Ostalgie – Ruhla Watches of the former East Germany (DDR)
Ruhla watches and clocks made in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1952 to 1991.
For a short history of Ruhla watches, see Short History of Ruhla Watches and Gebrüder Thiel GbmH
Updated September 2017 – Watches 13
Updated May 2017 – Ruhla in the life of East German Citizens 3
Updated March 2017 – Watches 12 and added Watches 13
Updated November 2016 –Watches 12
Added August 2016 – Watches 12 and Updated Ruhla in the life of East German Citizens 3
Updated May 2016 – Watches 11 and Pocket and Stop Watches
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- Ruhla Calibre 24-31 Turqoise Metallic Dial Sub Seconds Roman Numerals
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- Ruhla Calibre 24 TV Case Green Metallic Dial – 1983
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- Ruhla Calibre 24-33 Black Dial 1980s
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- Gebrüder Thiel 1935
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- Avtovelo Ruhla Thiel Catalogue Photo of Factory Building early 1950s
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- Gardé Uhren Ruhla – Ruhla Watch Factory, south of Eisenach in the Thuringian Forest
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- Ruhla Calibre 39 15 Jewel Slim Cased Gold Plated
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- Stained glass window of the UMF Ruhla Watch Works in Eisenach Railway Station, Germany.
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- Ruhla Divers Waterproof 2 Jewel Calibre 24-42
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- VEB Watch Factory Ruhla, 1950
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- Ruhla Calibre 24 White Dial Even Number Numerals – 1967
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- East German Watchmaking 1970s
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- Ruhla Calibre 24-32 Blue Round Heavy Chrome Case White Hands
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- Ruhla Calibre 24-32 Pocket Watch Blue Enamel Dial Gold Indices
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- Ruhla Calibre 24-32 Pocket Watch Champagne Enamel Dial Gold Indices
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- Ruhla Pocket Watch UMF 83 Calibre
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- Ruhla Diver’s Chronograph Blue Dial 1978
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- Ruhla Diver’s Chronograph with stop watch
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- Ruhla Calibre 24-26 Lion Face (light brown mane) with moving eyes
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- Ruhla Calibre 24-30 Childs Watch with Rocket Image Red Plastic Case and Strap
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- Saxon branded Ruhla Calibre 24-36 Child’s watch Rabbit with moving eyes
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- Ruhla Calibre 24-34 Mens Silver Dial Red Second Hand
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- Ruhla UMF Ladies Cream Dial Gold hands
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- Ruhla Calibre 24-32 Champagne dial Arabic Numerals
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- Ruhla de Luxe Black textured dial Gold Plated Rounded case Gold Markers
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- Ruhla Calibre 24-34 Early Digital Jump Hour Watch Blue
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- Ruhla Blue Round Gold Hands
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- Rhula White Case Space Design Dial
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- Ruhla Ladies White Dial Arabic Numerals Seconds Markers
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- Ruhla Mens Brushed Gold Dial Roman Numerals
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- Ruhla Mens Brushed Silver Dial with Date
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- Ruhla Mens White Dial Arabic Numerals Gold Case
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- Ruhla Oval Case with Date
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- Ruhla Champagne Dial Salamander Chrome Case Arabic Numerals
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- Ruhla Mens Gold Case Gold Dial Arabic Numerals
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- Ruhla de Luxe Cream Dial Gold Markers Gold Case
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- Ruhla Brushed Chrome Case White Dial Arabic Numerals
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- Services (Ruhla) Ladies White Dial Sans Serif Arabic Numerals
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- Ruhla UMF White Silver Radar Dial Second Hand Brass Case
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- Ruhla Ladies White Dial Arabic Numerals Second Markers Gold Case
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- Ruhla Mauve Dial with Date
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- Ruhla Gold Brushed Dial and Case Arabic Numerals
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- Rhula Silver Brushed Dial Bold Arabic Numerals
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- Ruhla-black-dial-calibre-24-33-white-chapter-ring-date-function
Continue to next page of photos
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Hello,
I have two questions about this watch.
1) Ruhla still makes watches?
2) I have a Ruhla Digital Jump hour. (Blue). When this watch stopped making?
