# Ruhla - Made in DDR



## Marrick (May 2, 2007)

Occasionally I'm tempted by ebay sellers who have a bundle of watches to sell and can't be bothered to describe them properly. Sometimes successfully - sometimes not. And sometimes the one I 'fancied' is disappointing, whereas one of the others proves to be a nice surprise.

Anyway, this East German Ruhla came in a batch of 7 without straps - some of which are completely rubbish - and is in very clean condition, working well and keeping time. I've replaced the paint spotted crystal (with some difficulty actually:-d) and given it a reasonable strap which is probably worth more than the watch.




























The movement is the pin pallet UMF 24-32.

http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&&2uswk&UMF_24_32










Anyone else got one?


----------



## JohnnyMonkey (Apr 27, 2009)

Can't say I've seen one of those before, but not a bad little pick up tho :-!

I've seen a few of these 'job lots' on the bay, and have looked to see if there are any 'little jems' in there somewhere, but 90% of the time it's just tat!!

Was there another watch in the bunch you were looking at originally then??


----------



## Marrick (May 2, 2007)

Yes - there was a Felca (listed as a Felci) which is what Titoni used to be called. Its working, but the dial is poor. And the stem had a tiny crown on from a quartz watch - and the stem itself is bent. Trying to sort that out a bit. There's a nice Sekonda though - I'll post that in a while.


----------



## Erik_H (Oct 23, 2006)

The successor of Ruhla, Garde-Uhren, is still making watches:
https://www.watchuseek.com/showthread.php?t=237515


----------



## Marrick (May 2, 2007)

And I see they make one that you can eat your dinner off! Very useful.:-d:-d

Nice to see the photo of the factory where it was born. Thanks for the link Erik.:-!


----------



## Chascomm (Feb 13, 2006)

Ruhla party!



















This one is not mine unfortunately


















"From the military committee" in Russian. I wonder what that means?


----------



## Marrick (May 2, 2007)

Wonderful Chascomm!

Yes the military committee message is intriguing. I don't think I've seen a UMF badged watch before.

These are 2 dead ones I've had for a while. I understand Saxon was a Ruhla export brand.


----------



## StufflerMike (Mar 23, 2010)

Some more info on Ruhla in my review of the Kampfschwimmer re-make:

https://www.watchuseek.com/showthread.php?t=242388


----------



## Marrick (May 2, 2007)

Thank you Mike! Great information.:-!


----------



## Chascomm (Feb 13, 2006)

Marrick said:


> I understand Saxon was a Ruhla export brand.


My Saxon from the late 1980s, and a couple of others I've seen and handled, were without a doubt entirely made by VEB Ruhla, however the existence of Saxon-branded watches coming out of Hong Kong within the same time period, and using no East German parts, makes me think that the Saxon brand was not actually owned by Ruhla.


----------



## Marrick (May 2, 2007)

Oh really? Perhaps it was a western brand like Sekonda. Mine has a UMF movement - incomplete - and the sub seconds dial is a non-functional decorative feature.


----------



## Chascomm (Feb 13, 2006)

Marrick said:


> Oh really? Perhaps it was a western brand like Sekonda. Mine has a UMF movement - incomplete - and the sub seconds dial is a non-functional decorative feature.


That's a shame. Possibly the 24-31 was swapped with a 24-30 (no second) or 24-32 (centre-second) but without the seconds gear.


----------



## Marrick (May 2, 2007)

Oops. Looked again - it is real. It just looks like one of those glued on hands that come on fake chronographs.:-d:-d


----------



## tomshep (Jun 5, 2007)

You've pricked my conscience. I've a couple of Ruhlas that both run very badly, if at all and I've neglected them. They will now have to come in from the cold for a service and a photo call.


----------



## fireal (Mar 6, 2009)

heres mine 
fully functional , running on a umf 54 movement


----------



## Marrick (May 2, 2007)

That's very nice - exceptionally clean. Ruhlas rule.;-)


----------



## fireal (Mar 6, 2009)

and heres another


----------



## fireal (Mar 6, 2009)

Marrick said:


> That's very nice - exceptionally clean. Ruhlas rule.;-)


yes they do :-!:-!


