Gebr Junghans Uhrenfabrik was established by Erhard Junghans with Franz Xaver in 1861 in the Black Forest, making parts for clocks. Erhard Junghans (1823-70) originally followed in his father's footsteps working as a designer in an Schramberg porcelain factory in the Black Forest.
By 1861, Erhard Junghans had set aside capital to start his own business producing accessories for clocks and subsequently complete clocks. He enlisted his brother Xaver, a cabinetmaker then living in America, to acquire the assembly-line machinery for making clock parts. Once the factory and the equipment were set up, Gerhard focused on running the business, his brother Xaver lead the production of clock cases and a professional clockmaker was hired to oversee the production of movements. After Erhard's death in 1870, the company was run by his sons Arthur and Erhard Jr.In 1866 the Junghans brand was established and by 1870 they were producing 100 clocks per day. In 1870 Arthur Junghans, son of the founder took over and the company went ahead rapidly.
Following the registration as early as 1877 of the first factory trademark, "eagle with flag", the JUNGHANS trademark, a clock cogwheel fashioned into a eight-pointed star, became the brand symbol in 1890. Three years later, the millionth timepiece was produced. In 1903 JUNGHANS was the largest clock-maker in the world. They were well-known for producing a wide variety of clocks as you can see from the (clickable) photos on this page. The company further expanded over years merging with other well-known German clockmakers including Lenzkirch, Thomas Haller and Gustav Becker.
After war and dismantling, the end of the Black Forest clockmaker seemed to have come. But under great-grandson Helmuth Junghans the work of reconstruction was begun. Today, this clockmaking factory, largest in Germany, is owned by Diehl. By the mid-19th century, German Black Forest clockmakers went into decline because they were unable to compete with American-made clocks. Junghans was one of the first Black Forest clockmakers to adopt American production methods, first making American-style clocks and later adopting more of a German style. However, by 1900 German clockmakers, having successfully embraced American production methods, were once again become the dominant force in clockmaking worldwide.
