This year marks exactly thirty years since the family-owned manufacture Mühle Glashütte entered the world of wristwatches. Prior to that, the company focused on producing marine chronometers, timing systems for ship clocks, as well as various speedometers and barometers. At a time when CEO Thilo Mühle is gradually handing over the reins of the company to his son and daughter, he has finally found more time for his personal passions – and for the company archive. Its latest addition is an unusual exhibit: a German Zündapp Modell DB 200 motorcycle.
The Nuremberg-built Zündapp DB 200 was a popular light touring motorcycle of its era. It featured a 200 cc two-stroke single-cylinder engine mounted in a sturdy double-cradle tubular frame, ensuring good stability even on longer journeys. Power was transmitted to the rear wheel via a conventional chain drive, contributing to straightforward maintenance and reliable operation.
The model was produced between 1935 and 1940 and, due to its popularity, returned to production after the Second World War with only minimal changes, remaining in manufacture from 1947 to 1951. The Zündapp DB 200 thus represents a typical example of solid German engineering from both the pre- and post-war periods, combining accessible performance with practical touring capability.
Alongside its high-precision measuring instruments, Mühle Glashütte began producing speedometers, rev counters, and dashboard clocks in the 1920s for automobile and motorcycle manufacturers such as Wanderer, BMW, D-Rad, Triumph and Zündapp. The Zündapp DB 200 now in the collection is fitted with a speedometer signed “R. Mühle & Sohn” and bearing the brand’s iconic mill logo – a tangible link between the motorcycle and the long-standing tradition of precision craftsmanship in Glashütte.