----------



## tomshep (Jun 5, 2007)

Ok, the chunky one runs fitfully and I've just serviced the little 'un so they are fit to show now:










One thing about Ruhlas is the quality of the dial markings. Both bold and tough.


----------



## fireal (Mar 6, 2009)

nice ! i really like the large chunky one


----------



## Marrick (May 2, 2007)

Excellent Tom. Looks like we're on a ruhl.:-x

Agree about the dials - all those posted have dials in great shape.


----------



## tomshep (Jun 5, 2007)

I wouldn't Ruhl it out.


----------



## Kevg (Nov 16, 2008)

Here's mine 








Chrono function not working yet but runs and keeps time









probably from the 60's70s pin pallet, keeps good time I do wear this quite a bit









Ditto









Saxon skeleton









Finally a nice plain Saxon.

Kev


----------



## Marrick (May 2, 2007)

Well that's an impressive collection. ;-)

What movement's in the chrono?


----------



## tomshep (Jun 5, 2007)

that will be the 24-35. a very simply engineered complication stuck on the back of a conventional Ruhla. The chrono had a flyback but not a conventional one as such. One button Stopped the free running second hand (and the rest of the movement,) and the other reset it to zero until the pusher was released, at which point, the second hand restarted. If yours works like that Kevg then it is actually ok.


----------



## Kevg (Nov 16, 2008)

Spot on with the movement Tomshep, unfortunately on mine the plastic piece that stops it has broken and I haven't had the time to cobble up a new one yet. Too many watches and not enough time.


----------



## Chascomm (Feb 13, 2006)

tomshep said:


> that will be the 24-35. a very simply engineered complication stuck on the back of a conventional Ruhla. The chrono had a flyback but not a conventional one as such. One button Stopped the free running second hand (and the rest of the movement,) and the other reset it to zero until the pusher was released, at which point, the second hand restarted. If yours works like that Kevg then it is actually ok.


The Stop button on the 24-35 does not stop the entire movement (if it's working properly). It uses a vertical clutch to detach the intermediate wheel from the seconds pinion.


----------



## tomshep (Jun 5, 2007)

That makes more sense. Thank you.


----------



## Chascomm (Feb 13, 2006)

Marrick, this was the sort of thing I was talking about re Non-German Saxons, and why I doubted the brand was owned by Ruhla:









(thanks Kevg. Lovely Ruhla collection, BTW)

This Saxon uses a skeleton variant of the Chinese Standard movement so probably from the 1990s. There was an earlier faux-skeleton-dial version from the 1980s. My watchmaker gutted one to fix one of my vintage Chinese. There were also cheap LCD digital Saxons marked 'made in Hong Kong' from back then (see M. Cutmore, Watches 1850-1980, for an example).


----------



## Marrick (May 2, 2007)

Yes - I'd thought it looked similar to some of the ebay skeletons from China.

I haven't got that book, but I'll take your word for it. 

Cheers. This has been a really nice and informative thread, IMHO.


----------



## jedanzoom (Mar 29, 2008)

Not precisely a "Ruhla" but its hard not to notice smiliarities on that OPs "Ruhla" and this russian "Zaria" of mine.


----------



## Marrick (May 2, 2007)

Cousins!


----------



## jedanzoom (Mar 29, 2008)

Marrick said:


> Cousins!


Unfortunately.


----------



## Chascomm (Feb 13, 2006)

The main difference is that the Zarja is of vastly higher quality (in spite of the worn chrome)


----------



## Enigma (Mar 10, 2010)

I just bought one on the bay today.

de luxe world time for $24.99. Got an olive NATO strap on the way.










Currently bidding on this gray dial:










Would look great on a Bond NATO!

:-!


----------



## Marrick (May 2, 2007)

Cool.b-)

Interesting that the bezel has Greenwich and not London on it.:think:

Good luck on your bidding - but don't go mad.;-)


----------



## Chascomm (Feb 13, 2006)

Marrick said:


> Good luck on your bidding - but don't go mad.;-)


An excellent point. A friend of mine once paid way too much for a damaged Ruhla 24-35 chrono because he got caught up in the chase.

