Johannes Dürrstein took his first steps into watchmaking after an apprenticeship as a travelling salesman for a Swiss watchmaker. In 1874 he went it alone with the watch wholesaler Dürrstein & Compagnie in Dresden. Not least because of his good contacts with Swiss watchmakers, his reasonably-priced functional watch business flourished in no time at all. A contract with the Glashütte Firm A. Lange & Sons gave him exclusive distribution rights for their precision pocket watches which, due to their high price, were not selling well. Johannes Dürrstein therefore started production of a low-priced version of the Glashütte precision pocket watch, the Deutsche Uhrenfabrikation (DUF). Ultimately, his experience as a watch wholesaler and his flair as a salesman led him to set up his own manufacture in Glashütte in 1893: as few could afford the expensive watches from the Erzgebirge, he decided to produce his own watches – with the Glashütte label of quality but at a more reasonable price. The keystone of the Glashütte watch manufacture Union Dürrstein & Co. and their Union Glashütte brand was set.
At the turn of the century, Dürrstein's 40 or so employees were all masters of the watchmaking skills of their time and assembled the complete range of timepieces from that period: from the simple pocket watch to tourbillons. Johannes Dürrstein planned to assert this watchmaking expertise by assembling a particularly complicated watch. He appointed his master watchmaker, Julius Bergter, to manufacture a timepiece of a quality to exceed even Union's existing 'Grande Complication' . The result was presented at the Leipzig Trade Exhibition in 1900 and marked a high point in the art of watchmaking: the 'Universal watch' with 18 complications long remained the world's most complicated watch. It represented the high level of quality which was a feature of Johannes Dürrstein's work and his passion for detail.
The founder of Union Glashütte died on 7 May 1901 at the age of 56. His brother, Friedrich Dürrstein, took over the running of the company after his death. Later, his widow, Lina Helena Dürrstein, would continue the business. After a break in production during the First World War, the manufacture continued in 1918 with the first wristwatch. In 1952, all existing Glashütte watch brands were united under the combined VEB Glashütter Uhrenbetriebe (GUB). German re-unification saw the firm renamed as 'Glashütter Uhrenbetriebe GmbH' and was sold off in full. Under the new management, which had also manufactured watches under the Glashütte Original brand since 1994, the new independent legal entity of 'Union Uhrenfabrik GmbH Glashütte' was born.
The Glashütter watch manufactures were bought by the Swatch Group AG in the year 2000. With the expertise of the world's largest watch producer and the German watch brand, the Swiss group has declared its objective of making Union Glashütte wristwatches once again in the style of Johannes Dürrstein: Watches which have everything to make them accurate and beautiful but nothing to make them expensive.
Nicolas G. Hayek 1928–2010
Biel/Bienne, 28 June 2010 – With deep sadness and regret we inform you that Mr. Nicolas G. Hayek, Chairman and Delegate of the Board of Directors of The Swatch Group Ltd. unexpectedly passed away today due to heart failure during work at his beloved Swatch Group.
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