Kienzle – she’s back!
You can find Kienzle in Hall A1.113
„Time is democratic.“ This insight of the namesake of the oldest German watch brand – Jakob Kienzle (1859-1935) – has been adopted by the initiators of the rebirth and they want to offer affordable watches of the highest possible quality.
„When we first started looking into the history of Kienzle, we very quickly recognized the essence of this unique watch brand,“ says Christopher Conzen, spokesman for the investor consortium with whom he, together with the Krippl brothers from Wels, Austria, acquired the trademark rights in 2024.
„We understand that Kienzle has always stood for precision, the highest quality standards, but also for product innovation. We want to revive that; it's something highly emotional for us, especially since Kienzle is the oldest German watch brand,“ Conzen continued.
„Ultimately, it was the namesake, Jakob Kienzle, who established the manufacturing system in 1894 that formed the basis for affordable yet highly precise and quality-setting timepieces. The brand’s eventful history is a tremendous incentive for us to work closely and trustingly with our existing and future partners now, doing what Jakob Kienzle would probably do today: carefully consider what customers want, what is technically possible, and then offer it as a benchmark for quality.“
„"We have the ambition to revive and develop this brand in a new and lasting way."“
Christopher Conzen
The investors, including Hamburg-based co-owner Conzen, a brand and retail expert, are initially focusing on an expanded product portfolio of high-quality, but not prohibitively expensive, watches and measuring instruments.
„"The price of a watch says little about its absolute quality; what counts is its precision and durability at a reasonable price-performance ratio."“
Christopher Conzen
„Time is democratic,‚ Jakob Kienzle said. ““Time has a name’ is Kienzle’s slogan. That’s a clear promise of quality and development for conceivable new product lines, whatever they may be,” the Hamburg native explains, making it exciting.
The portfolio includes wristwatches, wall clocks and table clocks, as well as alarm clocks and weather stations.
About Kienzle
Founded in 1822, the company began by producing taximeters, a combination of odometer, clock, and calculator. Car clocks and tachographs were also added to the product line.
An important milestone was the introduction of the „Kienzle Strapazier-Armbanduhr“ in 1931, which was characterized by its exceptional robustness and was produced in the millions for over 30 years.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Kienzle reached its peak as one of the largest German watch manufacturers. The company was a leader in technical innovations:
• 1963: First solar watch („Heliomat“)
• 1972: First battery-powered watch and first quartz movement
• 1973: First quartz LED wristwatch
• 1986: Further developed solar watch with lower light requirements. With over 300 million watches and timepieces sold worldwide, Kienzle definitively becomes a global brand name in the watch industry.
• 1990s: Development of a watch waterproof to a diving depth of 12,000 meters
• 1996: New radio-controlled clock movement with faster setting time
Information for investors
In the spring of 2024, a consortium consisting of the trading and measuring instrument professionals, the brothers Georg and Jochen Krippl, and the Hamburg brand and retail professional Christopher Conzen acquired the international trademark rights of the oldest German watch brand, Kienzle.
The investors have a clear goal: to regain market positions for the brand through strategic and innovative steps and to develop new business areas.