Charming as Ruhla calibre 24 watches often are, the quality is generally fairly low, particularly the movements. Brass cases seem pretty solid, with thick chrome. The later lightweight cases (aluminium?) don't wear as well.

Relatively high bids are often made against the more unusual examples (chronograph, jump-hour, direct-read, mystery dial, etc) particularly by German buyers I think. This can lead to the misunderstanding that the build quality is equivalent to other vintage watches of similar price. It's not. But they are cool watches b-) and 130 million original customers can't be entirely wrong, can they?


----------



## Enigma (Mar 10, 2010)

Chascomm said:


> An excellent point. A friend of mine once paid way too much for a damaged Ruhla 24-35 chrono because he got caught up in the chase.
> 
> Charming as Ruhla calibre 24 watches often are, the quality is generally fairly low, particularly the movements. Brass cases seem pretty solid, with thick chrome. The later lightweight cases (aluminium?) don't wear as well.
> 
> Relatively high bids are often made against the more unusual examples (chronograph, jump-hour, direct-read, mystery dial, etc) particularly by German buyers I think. This can lead to the misunderstanding that the build quality is equivalent to other vintage watches of similar price. It's not. But they are cool watches b-) and 130 million original customers can't be entirely wrong, can they?


Actually, I bought the $24.99 one before reading anyhting on this forum about Ruhla's, and now I'm thinking I may have paid too much. My internet searches regarding Ruhla made it sound like Ruhla was a much bigger/better hub of European watchmaking than it actually was under the DDR. I guess I'll just have to wait and see if it was worth it when it gets here. If it doesn't work out, then it was only $30.99 total wasted, and I'll use the NATO on another watch.

I cancelled my bid for the 2nd watch after reading all this info. It hit me all of a sudden: Why am I bidding on this watch again? I don't bid on vintage Timex or other, so why this? I think it had to do with the "allure" of "Made in GDR". Makes me think of when I lived in Berlin a few years back.


----------



## Kevg (Nov 16, 2008)

Definitely don't pay a lot for them, they're ok and I do quite like them but the most I paid was about £12 for the Chrono,the other were a £5 or so. I will say though they are all reliable runners and keep decent time. For sure good value watches along the lines of Timex, got a few of them as well.


----------



## Janne (Apr 16, 2007)

Ruhla watches were not seen as terribly good by the buyers in the Eastern Bloc.
They were very cheap, cheaper than most Soviet watches, much cheaper than the Czech Prim. 
I was told that basically people saw them as a disposable watch, run it untill it goes wrong, then buy a new one.

Still, I think it is a good thing that we today prize them. Horological History.


----------



## Enigma (Mar 10, 2010)

So here it is. I also posted this on the German watch forum.

Got this beauty on the bay for $24.99 + $5 shipping.

I gotta say, I like it the more I wear it. I've never owned a wind up watch, nor a world time. Both features are pretty cool. It seems to be keeping good time so far. Only problem with it is the crown stem is a bit tweaked. It still winds, so what the heck. A previous owner also engraved, very lightly on the side, "P 7535". I wouldn't have noticed it except that I was looking extra hard upon my initial exam.

These were definitely not the height of German watch making. But there is just something cool about this watch. It has that "crappy GDR chic" to it, kinda like a Trabby. And it was (East) _German_ made after all.

I think it looks cool on the olive NATO, but may get a navy blue or black one for it at some point.

Over all, for $25 it was definitely worth it. :-!


----------



## Marrick (May 2, 2007)

Excellent condition as well. I like it.:-!


----------



## Janne (Apr 16, 2007)

Nice!
Looks well preserved!


----------



## Enigma (Mar 10, 2010)

Here's my newest one. Thanks Milos.

A late '40's/early '50's UMF RUHLA military. Not sure if it was actually an issue watch to personnel, but it definitely has it's roots in WWII DH watches. It's really difficult to find much of anything about Ruhla's really.

I've sent it off for resto. Why? Because I like it, and I can't find more than 2 others out of a ton of internet searching. It seems to be a pretty rare watch.

It's 34mm, 36mm w. crown, and has a 15 jewel 10.5" movement(?). Looks like a smaller AS1130 to me, but I'm still learning. Maybe someone else knows more. It utilizes spring bars, and has a rough style casting to the sides of the case.