Thanks
December 14, 2010 at 10:51 am
Hello Aitor,
Thank you for visiting my Ruhla collection website. In answer to your questions;
1) Ruhla does still make watches under the name Gardé Ruhla. Their website is http://www.garde.de/
2) This is difficult to answer with absolute certainty but Soviet watchmakers started making LCD quartz digital watches from about 1974. Watch production in East Germany followed what was happening in the USSR and so this jump hour watch probably ceased production in the mid 1970s.
Regards,
OstalgieRuhla
December 14, 2010 at 4:58 pm
Thank you very much for the information.
Regards
Aitor
December 15, 2010 at 11:37 am
Thank you for your very informative Ruhla site. I have just bought (March 2011) a very fine Ruhla Gardé radio controlled watch, I found your information very rewarding.
April 2, 2011 at 11:37 am
Thank you for your kind comments. Enjoy wearing your Ruhla watch!
April 2, 2011 at 4:21 pm
Lovely site! Great watches too I had (have but its badly broken) a blue faced rhula with date window for my 4th birthday – a long time ago! Loved it! Do you know anyone who deals in old ones – Id love to find a replacement.
June 15, 2011 at 1:06 pm
Hello Sukie,
Thank you for your kind comments. The best place to pick up a Ruhla watch is Ebay. Obviously, as the watches were produced in East Germany, the best ones can be found on Ebay.de. Prices vary but have recently increased slightly as awareness of Ruhla watches has also increased.
Ruhla movements are very simple and often all you need to do is have the movement serviced (cleaned and oiled) and they will happily tick for many years yet.
I hope you find a replacement.
Regards
Sekondtime
June 15, 2011 at 6:14 pm
Love the website- great resource. I’m reallly keen on the Ruhla children’s watches. Saw this one on ebay. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261003265258?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649#ht_500wt_922
But the hands don’t look right to me – do you think they are replacement?
April 16, 2012 at 7:18 pm
Hello Nicholas,
Thank you for your kind comments about the website.
Yes you are correct, these are replacement hands on this watch. These cat Wackelaugen (waggle eyes) watches come up for sale fairly frequently and prices vary. You should be able to find a more authentic one in time.
Regards,
Sekondtime
April 16, 2012 at 8:00 pm
Hello,
Did Ruhla ever use radium on their watches? I have a metal Ruhla pocket watch from the 50’s (it says Made in Germany on the dial), and was wondering if the glowing paint on the dial is radium?
Thanks.
February 28, 2014 at 8:36 pm
Hello,
Like most watch manufacturers, radium was used on earlier Ruhla watches. During the 1950s many manufacturers started to use other types of luminous paint. The hazards of radium lume can be found by googling or searching on watch forums. If the lume has crumbled or flaked, do not open the watch case.
Sekondtime
March 2, 2014 at 12:23 pm
Thanks for the reply. The watch I have is very similar to this one: https://ostalgieruhla.wordpress.com/ruhla-pocket-and-stop-watches/imgp0004/
Does the paint on the numbers on this watch contain radium?
Thanks.
March 2, 2014 at 4:58 pm
It is hard to be definite as there does not appear to be any literature to say one way or another. West Germany banned the use of radium in 1960 and since Ruhla sold its products in West Germany, I would expect them to have ceased using radium but without any documentation, it is difficult to be certain. Certainly by the 1970s, I would doubt that any manufacturer used radium. Although it was used for military purposes by some countries for dials in aircraft.
Sorry that I cannot be more precise. Without further information, I would urge caution.
March 4, 2014 at 8:42 am
Hello. I don’t know if it’s appropriate to leave this comment here, so forgive me if it’s not. I am wondering if you’ve ever seen this watch before: https://twitter.com/gulsonroad/status/839935693933551616 I am having trouble finding any information about it. It belonged to my grandfather. Thanks!
March 9, 2017 at 8:29 pm
Hello Nigel,
This pocket watch is one of the early Thiel Brothers Ruhla made watches depicting the Blacksmith. The movement is a Thiel Fearless Automaton and dates from the 1890s. It features a moving arm or leg of the character on the dial. These pocket watches were sold in Germany but also in the United Kingdom and The United States.
The blacksmith is one of the more common variations of the automaton pocket watches. There were also the cyclist, the miner, the cobbler and the tailor.
March 10, 2017 at 7:41 pm
Thank you SO MUCH for this info!
March 10, 2017 at 9:46 pm