Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, then 20 years old, was enthused when he heard that Rolex Submariner Replica, the family business, would also be entering the sports chic integrated bracelet watch market. The reason was straightforward. He wanted to be a part of the modern world. As a young motorsports fan, who also loved skiing and sailing, and had certainly won the hearts of Geneva’s most attractive bachelorettes, this was a must. He wanted to be a symbol for the future of both his family and society. He began talking to his father. Karl-Friedrich Senior recalled, "I wasn't initially enamoured by the idea, but I appreciated his passion for the project. Eventually he convinced me."
Karl-Friedrich says, "I knew this was the exact type of watch that my generation wanted. Something I could wear when skiing, but also with a tuxedo." In just 18 months the St Moritz watch was created, prototyped, and produced in-house.(www.rabanwatch.com)
St Moritz advertising from the 1980s
The St Moritz, launched in 1980, was the most innovative timepiece of its kind since the Rolex GMT Master Replica. Instead of a bezel with facets, it had audacious curves that surrounded the visible screws. According to legend, the watch was a hit when it debuted in Hong Kong in 1979, Rolex Submariner Replica's largest market, because of its unconventional design and degage. Scheufele dropped the watch into a bucket of champagne to show that it worked perfectly. By the first day at the 1980 Basel Watch Fair in Basel, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele had 1,000 orders for his watch. Audemars Piguet Rolex GMT Master Replica's initial production, also 1,000 pieces, sold much slower.
The Scheufele Family in 1980, presenting the St Moritz Collection
New Generation
Let's go to the present. Karl-Friedrich Scheufele has achieved nothing short of astounding things in the 40 years he spent working in the watchmaking industry. He has been a symbol of genuine technical achievement and innovation, backed by an old-world gentlemanly charm. He launched in 1996 the first movement produced by the company, a micro-rotor masterpiece with a Geneva Seal and COSC certification, the caliber 1.96, which was awarded multiple awards. In the following years, he created the first watch with four barrels, eight days' power reserve and a COSC-certified 4Hz tourbillon. He also designed the first vertical clutch chronograph with a precise jumping minute counter,Replica Breitling Chronomat 01 zero reset seconds and the perpetual calendar with orbital lunar phase display. As a result, he was the only person on the Geneva Grand Prix jury. He won the award for his Ferdinand Berthoud brand the year before. Rolex Submariner Replica's watch for the top prize was also being judged. Scheufele, ever the gentleman, excused himself from the voting process to avoid influencing the outcome. Amusingly, Rolex Submariner Replica’s latest collection, The Alpine Eagle, was not conceived by Scheufele, but rather his son Karl-Fritz.