Tradition seit 1822

KIENZLE Uhren was founded in Schwenningen/Neckar as a German watch factory by master watchmaker Johannes Schlenker.

Johannes Schlenker's watches are so popular that he offers them in many different countries.

24-year-old Jakob Kienzle marries into the Schlenker family. When he takes over the company together with his brother-in-law Karl Johannes Schlenker, it is renamed Schlenker & Kienzle.

Jakob Kienzle became the sole owner of the company, and 20 years later it was renamed "KIENZLE".

The Schlenker & Kienzle watch factory switches to industrial production. As a major employer, it employs around 400 people.

The demand for Schlenker & Kienzle watches in international metropolises is steadily increasing. Branches are being opened in Milan, London, and Paris. Exports account for 75% of sales.

The company launched the first time clock on the market, followed by inexpensive pocket watches and travel alarm clocks.

KIENZLE begins manufacturing wristwatches.
Within the first ten years of industrial production, the company increases its annual output to over two million watches and movements. The workforce quadruples to around 1700 employees.

The first car clocks for prestigious brands like Rolls-Royce in England were created in the workshops of KIENZLE.

One year later, KIENZLE expanded overseas and launched its fourth international branch in New York, USA.

Two years after the expansion, KIENZLE employs 2,500 people and produces over three million watches annually.

Following current trends, KIENZLE is launching wristwatches in the Art Deco style. Kienzle is also keeping up with the times when it comes to promoting the watches. The legendary Kienzle bus serves as a mobile showroom.

A year later, KIENZLE took the important step into the aviation industry. The brand developed cockpit instruments, thus paving the way for the creation of its eight-day pilot's watch.

KIENZLE celebrates the worldwide success of its mechanical watches with the famous Bauhaus line.

The series production of automatic wristwatches begins. The "People's Automatic" is born, aiming to bring about the final breakthrough for self-winding wristwatches in Germany.

In the late 1960s, Kienzle held a monopoly in the production of car clocks. The company supplied famous and luxurious brands such as Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin, Jaguar, BMW, Audi and many others with timepieces for the dashboard.

In the 1970s, Kienzle manufactured trendy digital and radio-controlled clocks. Overall production grew to over 7 million clocks and alarm clocks annually.

Introduction of a solar-powered watch that requires very little light.

By 1987, KIENZLE had sold over 300 million timepieces worldwide and was one of the most successful watch brands. This remains true to this day.

KIENZLE is causing a sensation with its Hyperbar Extreme. It is waterproof to a depth of 12,000 meters or 39,300 feet. This set a world record.

The Kienzle watch brand and its operating business are taken over by the owning family. A new Kienzle watch collection is launched and introduced internationally.

KIENZLE successfully launched the POSEIDON watch collection, which remains part of the collection to this day.

In 2013, KIENZLE launched the 1822 Heritage collection. This collection is a tribute to the watches that helped shape the image of the KIENZLE brand. The mechanical wristwatches are based on models from the years 1931, 1948, 1956, and 1959.

KIENZLE is becoming part of the Rooster Holding in Meggen. At the same time, the trademark rights will be held for several years by Premier Trademarks AG, a subsidiary of the Independent Watch Group. Despite these changing structures, the brand remains present, and watches under the Kienzle name continue to be available.

Kienzle is redefining its brand values ​​– quality, accessibility, and authenticity are at the forefront. Collaborations and product developments are paving the way for a new era.

The new owner, Kienzle1822 GmbH in Wels, is taking over the KIENZLE brand. With experienced product experts who value and uphold all of KIENZLE's brand values, we will now expand the brand's history beyond watches to include new product segments and give our customers the opportunity to afford Kienzle brand products.