Laco Navy Wilhelmshaven

As the mother of all watches, the pocket watch on a  chain  was  once  a  highly  prestigious  accessory  that accompanied tails and top hats. Nowadays, it is celebrating a fashionable comeback as a trend item worn alongside casual leisure outfits. The  pocket  watch  dates  back  to  the  beginning  of  the  16th  century,  when  it  was  invented  in  the  German city of Nuremberg. 

 

Sailors  used  pocket  watches  to  record  the  precise  time  from  the  stationary  time  measuring  point  at  each  port  and  set  this  time  on  their  marine  chronometers.  These  marine  chronometers  were installed on board as fixed instruments und were  used  to  compare  the  time  with  the  results  recorded  by  the  pocket  watch,  which  could  take  measurements in any position on the ship.

The German Naval Observatory Authority (Behörde  der  deutschen  Seewarte),  which  was  founded  in 1887, stipulated the required design of the marine watches and the elements of this design still act as the inspiration behind our timepieces today: matte  black  Arabic  numerals,  a  minute  track  and  black  or  blued  hands  against  a  light  face. 

In  the  1940s,  these  hands  were  even  coated  with  active  luminous  material  in  order  to  guarantee  unique  readability.

Laco has been producing this timepiece  ever  since  the company was  first  founded  back  in  1925  and  it  has  remained  virtually  unchanged  right through to the present day. Laco has, however, treated it to a number of small modernisations  that  give  it  a  smoother  and  more  harmonious appearance.

About Laco

Laco Uhrenmanufaktur was founded in 1925 in the idyllic town of Pforzheim, Black Forest.

Laco became well-known, thanks to the Fliegeruhren and was one of five companies to produce chronometers for the German military.

Laco has since become inextricably linked to pilot watches. Laco’s focus now is based on a return to its roots: producing handmade watches with a strong emphasis on quality – and not quantity – to honour the “Made in Germany” tag.

A Laco is more than a watch. It is an expression of character. Because no matter whether you wear a robust aviator watch, a precise chronograph or a timelessly elegant classic on your wrist, each Laco has a unique character, which is distinguished by the love of detail and passion with which Laco's watchmakers built it, with complex and sophisticated craftsmanship.