Leica Watches

Time has always played a central role within photography. While a watch tracks its passage, a camera records its moments. The Leica ZM retraces the history of the Leica camera all the way back to the early twentieth century and pays tribute to the impact of horology on the Leitz company’s evolution.

In 1863, Ernst Leitz I, at just 20 years old, honed his fine mechanical skills at a watchmaker’s workshop in Switzerland. This invaluable experience, combined with his extensive training in the fields of microscopy, telegraphy, and optical engineering, laid the foundation for a venture of his own: recognizing the possibilities of serialized production, he went on to establish the Ernst Leitz company in 1870.

In 1913 (now with Ernst Leitz II at the company’s helm), ingenious Leitz engineer Oskar Barnack conceptualized the world's first 35mm still camera – the Ur-Leica. This monumental breakthrough was not least owed to Ernst Leitz II's stalwart belief in Barnack’s capability and vision. In an era when cameras were large and cumbersome to handle, the small, portable Leica marked the birth of photography as we know it.

Ernst Leitz I’s early forays into the art of watchmaking may only have been a brief chapter in his journey. However, his background in the fine mechanics of horology played a vital part in shaping Leica's storied history – which set the course for generations of photographers.