242308, 17 RUBIES MADE IN GDR

$2,000

A vintage Glashütte from the GDR era, with a 34mm gold-plated case and a stainless steel caseback.

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A vintage Glashütte from the GDR era, with a 34mm gold-plated case and a stainless steel caseback. The black dial carries gold Breguet numerals and, printed beneath them, the words Made in GDR. Inside is a hand-wound 17 jewel Glashütte movement. The caseback is stamped with the GUB logo, Made in GDR and the number 242308. It is worn on an aftermarket strap and buckle.

After the Second World War, Glashütte's watchmakers, the Lange workshops among them, were brought together into a single state enterprise: VEB Glashütter Uhrenbetriebe, known as GUB. For four decades GUB made the watches of East Germany, from everyday hand-wound pieces like this one to chronometers and automatics. After reunification, GUB was privatised in 1994 and became Glashütte Original.

We sourced it for three words on the dial. Made in GDR names a country that no longer exists, and it sits right there beneath the Breguet numerals, a small line of history you read every time you check the time. The gold numerals on black are warm and legible, and the 34mm case has the proportions of a classic mid-century watch. Winding it each morning connects you to a movement made in Glashütte in a very different era. A delicate vintage piece with a genuine story behind it. Curated with intent.