Chronosswiss has shared that Gerd Rüdiger Lang, founder of the company, has passed away, aged 80.
He died peacefully surrounded by his family on March 2 in Starnberg am See, Bavaria.
A message from Oliver Ebstein, current Chronoswiss owner and CEO says:
“With deep sadness we heard of the passing of Chronoswiss founder Gerd Rüdiger Lang, who has died aged 80. Through his creativity and passion, he has led the way, inspiring the world of mechanical watchmaking to grow and evolve.
“A watch revolutionary, his work has forever changed the industry & defines up until today the unmistakable designs of our timepieces.
“At times where no one believed in the renaissance of mechanical watchmaking, he dared to reawaken it and laid the foundation of Chronoswiss that still serves as inspiration for all of us.
“His passion will define generations to come, his pioneering spirit will drive our ambition to innovate and stretch boundaries. His legacy lives on.
“Our thoughts are with his family and friends.”
Mr Lang is also credited as one of the four founding fathers of American watchmaker Kobold.
In a tribute from Kobold, Mr Lang is said to have continually supported the company from its inception to the height of its success. Without Rüdiger Lang, Kobold would never have existed.
Mr Lang left school in 1959 at the age of 16 and took a role at a local jeweler in his home town of Braunschweig in Northern Germany where he had his first taste of watchmaking.
From there he moved to Switzerland, where he rose through the ranks of Heuer in the 1960s and 70s under the inspirational leadership of Jack Heuer.
When the quartz crisis hit and Heuer went bust, Mr Lang reportedly bought a huge supply of old mechanical movements, which had become virtually worthless as a result of the modern quartz movement, because he believed the art of mechanical watchmaking would make a return.
He was right, and in 1980 Mr Lang launched his own brand, Chronoswiss, in Munich.
The company went on to specialize in automatic regulator watches that show minutes, seconds and hours separately.
Mr Lang was looking for a successor in the mid-1990s when he met Michael Kobold and they began working together.
That plan did not pan out, because instead Mr Kobold launched his own watch business.
A decade later, with the force of the global financial crisis, Mr Lang decided to sell Chronoswiss.
But he remained an inspiring figure within watchmaking circles, supporting brands including Kobold, writing about the industry and giving occasional talks until his later years.
