Found A Glashütte Spezimatic Bison From The Old Country

Three summers ago, I visited with my wife, Kasia, who grew up there. We were there to celebrate our wedding after having officially been married stateside. And we made sure to visit everyone in the family – especially her great-grandparents.

Her great-grandfather's name is Józef Lisowski, but we call him Józek. One afternoon we sat down with him in the living room and began talking (well, Kasia was translating) and he happened to notice my watch. I was wearing my Rolex GMT-Master II – the Batman. He noted that the black dial with the big white markers made the watch easier to read, and then he bolted up from the table and went to retrieve something – though I didn't know what.

He returned with a watch and placed its square gold case on the table. It shimmered. I picked it up and tilted it in the light. It was a Glashütte but not the kind of Glashütte I was used to. It was called a Bison, which, I mean … cool. Below the Glashütte wordmark were the words Spezimatic, and below Bison read "26 rubis." But there was something even more interesting at the very bottom of the dial.

Aware of the brand in its current form, I was fully expecting to see text reading "Made in Germany." Instead I found "Made in GDR."

That's right, the German Democratic Republic, the name of the political regime in communist Germany. Poland – from the end of WWII until 1989 – was also under communist control, which would explain why he had such a watch.

Among other things (many other things!), I wanted to know what the deal was with this Bison and how he came to own it. So he told me.

He worked down underneath his city for 35 years as a forward miner and retired when he was 53 years old. When he first started on the job, as a teenager, he would go three days to school and three days to the mine. As he recalled, sometimes he would hide behind his wardrobe and managers from the mine would look for him to come to work – even if he'd already worked a full shift. Sometimes he'd work double shifts.

It became obvious, if it wasn't already, that Józek was a really hard worker with the hardware to back it up. Pins on his blazer (he leaves them on there permanently, and only wears it on special occasions) represent orders or commendations he received for excellent or extra physical labor. But not all of these orders were in the form of medals.

The Order for 25 years of work in the mine was a watch – this watch. He was one of only four other employees from the mine to receive a watch on the day he did. The Minister of Mining Labor of Poland presented him with it on stage, which was a very big deal. And his wife, Zofia (we call her Zosia), was in the audience to witness it.

One thing is certain when looking at this Bison, and that is that he wore the watch (though never in the mine itself). The acrylic crystal has a pretty gnarly chunk taken out of it near six o'clock, which makes it difficult to see the GDR text. The gold-plated case has a beautiful radial or sunburst effect to it but also proudly shows off years of wear, especially at the corners. The original strap is long gone, replaced with a non-matching stainless-steel bracelet that, to my taste, fits the overall vibe of the watch beautifully.

My favorite aesthetic features are no doubt the various typefaces which adorn the dial. From the throwback script brand wordmark to the serif-style lettering with flat-A style, there's just so much visual interest. Then there are the black applied markers which match the hands and contrast against the dial.

Turning the watch over revealed a closed caseback with no shortage of text. This is where I saw the "14kt Goldplaque" indication. If you look closely in these photos, you'll also notice a small engraving with two mining instruments intersected and the number 25 – representing 25 years of service.

The watch is powered by the GUB caliber 75, a movement produced from about 1964 until 1980. Unlike its counterpart, the caliber 74 (notable for being the thinnest automatic movement in the world upon its release in 1964), this one features a date complication. The GUB is a shorthand identifier for the Glashütte brand. The watch is called the Spezimatic as a way to combine both the words Spezial and Automatic. The name Bison refers to the large case in relation to the relatively slight and thin lugs – like a large Bison and its tiny legs.

Through some research, I found that these Glashütte Bison watches were extremely popular in communist-led European nations in the middle of the 20th century. I found this odd, considering I had almost no knowledge of this era of the brand's history until I picked up the watch.

He would go on to spend yet another decade down in the mine before eventually calling it a career, and hanging up his wonderfully adorned blazer in his closet. He wore his Bison for years, until the strap wore out, and then he bought a new bracelet and wore it some more. As his eyesight has faded, he's opted for a watch that's easier for him to read, but he still keeps this one nearby, ready to pull it out in case a summer afternoon conversation around the dining table calls for it.

All photos, Kasia Milton