If anyone can tell me more I'd appreciate it.


----------



## milgromd (Jun 7, 2010)

I just bought this Ruhla pocket watch from ebay. Maybe some would consider it a bit gaudy, but I like it. Can anyone tell me more about it? I'll post more pictures later. 

Regards, 

DM


----------



## Sekondtime (Sep 19, 2010)

I have enjoyed looking at all the Ruhla's on this thread. Although my main collection of watches is Russian (can be seen at http://sekondtime.wordpress.com/https://www.watchuseek.com/sekondtime.wordpress.com) I also have a complementary East German Ruhla collection at http://ostalgieruhla.wordpress.com.

I have recevied a request for more information about one of the watches on my site but I have not found any information available on East German Ruhla watch manufacture. There is plenty of information available about Russian watches as well as knowledgeable individuals on this forum but there seems to be a complete void with Ruhla. The German watch forum seems to completely ignore them.

Does anyone know of any sources of information or catalogues?


----------



## Eeeb (Jul 12, 2007)

Nice pair of sites. I really appreciate the movement pics. I'm bookmarking them!

Thanks!


----------



## Sekondtime (Sep 19, 2010)

Thanks. If you are interested in photos of movements, check out this site www.uhrenbastler.de - Movements Its an excellent reference.


----------



## Sekondtime (Sep 19, 2010)

For all those who appreciate Ruhlas, here are my latest 4 received recently. This brings the tally to 28 Ruhlas in my collection and another on the way. You can see them all at http://ostalgieruhla.wordpress.com


----------



## Kevg (Nov 16, 2008)

Added another couple since this thread was last live


----------



## Marrick (May 2, 2007)

That's a very unusual second hand on the top one. Nice.:-!


----------



## Malakim (May 27, 2010)

Love the one in the oval case - would you mind telling me the size of that watch?

Thanks!


----------



## radger (Nov 18, 2007)

Sekondtime said:


> I have enjoyed looking at all the Ruhla's on this thread. Although my main collection of watches is Russian (can be seen at Sekondtime's Watches of the USSRhttps://www.watchuseek.com/sekondtime.wordpress.com) I also have a complementary East German Ruhla collection at http://ostalgieruhla.wordpress.com.
> 
> I have recevied a request for more information about one of the watches on my site but I have not found any information available on East German Ruhla watch manufacture. There is plenty of information available about Russian watches as well as knowledgeable individuals on this forum but there seems to be a complete void with Ruhla. The German watch forum seems to completely ignore them.
> 
> Does anyone know of any sources of information or catalogues?


I know nothing of Ruhlas so am of no help but I just wanted to say that I enjoyed your
site and learned a bit about Eastern European watches.
Cheers


----------



## Sekondtime (Sep 19, 2010)

Malakim said:


> Love the one in the oval case - would you mind telling me the size of that watch?
> 
> Thanks!


This watch is 4.2cms (1" 5⁄8) at its widest point including the crown and 3.5cms (1" 3⁄16) top to bottom. I have two variations of this style. This style of watchcase is good for those with a small wrist. It allows you to wear a large watch which does not swamp your wrist.


----------



## Sekondtime (Sep 19, 2010)

radger said:


> I know nothing of Ruhlas so am of no help but I just wanted to say that I enjoyed your
> site and learned a bit about Eastern European watches.
> Cheers


Thanks. I hope to add more information on my Russian watch Collection site soon. Once I find some information on Ruhla's I intend to add to that site too.


----------



## Malakim (May 27, 2010)

Sekondtime said:


> This watch is 4.2cms (1" 5⁄8) at its widest point including the crown and 3.5cms (1" 3⁄16) top to bottom. I have two variations of this style. This style of watchcase is good for those with a small wrist. It allows you to wear a large watch which does not swamp your wrist.


Thank you for the information - I may have to keep my eyes open for one of those. :-!


----------



## paveiv (Apr 8, 2010)

another soul joins this exclusive Ruhla club Just a second owner of this one:










No image of insides as I am too afraid of the clockwork hell that lurks there.


