. Capable watchmakers such as Franz Joseph Mahler, Johann Mannhardt and Christian Reithmann followed in their illustrious footsteps. Munich 's watchmaking scene was first further enriched in 1856 by Andreas Huber, whose descendants continued their forebear's horological work. Siegmund Riefler, a native of Allgäu, achieved global renown. In 1878 he settled in the metropolis beside the Isar River , where he developed and manufactured trailblazing precision timepieces with Riefler escapements and innovative nickel-steel self-compensating pendulums. These sinfully expensive instruments, which far outshone anything Riefler's competitors could produce, first found their way in 1889 into observatories, watch factories and other institutions where accurate timekeeping to within fractions of a second was essential.

The Kaiser's government awarded Prof. Heinrich Sattler a patent on the construction of a movement with a perpetual calendar in 1903. Sattler also designed annual-calendar and world-time clocks, which his father Heinrich Sattler, Sr. built and successfully sold. This enthusiasm for large timepieces was also shared by grandson Erwin Sattler, who established his homonymous business in 1958.

So far, so good! That was our whirlwind tour of approximately 600 years of Munich watchmaking. But there's no end in sight! Because a small but very fine watch factory opened its doors early in 2007 in the Bavarian capital - or, to be precise, just a stone's throw outside the gates of the capital. This isn't a newly founded enterprise, but a genuinely Bavarian business that can already look back upon nearly 25 years of watchmaking tradition. Once again, a native of Braunschweig is formatively involved. In this case, the man is Gerd-Rüdiger Lang, a master watchmaker who began his career at a renowned chronograph manufacturer in Switzerland in 1964. He arrived in Munich to serve as the authorized representative of the manufacturer's German subsidiary in 1974. When the "Quartz Crisis" put a forced end to this business in 1981, the man who had chosen Munich to be his new home continued to operate a repair service as a freelancer. He also repaired mechanical timepieces for friends and acquaintances. Meanwhile, an idea was gestating in his mind: he longed to create a collection of his own watches, which he would christen "Chronoswiss." The "Régulateur," the unchallenged flagship of that collection, debuted in 1987. Chronoswiss introduced the exclusive manufacture Caliber C 122 in 1991.

Each in a series of new horological innovations followed hard on the heels of its predecessor in ensuing years and at regular intervals. And each one's claim to uniqueness was verified by the issuance of a corresponding patent. Of course, this made and makes immense demands on the knowledge and skills of the watchmakers at Chronoswiss, where top quality always takes top priority - and where artisans are encouraged to take as much for their work time as they need.

As early as 1992, Chronoswiss had already shifted the location for the assembly of its Swiss-made components to Munich , thus increasing the flexibility of the production process. Stringent onsite quality control led to ongoing optimizations in the quality of the products. Furthermore, because Gerd-Rüdiger Lang always keeps his gaze focused toward the future, Chronoswiss took pains not to neglect the training of talented young watchmakers.

Due to a numerous unavoidable compromises, Gerd-Rüdiger Lang wasn't satisfied to permanently run his business in rented premises. He had long cherished the dream of having his own manufacturing site for wristwatches. But that's much easier said than done. In this context, the acquisition of a suitable plot of land on the outskirts of Munich could be described as one of the easier tasks .

The planning work was far more difficult and consumed considerably more time - because Gerd-Rüdiger Lang approached the task of creating his new "House of Time" with the selfsame meticulousness that has always characterized his work with Chronoswiss watches. Nothing, absolutely nothing, was left to chance. Every detail was considered and reconsidered until it elicited this perfectionist's unalloyed satisfaction.

Commensurate attention had to be devoted to each division: administration, development, construction, final assembly, warehouse, shipping and the all-important after-sales customer-service department. Appropriate space for temporary watch exhibits and special events about the theme of time likewise needed to be taken into account. After all, Gerd-Rüdiger Lang owns one of the world's most comprehensive collections of chronographs, which he displays in various showcases.

A transparent architecture with large glass planes offers each visitor the opportunity to observe the watchmakers as they painstakingly put the finishing touches on mechanical timepieces.

It's well known that mechanical timepieces are the world's most environmentally friendly timekeepers. Gerd-Rüdiger Lang demonstrates this environmental awareness in several ways. Whenever possible, he rides his bicycle as his preferred mode of transportation. The technical infrastructure of the new building is extremely ecologically sound. A state-of-the-art heat pump uses the energy of the groundwater to assure a comfortable ambient temperature inside the "House of Time."

Every beginning is difficult. After a suitable plot of land had been found on which to build Munich's first watch factory, the decisive question arose: How should such a building look? What distinguishes a watch factory? How does Chronoswiss differ from other brands? And last but not last: How could the new building optimally embody the corporate identity of the enterprise?

The new building would unite development, production, sales, marketing and shipping under one roof. The watchmaker's craft would naturally be in the focal point. The idea gradually took shape of situating the workshop in the middle, embedded in the so-called "belle étage" with its spacious windowed façade, and of putting the subordinate or "servile" functions on the ground floor. The concepts of timelessness and longevity would be represented by the building's materials: brick, terracotta, aluminum copper and glass, oak, slate from the quarry in Solnhofen, and plaster.

The architecture of the edifice is as logical as the architecture of a watch's movement.

The building's horological heart, and the rooms for its two "heads" Gerd-R. Lang and Natalie Lang, are adjoined on the ground floor by the sales, marketing and shipping departments. The two-floor entry hall with its reception area and lounge is located toward the south. An open room for presentations occupies the uppermost storey, along with the library, the employee cafeteria and two small apartments for guests.

The central component of the edifice is the staircase rotunda, which houses the watch museum. The rotunda's inner and outer sides provide space for 60 showcases, inset at eye level, which harmoniously lead their beholder through temporary exhibitions. The rotunda transitions downward to a subterranean exhibition area for a classic automobile, which is visible through a glass floor. Upward, the rotunda is illuminated by a circular skylight. This pivot and fulcrum is symbolically similar to the pallet-staff of a watch.

The clear and harmonious proportions of the edifice are identical with those of an Ancient Greek temple: both structures rely on the ratio of 3 to 5. On the ground plan, five longitudinal axes correspond to three crosswise axes. This is logically continued in the axes of the gables, where five modules in width relate to three modules in height. This same harmonious ratio is also evident in the stones used in the construction.

The shell of the building is made of insulating brick, supported by a few ferrosteel reinforcements. The exterior façade is sheathed with terracotta. The walls are essentially replaced by steel supports that recall blast furnaces in the steel industry. Skylights and large window fronts assure the necessary transparency.

The watch museum, which forms the midpoint of the overall concept, is also reflected in the outdoor facilities. If an imaginary compass were to trace a circle around the building, the immaterial ring would enclose the Palladio stairs of the main entrance and the round entry doors (see architectural sketch). This virtual circle is rendered visible by first-quality granite in the outdoor area. Viewed from above, it resembles the dial of the Régulateur, which is Chronoswiss' most characteristic "calling card."

Chronoswiss' concept sets a new standard in Karlsfeld. This successful link between tradition and modernity has led to the creation of an edifice which, we hope, will outlast many long years and many Lang generations.