German watchmaker "Rebner," a brand shaped by history, arrives in Japan.
LÖBNER
LÖBNER, a German manufacturer of precision measuring instruments that once served as the official timekeeper for the Olympics, is set to be revived as a luxury watch brand and enter the Japanese market.
Text by Kosaku Waseda
Founded in 1862 by Franz Ludwig LÖBNER, the company initially focused on manufacturing pocket watches and clocks before gradually expanding into the field of high-precision stopwatches.
In 1881, LÖBNER succeeded in developing a watch system capable of measuring 1/100th of a second, followed by a 1/1000th of a second system in 1892. Leveraging this technical prowess, the company acquired numerous patents and introduced highly reliable timepieces to the world.
Entering the 20th century, LÖBNER significantly expanded its scope of activities. The brand earned the honor of serving as the official timekeeper for the Olympic Games, starting with the 1936 Berlin Olympics. In 1938, LÖBNER also measured the legendary public road speed record of 432.7 km/h set by Rudolf Caracciola in a Mercedes-Benz between Frankfurt and Darmstadt.
However, with the outbreak of World War II in 1939, the company was forced to pivot to military production, and its operations ceased with the end of the war.
In 2023, after a dormancy of 79 years, LÖBNER has been revived with two watch collections.
The design of the revived LÖBNER watches was handled by Emmanuel Dietrich, a renowned Swiss designer with a career at Hermès and Piaget. Inspired by the brand's history as a pioneer in sports timing in the 20th century, he created functional and unique modern sports watches for the 21st century.
The current lineup consists of two models: the "SteelRacer" and the "Sledge."
SteelRacer Black
SteelRacer Ice
SteelRacer Speed Arrow
SteelRacer Rocketman
The "SteelRacer" draws inspiration from racing cars of the 1920s and 1930s, with LÖBNER's sports timing stopwatches from the 1920s serving as its design source.
The crown is positioned beneath the patented Sledge® crown protector, which not only shields the crown but also locks the chronograph start/stop buttons during crown operation.
Elapsed time is displayed using an innovative distributed time display, for which the chronograph movement was developed with a unique asymmetric layout.
Sledge Black
Sledge Green
Sledge Blue
Sledge White
The "Sledge," on the other hand, takes design inspiration from historical protective cases for precision timing systems. Like the "SteelRacer," it features the patented sliding crown protector, "LÖBNER Sledge®," to safeguard the crown.
The minute track is intricately connected to a fluted rotating bezel, allowing for easy adjustment without operating the crown. This mechanism enables direct measurement of elapsed time on the dial using the rotating bezel.
Currently, LÖBNER watches can be viewed in person at the "Independent Watch Brands Fair" held at Fortune Time Omotesando, a directly managed store of Osawa & Co., Ltd.
LÖBNER, whose spirit and technology have been revived in the present day despite being swept away by the turbulent currents of war, is a legendary watchmaker. It will be interesting to see what kind of impression the brand, reborn after 79 years, will make on watch enthusiasts in Japan.
SteelRacer Case Material: 316L Stainless Steel Case Case Size: Diameter 42.5mm, Thickness 14.3mm Crown: Patented Crown Protector Sledge® Movement Caliber: LÖBNER6223 (Based on La Joux-Perret L112) / Swiss-made column-wheel automatic chronograph Power Reserve: 60 hours Bezel: Engraved Stainless Steel Tachymeter Bezel Crystal: Sapphire crystal with inner anti-reflective coating Case Back Material: Sapphire Crystal Bracelet: Multi-link stainless steel bracelet Water Resistance: 10 ATM, compliant with DIN 8310 Price: ¥2,530,000 - ¥2,970,000 (incl. tax)
Sledge Case Material: 316L Stainless Steel Case Case Size: Diameter 40.8mm, Thickness 9.8mm Crown: Patented Crown Protector Sledge® Movement: LÖBNER6724 (Based on La Joux-Perret G101) / Swiss-made Power Reserve: 68 hours Crystal: Sapphire crystal with inner anti-reflective coating Bracelet: Multi-link stainless steel bracelet Water Resistance: 10 ATM, compliant with DIN 8310 Price: ¥1,870,000 (incl. tax)
Independent Watch Brands Fair Period: Until Sunday, August 31, 2025 Hours: 11:00 - 20:00 Venue: Fortune Time Omotesando 4-12-10 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Omotesando Hills Main Building 2F
