Discover Germany, Issue 88, December 2022

Discover Germany | Design | VDB Watches

FOR REAL REBELS ONLY A vintage look meets high tech: Erfurt-based watch label Vintage VDB combines nostalgic designs with top-notch technology and traditional craftsmanship. Founder Stephan Obst is at the heart of the operation and has succeeded in placing VDB amongst the elites of dive watches.

TEXT: MARILENA STRACKE | PHOTOS: VDB

Individual watches for men. Small, strictlylimited editions and a vintage military design.

Sophisticated, yet highly functional. That’s Stephan Obst’s idea in a nutshell, and in 2009 it turned into the statement watch label Vintage VDB, which he founded along with Helmut Lamberty and Christian Seidel.

A lot has happened since then. Today, VDB (which stands for Vintage Daily Beater) has an unshakeable reputation worldwide. Watch lovers, collectors and those who simply value unique watches of top quality can find their match here. It should come as no surprise, therefore, to find a few familiar names such as Johnny Depp, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Billy Gibbons and Eric Singer of the band KISS amongst the international fanbase of this brand.

8 | Issue 88 | December 2021

The robust watches are anything but mainstream, just like their owners, some might say. The design is straight-forward and the material – from Damascus steel to bronze – is first-class. Everything is meticulously crafted by hand, except for the movements, which are made by Eterna, Glashütte and Rolex, as well as some other well-known brands.

and, together with the VDB II and VDB III, it is his personal favourite.

Another clear highlight amongst the dive watches is the P1070 world record watch.

It was successfully tested at and certified by Fraunhofer Institute, where the remarkable watch was able to remain fully functional at an astonishing depth of 12,000 metres. There’s no doubt about it: Obst and his team have shown in quite an impressive way that a small boutique watch label from Thuringia can easily keep up with the crème de la crème of the world’s watch elite. www.vintage-vdb.com

Whether in small batches or even entirely custom-made, the watchmakers from Thuringia know exactly what they are doing when making these watches, down to the smallest detail. All editions are strictly limited and never exceed more than 200 pieces – often less, in fact. Even Stephan Obst himself had to buy back one of his most popular timekeepers, the VDB I, for almost three times the price. This watch is his daily companion

Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top).