PUW Calibers

PUW (Pforzheimer Uhren-Rohwerke GmbH) was a German watch movement manufacturer founded in 1932 in Pforzheim, Baden-Württemberg, by Rudolf Wehner, with the explicit aim of reducing Germany's dependence on imported Swiss ébauches. The first men's wristwatch movement (PUW 500) appeared in 1933. PUW grew into Germany's largest wristwatch movement producer, reaching up to two million movements per year across manual-wind and automatic lines.

Customers included Junghans, ZentRa, DUGENA, Aristo, and American brands such as Helbros. Wehner also founded the Porta-Uhrenfabrik in 1948 to market finished watches using PUW movements; the Porta Elechron electric watch used the PUW 1001 caliber. Collaboration with France Ébauches SA produced the FE/PUW 5600-series. Losses ultimately forced the firm into acquisition by Swiss SMH (Swatch Group) in 1990, after which Pforzheim production was discontinued. PUW calibers are collected as the backbone of vintage German watchmaking.