When Leica first branched out into watchmaking under the vision of its enthusiastic owner, Dr Andreas Kaufmann, some questioned the wisdom of this decision. After all, this was a camera brand that was very specific in its identity: Leica invented the compact camera, and to translate that into watchmaking was a challenge. Although Leica had partner watches since the 1970s, it never produced its own designs.
However, a quick tour of Leica’s cameramaking facilities in Wetzlar reveals many similarities between its primary consumer business – creating beautiful cameras and lenses that create beautiful pictures – and its new Watch Division, headed by Marcus
