IWC Schaffhausen

Two companies that had no idea where they were going in 1980 were IWC and Jaeger-LeCoultre. Their owners took him on board that year, initially in an advisory capacity and, from 1982, as Director. But under Günter Blümlein, and with a series of innovatively designed, exquisitely finished wristwatches that upheld IWC’s long tradition, the Schaffhausen-based manufacturer soon found its feet. The new Director predicted the renaissance of mechanics and the future significance of watchmaking complications at an early stage. The decision, in 1985, to launch the Da Vinci, the world’s first self-winding wristwatch with a perpetual calendar at an affordable price, proved to be a stroke of good fortune for the company. The rebirth of the Pilot’s Watches did the rest. Thanks to the brilliance of its products and a clearly thought-out strategy, IWC was saved more quickly than expected. Apart from his commitment to Schaffhausen, Günter Blümlein also took over at the helm of Jaeger-LeCoultre in 1986 and revitalized this brand too.

And, as if to confirm the adage that all good things come in threes, Günter Blümlein completed his third tour de force following the fall of the Berlin Wall when he brought the A. Lange & Söhne brand back to life. Blümlein finally realized his dream of a powerful watch group with the LMH (Les Manufactures Horologères) Holding in 1996. The scale of his success can be seen in the fact that Richemont bought the three companies in 1999. In 2001, once the deal – worth billions, incidentally – was completed, Günter Blümlein was entrusted with the coordination of Richemont’s highend watch segment, comprising IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Lange, Baume & Mercier, Officine Panerai, Piaget and Vacheron Constantin.

As fate would have it, recognition of his professional achievements came too late. An insidious disease slowly took over the body he had worked so hard to keep fit. But even being chained to his sickbed did not prevent Günter Blümlein from carrying out his professional duties as best he could. For him, work was the hope that, ultimately, everything would turn out well. That hope proved deceptive. Günter Blümlein died in the early hours of 1 October 2001, aged just 58. With him, the luxury watch industry lost one of its central and most respected figures. To everyone who knew him, his memory remains that of an indefatigable achiever with an incredibly strong personality. Even ten years after his demise, we can all still learn a great deal from Günter Blümlein.