Have you ever asked yourself what the main reason is for choosing a specific watch among the countless options available when buying a new one? Did you buy it simply because you liked it, or perhaps because others consider it a "good" watch? Was the price the deciding factor? Did you carefully analyze comparable models and brands? Why did you choose that particular model?
I don’t have a single definitive answer myself. One crucial criterion is that I must genuinely like the watch—an added bonus is if the watch is somehow different or unusual. Only after that do I assess whether the watch is worth the price based on its technical specifications.
Why am I writing about this? Because this time, I bought a watch that took me back to my younger years—to the 1980s, when I first became interested in watches, growing up in an environment where UMF Ruhla watches from East Germany were everywhere. Just seeing the "UMF Ruhla" inscription on the dial was almost enough to seal the deal. And since the watch is also unique due to its size and reasonably priced for its quality, the decision was made. But I’ll talk more about that later.
Before I continue, let me briefly summarize the history of Ruhla. Its story up until 1991 is fairly well documented. It all began in 1862 with the founding of Gebrüder Thiel GmbH in the town of Ruhla. By 1892, the company had shifted its focus to mass production of simple and affordable pocket watches, having started their development in the 1880s. By 1897, the company was already producing nearly 1.5 million watches annually.
In 1908, Ruhla introduced its first wristwatch, and by the onset of World War II, wristwatches accounted for 45% of total production.
After the war and the division of Germany, Ruhla became part of East Germany (DDR). Until 1952, the company operated under the control of the Soviet conglomerate "Avtovelo", and most of its production equipment was relocated to the Soviet Union. In 1952, the company was returned to German ownership and renamed Uhren und Maschinenfabrik Ruhla—or UMF Ruhla for short. This marks the official start of UMF Ruhla as a brand.
By 1991, when East and West Germany reunited, Ruhla had become one of the world’s leading watch manufacturers, employing well over 8,000 workers. At least in my region, Ruhla watches were considered cheap and of relatively poor quality, but with some interesting models.
The transition from a planned economy to a market economy led to the company’s collapse. What began as a temporary closure turned into a permanent one, and most of the factory buildings were demolished, leaving only one standing (built in 1929 in Bauhaus style). This is a fate shared by many Eastern European watch brands, such as Poljot in Russia and Prim in the Czech Republic. As with these brands, Ruhla’s decline eventually led to the emergence of various successor companies, each trying to build legitimacy based on the legacy of the original DDR-era Ruhla.
The first of these successor brands was established in 1991, when two former employees bought part of the production and continued making watches under the Garde Ruhla name, with the company officially named UMR (Uhrenmanufaktur Ruhla – umr-ruhla.de). However, I found at least four other brands currently claiming the Ruhla name online:
- Ruhla since 1862 (ruhla-watch.com)
- TUW Ruhla (tuw-ruhla.com)
- Ruhla 1929 (part of the PointTec group, which also includes Zeppelin, Iron Annie, and Bauhaus) – ruhla-uhr.de
- UMF Ruhla (umf-ruhla.de)
The watch in front of you today comes from the most recent of these brands—UMF Ruhla.
To complicate matters further, it appears that UMR (Garde) and UMF Ruhla are now, in fact, the same company. They share the same address, and the old umr-ruhla.de website no longer exists.
What’s more, when I sent an email to UMF Ruhla, I received a reply from the PointTec group, and in that message, both UMF Ruhla and Ruhla 1929 were listed as part of the same group—essentially “brother” brands. So, even though Ruhla 1929 clearly states on its website that it is part of the PointTec group and UMF Ruhla does not, they are, in reality, in the same position.
Enough about the history and the company, let’s move on to the watches.
Among the various watch collections of the original Ruhla, two models are particularly interesting to the general public from a historical perspective (though collectors and enthusiasts consider many more). Most Ruhla successors have focused on reissuing these two watches:
1. The Ruhla Space Watch
This was the watch worn by Sigmund Jähn, the first German astronaut, who flew into space in 1978 with a Soviet crew. Each of his Russian crewmates also received a Ruhla watch.
As a fun fact, the first West German watch in space was worn by Dr. Reinhard Alfred Furrer in 1985. He took a Sinn 140/42 with him, which for a long time was believed to be the first automatic watch in space.
2. The NVA Kampfschwimmer
The second historically important Ruhla watch, which has been widely reissued, was a dive watch made for the East German military (NVA Kampfschwimmer). This watch was introduced at the very end of Ruhla’s existence, in the late 1980s.
As the watch in focus today falls into the category of "NVA Kampfschwimmer reissue," let me also share some basic information about the original model that I was able to find online.
Although its appearance and name might suggest otherwise, this was not a “true” diver’s watch in the conventional sense. It was rated to just 60 meters of water resistance by Ruhla. However, it was genuinely used in action by the former East German (DDR) special forces—specifically the Spezialeinheit NVA Kampfschwimmerkommando-18, a little-known division. They never dove below 40 meters, so the 60-meter rating was not a real limitation.
The original watch was quartz-powered, and a photo of it can be seen in the Ruhla museum. I was also able to find the following production data:
1986 -1st Original for Combat divers (100 pieces)
1987 - 2nd Original für Navy divers (500 pieces)
1988 - 3rd Original (100 pieces)
1989 - production stopped
1991 - 1st post-production (300 pieces with 1989 casings)
1992 - 2nd post-production (1000 pieces)
To the best of my understanding, the post-production series was already manufactured by the UMR company.
