The mining industry has long been the overriding location factor of the Saar region, the closure of the last mine in the Saarland took place end of June 2012. A remnant of the Saarland mining tradition is the so-called Bergmannsuhr (coal miner’s watch), to which NIVREL pays tribute to with the new NIVREL pocket watch Héritage Minier.

The coal industry in the Saar region is on record since the Celtic period by excavations, first written records go back to the year 1429. A scheduled coal mining was operated from the mid-18th Century onwards. The mining industry has long been the overriding location factor of the Saar region, leaving the population at the Saar to grow strongly from the era of industrialization. To date, it can be said that the mining industry has dug deep into the Saarland culture, even if coal mining in the Saarland was gradually reduced since the industrial restructuring in the 2nd half of the 20th Century. The closure of the last mine in the Saarland took place end of June 2012.

A remnant of the Saarland mining tradition is the so-called Bergmannsuhr (coal miner’s watch). It was awarded many miners to important anniversaries by their employer and finds itself to be a legacy in many homes the Saarland people. Since 1891, a major supplier of these anniversary watches was the Kraemer jewelry store from Saarbrücken, the parent company of the watch brand NIVREL.

By introducing the new Héritage Minier NIVREL would like to make contribution to helping remember the coal mining tradition of the Saarland. Being a model within the Héritage edition, it follows the traditional basic Héritage design patterns. The silver-colored dial shows the characteristic Clous de Paris guilloche with black Roman numerals. The time is displayed with black hands in Breguet style.

The handsome case is made of solid sterling silver and measures 45 mm in diameter. The height of 13 mm completes the balanced dimension of the timepiece. The glass is made of scratch-resistant, domed mineral crystal.

The back cover of the NIVREL Héritage Minier presents an engraving which gives the pocket watch its exceptional character. It shows the icon of hammer and chisel with the words ‘Glück Auf!’ and the limitation number of the watch underneath. The symbol of hammer and chisel is deeply rooted to the mining industry. According to the mining terminology iron and chisel belong to the basic tools of the miner. ‘Glück auf!‘ is the German miners' greeting. It occurs in the tradi- tional miners' folk-song ‘Glück auf! Glück auf! Der Steiger kommt’. It refers to the desire for a healthy extension of the mine after the shift of the miner has ended.

The NIVREL Héritage Minier is limited to 200 pieces. It comes in a pocket watch display box and is attached to a stainless steel chain with two carabiners. 

More information about our model Replique Manuelle can be found in the collection category.