In the years prior to and at the beginning of the Second World War, Wempe Chronometerwerke found itself confronted by new political and economic influences. In 1939, the business was stripped of its former independence and placed under the control of the wartime naval and aeronautics ministries. In ensuing months, the sudden surge in demand for precision instruments for warships and submarines impelled both ministries to increase chronometer production.

Faced with progressively larger incoming orders, it ultimately became impossible to satisfy the demand without jeopardising the quality of the precision instruments. The command to quickly develop a precise and simultaneously inexpensive “unified chronometer” prompted the Wempe Chronometerwerke to begin close collaboration with A. Lange & Söhne, its former competitor in Glashütte. By pooling their know-how and resources, the two firms were able to manufacture all the components needed for the unified chronometer. Wempe Chronometerwerke had already patented its newly developed three-pillar chronometer calibre at this time, so Lange’s chronometers were modified to accommodate Wempe’s device. The result was the “unified chronometer,” which was first serially manufactured in 1942.

This precise mechanical instrument has now been handcrafted by Wempe for more than sixty years. Famed for its architecture, which relies on only three pillars for the movement, this top-quality product proudly bears the phrase “Made by Wempe.” It’s available in the classical version with a glossy polished mahogany housing with brass inlays and a massive brass case, as well as in a modern variant with a black, piano-lacquered surface with matte, nickel-plated brass inlays and a high-gloss chrome-plated brass case.