So, it is finally time to focus on the “new” UMF Ruhla NVA Kampfschwimmer watch with the label 1932-M, which includes a GMT complication. I should point out that the same company also offers the “more accurate” NVA Kampfschwimmer models labeled 1928-M. These models are slightly smaller and less expensive than my GMT version, and they are available with orange, black, or blue dials. Just for reference, here’s a picture of the black model.
So why did I choose the 1932-M instead of the more faithful 1928-M reissue? It was a personal decision. I wasn’t looking for the most historically accurate remake of the original Kampfschwimmer watch, as I have no emotional or nostalgic connection to it. I simply picked the model that looked more appealing to me—primarily due to the green index markers and hands—and one that stood out as more unusual.
And believe me, the 1932-M version, with its 50mm diameter (including the protective edges around the bezel) and total weight of over 200 grams (depending on how many links you keep in the bracelet), is definitely unusual—and a true eye-catcher!
Since I’ve already started describing the basic technical details, let me simply summarize them all. Most of the specifications are also engraved on the case back of the watch. (By the way, the case back also confirms that UMF Ruhla is part of the PointTec group, as it is inscribed with “UMF Ruhla PointTec.”):
• Diameter measured with crown: 50 mm; Diameter of the bezel: 46mm
• Height: 14mm (minimally curved glass)
• Dimensions: lug to lug: 51 mm
• Glass: sapphire watch glass
• Case back: steel with laser engraving, engraving of the limited edition number on the edge of the back
• Bracelet: stainless steel with folding clasp, decorated with UMF-Ruhla symbol
• Lug width 24mm
• Bezel: ceramic, 120 clicks
• Caliber: NH34 with date and GMT function (second time zone)
• Water resistance: 200m / 20bar
• Luminescent material: Superluminova green / night vision blue / green
• Limited to 499 pieces.
I admit that I had some doubts about choosing a watch with a GMT complication. The Seiko NH34 movement is already well known to me—I’ve even written two reviews of watches using this movement—so I know that it’s not particularly praised for its accuracy. Additionally, GMT is one of those complications that I personally almost never use, and the GMT hand often ends up being more of a distraction, sometimes even causing misreads when telling the time.
However, in this watch, the GMT complication is very well concealed and unobtrusive. It seems the designers were aware that the GMT function is rarely useful for most users. They integrated it as a small subdial with a small hand, making it barely noticeable in everyday use, yet still readable when needed (with a bit of effort). Of course, this design solution was only possible thanks to the large size of the watch and its dial—on a smaller dial, such a discreet GMT subdial wouldn’t have been feasible. After careful consideration, I concluded that the GMT feature wasn’t a dealbreaker.
What truly attracted me to this watch was its overall appearance—green hands and indices on a black background—and especially the large UMF Ruhla logo, designed just as I remember it from my youth. But what ultimately convinced me was its robustness and size. I understand that these factors might turn away most buyers, but personally, I love watches like this.
I also appreciate that the bracelet matches the size and solid build of the case—it’s thick and sturdy, as it should be. Naturally, this adds to the overall weight, but a thinner bracelet wouldn’t suit this watch. Poljot24.de, where I bought the watch, included as a bonus a free Rios heavy-duty rubber strap. Even though I generally prefer rubber straps, in this case, I tried it on but quickly realized that this watch needs the counterbalance provided only by the bracelet. Since the rubber strap isn’t an original part of the watch, I didn’t take any pictures of it. The bracelet has a very good diver's extension, which is useful even for everyday wear, especially if your wrist swells throughout the day. The only negative aspect of the bracelet is the UMF Ruhla sign on the clasp, as it is simply too big.
Let’s move to the most important question: How does it feel to wear such a watch?
Obviously, this isn’t the kind of watch you can wear unnoticed or forget that it’s on your wrist. It’s heavy—you can see in the pictures that it tilts downward when I turn my wrist. However, the size of the watch is not as much of an issue as you might expect based on its dimensions. The reason is its relatively short lug-to-lug of just 51mm. While the watch covers a large portion of my wrist, it doesn’t extend beyond it (at least on my wrist size).
The lume is excellent, and the bezel is very well made. The crown is signed and screw-down. Overall, aside from the movement’s accuracy—which is within expected tolerances for everyday wear—the watch exceeded my expectations in terms of build quality.
The box is nothing spectacular; it serves its purpose and that’s it. The instruction manual is generic for all NH35 movement watches and does not cover the NH34, so the GMT complication is not explained.
The watch is priced at €399 at Poljot24.de, which also includes the extra rubber strap. The lowest price I found online was €360, which is very competitive compared to other watches using this movement.
If you’re looking for a high-quality, heavy-duty diver watch that could also double as a diving weight 😊, this is an excellent choice.
P.S.: UMF Ruhla has also announced the release of a new watch in 2025 that I absolutely must have—a reissue of their jumping-hour watch. From what I’ve seen, a red version will be available as well. I actually owned the original version of this watch, but unfortunately, it was extremely sensitive to shocks and constantly malfunctioned. My watchmaker kept telling me that the movement had no jewels and wasn’t worth repairing. In the end, I got rid of it, but I never forgot about it. That’s why I’m excited about this reissue, and I’ll definitely share my thoughts once I get one.
Add comment
Comments