----------



## Sekondtime (Sep 19, 2010)

Paveiv,

Nice Ruhla! That's the first one I've seen with the logo and the word antimagnetic off set. Don't be afraid of the insides. Most Ruhla's have very simple movements and are relatively easy to fix.


----------



## Malakim (May 27, 2010)

This "World Time" arrived today. This is the first Ruhla in my collection (mainly made up of Russian pieces). Unfortunately the seconds hand fell of in the transit, shouldn't be too hard to get back in place I hope.



















Now onto the next Eastern European brand, how about a Prim? :think:


----------



## Sekondtime (Sep 19, 2010)

A Ruhla World Time is on my acquisition list! I have a couple of Prim watches. They are not as commonly available as either Ruhla's or Russian watches and those that you do see tend to be quite traditional in design but nevertheless they are part of the Eastern Bloc stable.


----------



## Malakim (May 27, 2010)

The World Time is nice. Vintage Prim's in good condition seems hard to find. Most I've seen look like they've been through hell, or worse...

Oh, and here's pictures of the stunningly complex Ruhla movement. :-!


----------



## paveiv (Apr 8, 2010)

Sekondtime said:


> Paveiv,
> 
> Nice Ruhla! That's the first one I've seen with the logo and the word antimagnetic off set. Don't be afraid of the insides. Most Ruhla's have very simple movements and are relatively easy to fix.


I am not afraid of braking it, I am afraid of what awaits inside

And for Prim, I recommend Czech auction server aukro.cz, many people there are willing to send items abroad and you can find really nice pieces there. Altough it is usually in czech only (but if you find something you really, really want, send me PM, I will try to help). This is my Prim lineup. Sorry for the quality, it is already dark here so getting good light is problem and well...mobile phone is another factor

The one on the left is basically NOS with original unused strap.


----------



## Malakim (May 27, 2010)

paveiv said:


> And for Prim, I recommend Czech auction server aukro.cz, many people there are willing to send items abroad and you can find really nice pieces there.


Thanks for the pointer to aukro.cz - I don't understand a word though. Your Prim with the textured dial is simply beautiful - good catch! |>

Now, how is the "world time" bezel on my Ruhla supposed to be used? I figured that you place the city you're in at say the current time, and the other cities on the bezel show their respective time. But there's got to be more than 3 hours between Berlin and L.A, no? :think:


----------



## Eeeb (Jul 12, 2007)

Malakim said:


> Thanks for the pointer to aukro.cz - I don't understand a word though. Your Prim with the textured dial is simply beautiful - good catch! |>
> 
> Now, how is the "world time" bezel on my Ruhla supposed to be used? I figured that you place the city you're in at say the current time, and the other cities on the bezel show their respective time. But there's got to be more than 3 hours between Berlin and L.A, no? :think:


I assumed it was a useless novelty when I saw it.


----------



## saskwatch (Sep 17, 2010)

Malakim said:


> Now, how is the "world time" bezel on my Ruhla supposed to be used? I figured that you place the city you're in at say the current time, and the other cities on the bezel show their respective time. But there's got to be more than 3 hours between Berlin and L.A, no? :think:


I own a number of worldtimers, including one Ruhla. On the 12-hour bezels, you need to account for AM and PM. So, I presume, when it is noon in Berlin, it is 3 AM in L.A.

Here's my Ruhla:










It is interesting to see how the choices of places on worldtimer bezels differs depending on when and where the watch was manufactured.


----------



## Sekondtime (Sep 19, 2010)

I have a couple of world time watches that all work on the same principle. What you said Malakim is correct. The difference between Berlin and Los Angeles is AM or PM.

It works on the same principle as a world time map: Time Zone Map

If you look at this photo of my Rovac Airman you will see that cities are marked in either silver or orange text. The difference is 12 hours, approximately. 12pm in London is approximately 12am in Wellington, New Zealand. In the Azores its 10am and in Sydney its 10pm etc.









Its easier with a 24 hour world time watch such as my Raketa:


----------



## Sekondtime (Sep 19, 2010)

Thanks Paveiv, I wil take a look at aukro.cz. If I get stuck, I'll pm you.


