Zeppelin

History

POINTtec was founded in 1987 in Ismaning, near Munich, by the watch entrepreneur Wilhelm Birk, working in watch design and development. Around the year 2000 the company signed a licence agreement with Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH, which holds the rights to the "Zeppelin" name and whose original airship-building company dated to 1908. In 2002 the Zeppelin watch brand was officially launched, with a design language evoking the golden age of the airships of the 1920s and 1930s. The brand structured its catalogue around real aircraft, naming its lines after emblematic airships such as the LZ127 Graf Zeppelin and the LZ129 Hindenburg. POINTtec built up production and assembly in Germany, with facilities tied to the watchmaking tradition of Ruhla, in Thuringia. Over time Zeppelin became one of the higher-volume German brands in the accessible segment, offering quartz, automatic and even solar movements, and added commemorative editions such as the 100 Jahre Zeppelin series for the centenary of the first Zeppelin airship flight.

Iconic models

• LZ127 Graf Zeppelin

  The flagship line, dedicated to the airship that made the first round-the-world flight in 1929; classical looks with broad dials and luminous hands.

• LZ129 Hindenburg

  A vintage-feeling collection with clean dials and classical numerals, in tribute to the famous airship of the thirties.

• LZ126 Los Angeles

  A series evoking the airship handed to the United States in 1924, with restrained Art Deco-inspired design.

• 100 Jahre Zeppelin

  The centenary commemorative edition, with a steel back engraved with airships and serial numbering, mixing twenties-and-thirties detail with modern touches.

• Night Cruise

  A contemporary line known for dark dials and strong night-time legibility, aimed at daily wear.