Tutima

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 Glasshütte, Saxony, in 1845. The aim was to alleviate some of the poverty and unemployment in the poorly developed Erz mountain region in Germany. Over the decades that followed, a watch making 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 of 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. UROFA and UFAG were set up, headed by jurist Dr. Ernst Kurtz. Apart from the initial production of superior quality pocket watches, the companies developed and produced their own ebauches for wristwatches. This led to a series of movements, which could easily stand comparison with the competition from Switzerland. The top quality models were entitled "TUTIMA", a brand name chosen without good reason. The owners 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. One of the undoubted highlights of the early TUTIMA watches was the last and arguably most sophisticated development by UROFA-UFAG, The 1941 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 Glasshütte, severely damaging the metropolis of German skills. Under the East German government, the factories were later merged into a state-owned combine; the famous Glasshütte trade names vanished from the face of the watches. TUTIMA however found a new domicile in West Germany. In 1951, the company moved to Ganderkesee in Lower Saxony. Together with former employees Kurtz picked up where previous developments had left off. The inscription "Kurtz Glasshütter tradition" on the dials unequivocally announced their intention of maintaining the watch making 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 11,5 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 51/4 caliber Kurtz 570 was ready to go into series production. By the time, however, the financial resources of Mr. Kurtz were exhausted. But the brave entrepreneur's projects had already taken root in Lower Saxony. A new generation of watchmakers, trained in keeping with the strict principles of Glasshütte traditions, had meanwhile come of age. Werner Pohlan, a close friend of Dr. Kurtz continued to run the company under the name of NUROFA 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 Glasshütte. 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 watch making sector nor the name of TUTIMA.

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: 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, he unerringly smoothed the path for the following decades. The difficult times of the 70', 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 of TUTIMA. The year 1985 saw the launch of the mechanical Military Chronograph 798, specially developed by the company on behalf of the German Army and standard equipment for the German Air Force pilots ever since. This chronograph has mean while 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 1941 CHRONOGRAPH came full circle. The appearance of the modern Air Force Chronograph aroused avid interest in its predecessor of 1941. 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 AIR FORCE CHRONOGRAPH

In the early eighties the German Army issued a new invitation to tender for an official air force chronograph. This was based on a requirement profile which had been meticulously compiled by the engineers of the armed forces' test institute. After careful scrutiny of the offers, the authorities awarded the contract to Tutima Uhrenfabrik. The decisive factors were not only the reliability and precision of the Tutima's automatic chronograph, but also the innovative design of the control buttons for the chronograph functions. Tutima had departed from the usual protruding knobs, opting instead for large spaced push buttons which were integrated in the case. This ingenious solution to a well-known problem greatly facilitates operation, particularly when the user is wearing gloves. At the same time it does not affect the water-resistance (20 bars) of the case in any way. Another important advantage of this design is that parts which do not protrude can neither cause injuries nor break off in turbulent situations. Also for safety reasons, all the edges and corners of the case have been chamfered.
The appearance of the TUTIMA MILITARY CHRONOGRAPH reference 798 is largely determined by its outstanding professional characteristics. On the one hand, there is the movement. Tutima has deliberately chosen self-winding caliber 5100 by the reputable Swiss movement manufacturer LEMANIA. It ranks amongst the tried-and-tested classics in the select range of Swiss chronographs. Over the past decades, it has passed countless endurance tests with flying colors. Its robustness, reliability and accuracy under even the toughest conditions are partly the result of its ingenious design which reduces the number of components to a minimum without impairing the functions in any way. These bare essentials are planned to last throughout a long working life.

The absolutely contemporary amplitude of 28'800 semi-oscillations per hour or 4 Hz ensures a minimum long-term deviation. Another special chronograph feature greatly appreciated - not only by pilots under stress - is the important minute counter with its red tip, conspicuously placed at the center. This allows the user to keep track easily of stop functions up to 60 minutes and puts an end to the irritating and distracting search for the usual small 30-minute counter. As a result of this important and useful function, the overall height of the chronograph is an impressive 14,5 mm. Further outstanding features of this chronograph movement are the 24-hour indicator at the "12" and the practical calendar with day and date. It goes without saying that apart from the time itself, all of the above indicators have to be easy to read, even when visibility is poor. With that aim in mind, the chronograph has a sapphire crystal with inside anti-reflection treatment and a starkly contrasting dial. The luminous compound on hands and hour markers contains no tritium, so there is no radiation.

The distinctive design of this chronograph is timeless, as it is based purely on functional aspects. The solid stainless steel case with chamfered edges surrounds the movement like a safe. This mechanical microcosm remains unaffected by hard knocks, vibrations, accelerations of up to 7 G in any direction and magnetic fields of up to 1000 oersted. The TUTIMA Military Chronograph is equally at home 200 meters under or 15'000 meters above the sea level. The back is securely screwed to the case. The push button system and sapphire crystal have also been efficiently sealed. Finally, the recessed crown - which is seldom required thanks to the precise self winding movement - is also screwed on to the case. There was of course another reason for choosing this method: it affords far greater protection against shocks.

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