J. Assmann, Glashütte i/S. Founded by Julius Assmann 1827-1886, who studied watchmaking in Stettin, and, after his apprenticeship, moved to Berlin at a time when there was a steady exchange of information between chronometer makers, including Adoph Lange in Glashütte, Saxony. In 1850, Assmann offered his work to Lange, and two years later became an independent watchmaker. The Assmann company produced watches following the Glashütte tradition of movements with 3/4 plate design, often very similar to A. Lange watches. They also finished very high quality Swiss ?ebauches?. While production initially consisted of key-wound pocket watches with lateral long lever escapements, later watches featured shorter straight line lever escapements similar to those used in A. Lange watches. As early as 1861, Assmann produced key-wound watches with gold levers. By the 1890s, the company featured men?s and women?s watches and complicated watches with chronograph or split-seconds chronograph, quarter and minute-repeating watches, as well as perpetual calendar watches with combinations of these complications. The finest quality chronometers had gold levers and gold screws on the balance wheels, and ?Kavalier? watches of the ?Fortschritt? ?Progress? came with steel levers. Chronometers were tested at the ?Deutsche Seewarte? in Hamburg or the ?Königliche Universitäts Stenwarte? in Leipzig either for 28 or 42 days, and chronometer certification was also available for the 20 ligne ?Assmann Marine Uhren? at additional cost ? 20 or 50 Mark. The 22 line ?Nr. 3 EF? Elite Extrafein quality, featuring a large and heavy chronometer balance, rubies in gold châtons and diamond endstones, came with this chronometer certification. Around 1910, the Assmann firm produced a minute-repeatin watch with three gongs, movement No. 21035. Assmann married the daughter of Friedrich Gutkaes, who was clockmaker to the Saxon court. Assmann?s son Paul, born on August 25, 1854, was apprenticed to his father. Paul was influenced by the watchmaking school in Le Locle, Switzerland, and worked for several renowned Swiss watchmaking companies. He joined his father?s company in 1877 as a partner. The Assmann factory grew, and Paul continued to run the business after his father died in 1886. In 1897, renownedwatchmaker Georg Heinrich became a partner. The company prospered under the leadership of these two men. Assmann did business with the Cincinnati-based, Gruen Watch Company . Paul?s oldest son Ernst Assmann studied at the ?Deutsche Uhrmacherschule?. Ernst became friendly with a fellow student named Gruen. The Gruen family invited Ernst to America, where he embarked on a new career. Ernst eventually found a permanent position in the Gruen firm. After Paul Assmann?s death on June 1, 1911, Georg Heinrich took over the company. In 1917, the Assmann firm joined the ?Thüringer Uhrenfabrik Edmund Herrmann AG?, a conglomerate of watch companies. Financial difficulties in 1925 forced liquidation of that conglomerate. At this time, Fritz Assmann was in charge of the firm. He used this opportunity to start a new era of watchmaking under the name ?J. Assmann GmbH?, specializing in repairs, the production of some new watches and the working off of some old stock inventory. Floods nearly destroyed the factory in 1927. It was these losses and the unstoppable rise of the wristwatch that finally forced the Assmann company out of existence