WEMPE`S “125TH ANNIVERSARY” WATCH was made in a limited edition in various metals, as follows: - 125 examples in 18K yellow gold - 125 examples in 18K white gold - 125 examples in 18K pink gold - 100 examples in platinum. In 1878, with 80 Marks in his pocket, young watchmaker GERHARD D. WEMPE opened a watch and jewelry business in his aunt Caroline’s house in the small German town of Elsfleth close to Bremen. Business went well for the young entrepreneur and in the years to come he moved his venture to Oldenburg and finally to Hamburg, where he established the “Stammhaus” or “flagship store” of the company in 1907. In 1914 Wempe had opened 4 more stores in Hamburg, but with World War I sales dropped considerably. When Gerhard D. Wempe died in 1921, his son Herbert took over, concentrating on exclusive connections to Swiss watch brands like Omega and Longines and further extending the business, buying in 1938 the famous “Hamburger Chronometer Werke” factory, an important manufacturer of ships’ chronometers still in existence today, producing high precision nautical instruments. World War II again brought personal and professional difficulties. In 1945 the company’s management was handed over to a trustee, and in 1951, Helmut, the 19 year-old son, had to take over the business. By 1953 Wempe again had 5 stores in Hamburg, and by the 1960’s there were stores in several German cities as well. In 1980 Wempe entered the international scene with the opening of its US flagship store on New York’s Fifth Avenue, followed by stores in Paris, Vienna, London and Madrid. Since 2003 daughter Kim-Eva Wempe, who joined the company in 1987, officially heads it. Wempe is Germany’s most respected watch and jewelry retailer with over 500 employees and 26 branches worldwide, also operating in Hamburg the largest watch repair and service facility of any European retailer.