Kienzle, clockmakers
Schwenningen 1883 - Schwenningen 1996

Kienzle is one of the oldest clockmaking companies in Germany. After a few years of apprenticeship, Jakob Kienzle began working for Johannes Schlenker, a famous clockmaker from Schwenningen (Germany).

In 1883, Kienzle married his employer's daughter and he and his brother-in-law, Karl-Johannes Schlenker, took over the business together. The company was renamed Schlenker-Kienzle.

In 1897, Jakob Kienzle became the sole proprietor, and the firm adopted the name Kienzle.

By 1899, the factory was producing around 162,000 clocks per year. It modernised and expanded throughout Europe, opening branches in London, Milan and Paris.

Thanks to their quality and technical innovations, Kienzle clocks were sold throughout the world. In the 1960s and 1970s, the company became the industry leader in Germany. In 1996, it went bankrupt and was bought out by a Hong Kong business group. In 2002, however, the company returned to Germany as Kienzle AG.

Amelia Aranda Huete