In 1939, Richard and Emilie Bethge founded Richard Bethge GmbH in Pforzheim, laying the foundation for what is today one of the oldest family-owned German watch companies. The crowning achievement of Richard Bethge’s life’s work was the founding of the watchmaking school in Pforzheim on his initiative, which he presided over as head master for 23 years.
With the entry of his five sons Joachim, Hans, Rolf, Heinz and Wolfgang in the fifties and sixties, the company expanded. Joachim and Hans Bethge, as master watchmakers, together with Heinz and Rolf as toolmakers, took care of their own production and manufacturing, Wolfgang Bethge built up the worldwide distribution. During these years the company also gained the reputation of one of the leading companies in the field of dial production and restoration – until today the best-known trademark of Richard Bethge GmbH.
Today the company is managed by Alexander Bethge, the son of Heinz Bethge. In addition to its own watch collection, the company’s activities continue to focus on dial production and restoration.
The brand Bethge & Söhne offers everyone the right watch for his taste and demands. In doing so, the individual wishes of the customers are to be catered for in the best possible way, whether they are watch collectors who place the highest demands on their watches or beginners who are looking for a good but inexpensive watch for every day.
