# Questions about Mühle-Glashütte Germanika III



## hudson713

Hello fellow watch enthusiasts.
Please afford me the opportunity ask three questions about Muhle Glashutte Germanika III 

1.) What is the relationship between Muhle Glashutte & Glashutte...same company and Muhle is a lower end offering?
2.) Why is call a "29er"?
3.) What is a fair price range for a 2011 model in what appears to be Mint condition?

This watch is gorgeous and I'm hoping this is at lease a small step up for me in terms of quality.

Thank you,
Thom


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## rationaltime

Hi Thom,



hudson713 said:


> Hello fellow watch enthusiasts.
> Please afford me the opportunity ask three questions about Muhle Glashutte Germanika III
> 
> 1.) What is the relationship between Muhle Glashutte & Glashutte...same company and Muhle is a lower end offering?


As far as I know there is no watch company called "Glashütte".
Glashütte is a town in Saxony where several watch companies
are located. Mühle-Glashütte is owned by the Mühle family. 
It is independent of the other watch companies. Though they
use modified movements rather than movements made in house
I would not be prepared to call Mühle-Glashütte watches 
"lower end".



hudson713 said:


> 2.) Why is call a "29er"?


29er is name of a brand new class of dinghy designed for the Kiel Week
sailing event - sporty, dynamic, just like the Muhle watches.



hudson713 said:


> 3.) What is a fair price range for a 2011 model in what appears to be Mint condition?
> 
> This watch is gorgeous and I'm hoping this is at lease a small step up for me in terms of quality.
> 
> Thank you,
> Thom


Sorry, I don't follow the market to know a fair price for a Germanika III.
You could try searching the sales corner and eBay to see if there are
enough of that model offered to get an idea.

Thanks,
rationaltime


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## Nokie

Lots of resources out there to determine fair market value of MG's.


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## hudson713

Thank you for taking the time to reply. Obviously, I have some learning yet to do.
When I asked the following question, _1.) What is the relationship between Muhle Glashutte & Glashutte...same company and Muhle is a lower end offering?_
I was under the impression that there was a watch manufacturer called Glaschutte. For example, I was thinking of the Glaschutte Senator.
So much to learn 
Thank you again for your time!

Thom


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## hudson713

Update - I did a little homework that I might not have fully understood without having read your post first. Sounds like the town of Glashutte is home to a number of German watchmakers. Glashutte Original (now owned by Swatch) makes the Senator. Muhle Glashutte is another independent watchmaker in the town.

It also sounds like having the town name "Glashutte" is important to have included in the company name and/or watch models because the various watch manufactures in the town seem to have agreed to certain quality standards.

Does that sound about right?


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## Fatz028

It's very important to have the name Glashutte behind it. It's also very hard to have that name as I understand that a percentage of the watch has to be made in Germany to be German made also. Tutima watch company just recently move back to Glashutte. I look at it is an honor to have the name Glashutte behind a watch. I would not hesitate to pull the trigger on a Muhle.


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## hudson713

Thank you Fatz028!!!!!


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## dhtjr

There are a number of watch companies in Glashutte. But to my knowledge, only 4 can claim to be true "manufactures," that is, companies that fabricate their watch movements in-house. They are A.Lange & Sohne, Glashutte Original, Nomos, and, most recently, Moritz Grossmann. I also understand that to be able to use the name "Glashutte" on the watch, at least 50% of the value of the movement must be added in Glashutte. While not true "manufactures," this latter group would include companies like Muhle Glashutte, Tutima, Union Glashutte, and perhaps others of which I am unaware. To complicate matters, I believe Muhle has recently come out with an in-house movement of its own, so perhaps there are now 5 manufactures, depending on whether the new Muhle movement is truly in-house, or if one in-house movement qualifies a company as a manufacture. In recent years there were a few lawsuits between brands over the use of the word "Glashutte," which makes for interesting reading. 

For such a small town, it's rather amazing how much high-end horology is created there. I'm sure others have more in-depth knowledge of Glashutte watchmaking history, current brands, and industry standards for use of the term. I'm certainly no expert.


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## IRBilldozer

Fatz028 said:


> It's very important to have the name Glashutte behind it. It's also very hard to have that name as I understand that a percentage of the watch has to be made in Germany to be German made also. Tutima watch company just recently move back to Glashutte. I look at it is an honor to have the name Glashutte behind a watch. I would not hesitate to pull the trigger on a Muhle.


I've heard that the "German Made" or "Made in Germany" requirements are a bit of a gray area as brands like Elysee have been called out as not really being German made.

Glashutte on the other hand is very similar to "Swiss Made" where there is very strict and defined set of rules on what watches are allowed to put the towns name on it. So I agree companies are honored to be able to put Glashutte on the dial and I wouldn't question the quality of any such watch. I've heard Muhle does excellent case design and finishing. Also unlike some other brands using ETA/Sellita movements, Muhle has taken the time to do some useful customizing of the Swiss movements by adding the swan neck.


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## hudson713

Thank you - appreciate the help.


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## hudson713

I don't know for sure - but, judging by the prices of sold (ebay) and those available on other sites on the internet...I think the $1475 I paid was at the very top end of the pricing spectrum (for pre-owned).


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