----------



## Malakim (May 27, 2010)

saskwatch said:


> I own a number of worldtimers, including one Ruhla. On the 12-hour bezels, you need to account for AM and PM. So, I presume, when it is noon in Berlin, it is 3 AM in L.A.


Ahhh, AM and PM, of course. Why couldn't I figure that out? Thanks saskwatch and Sekondtime for the explanation.


----------



## paveiv (Apr 8, 2010)

ah, that memory of mine. About that aukro.cz site, there will probably be problem with registration abroad as they send actual letter for activation. Still, I can help but...well, do not overdo it


----------



## Nicetickingsound (Jul 30, 2013)

I'have just bought similar looking Ruhla watch on ebay.


----------



## Smoking Joe (Jan 22, 2011)

I bought my first Ruhla purely for the East German DDR history. It cost me 99p but in my haste I failed to read that it was a ladies watch! But I'm still glad that I bought it from a history point of view. Ladies manual wind watch circa 1973  I then bought this diver style watch which I reckon must be 1980s and I reckon it would be as water proof as a teabag! ;-)  I got these two serviced but they came back running 15 mins fast every hour! :-0 I was better off leaving them as was.

Then two weeks ago I picked up this space age thin 1980s Ruhla Eurochron digital LCD. Unfortunately it is a non-runner which is a shame as it is in stunning as new condition.   And the other day this 1980s Quartz Ruhla just arrived. One with a dark history................. 30 years of loyal service. :-0


----------



## jakobdam (Aug 9, 2015)

Today I received my Ruhla 

The watch itself is in EXTREMELY good shape; even the minor near-invisible scratches are kept to a minimum - impressively kept. I paid ~16 USD for mine.
















The readings say:
- Front: Ruhla de Luxe, ANTIMAGNETIC, MADE IN DDR
- Back: INOXIDABLE, ANTIMAGNETIC, DIGITALLY TIMED

*Does anyone here now what "digitally timed" means?* I can't open the back until I get my watch tools next week - but I look very much forward to open this beautiful watch!

I think I got it at a very good price; I found an exact copy of this watch on eBay, and the eBay watch is much more scratched than mine - and sells for 50 Euro.


----------



## Chascomm (Feb 13, 2006)

Electronically timed means that it was regulated using some kind of electronic timing gear. These watches used a high degree of automation in assembly so I wonder if there was some kind of machine that made the timing adjustments directly to the movement?

Be warned; you will find that the caseback material is a bit softer than some, which can make it a bit of a fiddle to get the back on again.


----------



## AbslomRob (Jun 13, 2009)

Is that case actually screwback? The "screw" slots look rather rounded, suggesting it's actually a snap-back in drag...


----------



## Seele (Jan 9, 2010)

AbslomRob said:


> Is that case actually screwback? The "screw" slots look rather rounded, suggesting it's actually a snap-back in drag...


They are snap-on backs, think of the "slots" as corrugations for stiffening the back.


----------



## jakobdam (Aug 9, 2015)

I recently bought a vintage watch of another brand - and the guy I bought it from is a horologist. And he gave me a lot of Ruhla watches for free, when I told him about my plans to learn how to service a watch... Take a look:









Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## machadomtb (11 mo ago)

Sorry guys if bringing the topic back wasn't a good idea, but I joined in just to ask advices.
I bought a Ruhla for a bargain and I want give it a new life with fresh looking.

The case isn't that bad, at least nothing that a little polishing cannot solve.

My question is about the dial painting. It's look like a gloss blue painting. I don't want to repaint the entire dial, to keep it as original as possible, I will just try to cover those spots and give some detail to "made in Germany" on the bottom.

Have anyone made this type of work? What kind of pigment and material will I need?

Best regards


----------



## demo (Apr 1, 2015)

I think the dial looks pretty good, and any attempt to improve it may just make it worse. I’ll bet a new crystal would make a huge difference, you should try that first.

Mike


----------



## machadomtb (11 mo ago)

demo said:


> I think the dial looks pretty good, and any attempt to improve it may just make it worse. I’ll bet a new crystal would make a huge difference, you should try that first.
> 
> Mike


You did not even need much to convince me Mike. 😅
You're right. Maybe just a good cleaning and crystal replacement will be enough to me.
I will update the picture after the chance.

Thanks


----------

