How it all began ...

The staff list reads like that of an average agricultural business: one painter's assistant, twelve straw-weavers, four hirelings, one farm-hand, one quarry worker and one vineyard assistant. But that is far from the truth. The list refers to the first group of apprentices to learn the trade of watchmaker in Glashütte, Saxony, in 1845. The aim was to alleviate some of the poverty and unemployment in the poorly developed Erz mountain region. Over the decades that followed, a watchmaking industry of international renown evolved from these modest beginnings. Finely crafted, precision pocket-watches delighted affluent connoisseurs and enthusiasts from all over the world.

On the outbreak of World War I, the market for expensive precision watches collapsed virtually overnight. A decade of turbulence and upheaval was to follow. In 1926, the situation in Glashütte was desolate. December 1926 saw the foundation of a group of companies which, it was hoped, would put an end to the structural crisis. Uhren-Rohwerke-Fabrik Glashütte AG - UROFA - and Uhrenfabrik Glashütte AG - UFAG were set up, headed by jurist Dr. Ernst Kurtz. Apart from the initial production of superior quality pocket-watches, under the management of Dr. Ernst Kurtz and a few competent associates, the companies developed and produced their own ebauches for wristwatches. This led to a series of movements that could easily stand comparison with the competition from Switzerland. The top quality models were entitled "Tutima", a brand name chosen not without good reason. The founders had derived the name from the Latin adjective "tutus", which translates as "safe" or "protected". The product quality and the distribution exclusively through selected stockists soon earned Tutima an excellent reputation. Some 1000 employees enjoyed a secure livelihood.

Dr. Ernst Kurtz founded Urofa-Ufag Aktiengesellschaften in Glashutte in 1926 and managed the company until it closed down in 1945. As early as the 30's, Dr. Kurtz played a decisive role in the successful development of the German wristwatch industry

One of the undoubted highlights of the early Tutima watches was the last and arguably most sophisticated development by UROFA-UFAG, the Tutima Classic Flieger Chronograph. This wrist chronograph set new aesthetic and functional standards and is regarded as the model for many subsequent developments.

On May 8, 1945, just hours away from the cease-fire, Russian bombers wreaked havoc over Glashütte, severely damaging the metropolis of German watchmaking skills. Under the East German government, the factories were later merged into a state-owned combine; and the famous Glashütte trade names vanished from the face of the watches. Tutima, however, survived and found a new domicile in West Germany.

Coincidence or not: Dr. Ernst Kurtz, successful head of UROFA and UFAG, had packed his belongings and left Glashütte just one day before the terrible bombings. That same year, he set up a new company, Uhrenfabrik Kurtz, in the South of Germany. In 1951, the company moved to Ganderkesee in Lower Saxony. Together with former Glashütte employees, Kurtz picked up where previous developments had left off. The inscription "Kurtz Glashütter Tradition" on the dials unequivocally announced their intention of maintaining the watchmaking standards of the past.

This was not just an empty boast. As early as 1949, one of several new developments launched by the company was the fine 11?-ligne traditional caliber "Kurtz 25", which featured elaborate details such as chaton-set jewels, "super shock resist"-system and Breguet hairspring. By 1956, the promising, less expensive 5?-ligne caliber Kurtz 570 was ready to go into series production. By that time, however, the financial resources of Dr. Kurtz were exhausted.

But the brave entrepreneur's project had already taken root in Lower Saxony. A new generation of watchmakers, trained in keeping with the strict principles of Glashütte traditions, had meanwhile come of age. Werner Pohlan, former associate and close friend of Dr. Kurtz in Glashütte, continued to run the company under the name NUROFA - Norddeutsche Uhrenrohwerkefabrik, alongside a previously founded distribution company, TUTIMA UHREN. The historic name of Tutima celebrated a glorious comeback in Lower Saxony. In 1959 Dr. Kurtz resumed management of the ebauche factory, giving it the venerable name UROFA, after the factory which he himself had founded and which no longer existed in Glashütte.

In the years 1958/59, NUROFA / UROFA produced the remarkable number of around 70,000 ebauches of caliber 570. Just one year later, ebauche production was finally discontinued. The same fate, however, was not in store for the watchmaking sector nor for the name of Tutima.

The New Success Story

The survival of the production and the name of Tutima, its increasing success are all due to a young entrepreneur and former associate of Dr. Kurtz. His name: Dieter Delecate. Having taken over the branch of "Tutima Uhren", Dieter Delecate continued watch production with ebauches from other sources. And he set his sights firmly on success. By founding Tutima Uhrenfabrik GmbH, he unerringly smoothed the path for the following decades.

The difficult times of the 70s, when the advent of quartz watches forced many European watchmakers to close down, were successfully circumvented thanks to far-sighted structural steps. Tutima now covers a group of companies which operate world-wide and are controlled by Dieter Delecate.

It was not long until the complex mechanical watch enjoyed a revival at Tutima. The year 1985 saw the launch of the mechanical Military Chronograph 798-, specially developed by Tutima on behalf of the Germany Army and standard equipment for the German Air Force pilots ever since. This chronograph has meanwhile proved its value a thousand times over in many countries under the toughest conditions.

And with this development, the history of the Tutima Air Force Chronograph came full circle. The appearance of the modern Tutima Air Force Chronograph aroused avid interest in its predecessor. A great number of inquiries from watch enthusiasts supported Tutima's decision to produce the authentic replica of its famous classic.

Since then, two basic lines have determined the models in the Tutima collection:

The Military Line epitomizes the consistent functionality and robustness of the modern Tutima Air Force Chronograph.

The Classic Line bears the hallmarks of the classic Tutima Air Force Chronograph. These models are characterized by the milled rotating bezel with the red marker.

Streamlined clarity and sophisticated features are the hallmarks of the new FX Line Ref. No. 740 indicates three time zones with a large 24-hour readout from the center of the dial, making it a true world premier