Family Fridays: Where the Watch Came From
Family Fridays: Where the Watch Came From
Sept 12, 2026
Written by Dr. Adam Fleddermann, Founder & CEO of Fleddermann von Rieste, who designs every watch and oversees manufacturing and operations.
Happy Family Friday. Every other week I tell you something true about where this company actually comes from, and this one still gets me every time I tell it.
My great-grandfather bought his watch at Ritzi Jewelers, a small shop in Brookville, Indiana. That was decades before I was born, long before I had any reason to think a watch could be more than something you glance at before dinner. He wore it, took care of it, and eventually it made its way to my father, who wound it carefully and wore it only on days that mattered, the way you handle something you understand was loaned to you by the people who came before.
The store that started it
I’ve told pieces of this story before. What I haven’t told you is the part that still catches me off guard.
Ritzi Jewelers is still there. Same town, same family behind the counter, still doing right by their customers generations later. A few months ago, they became one of our newest authorized dealers. The same shop that sold my great-grandfather his watch now sells mine.
I didn’t plan that. I couldn’t have. You don’t build a family owned watch company hoping the exact store where your family’s history started decides to carry what you make next. It just happened, and when it did, I sat with it for a while before I could explain to anyone why it mattered so much.
Why this is the whole point
Not every story ends up this tidy. Most don’t. But I think that’s exactly why this one is worth telling. It’s proof, in the most literal way I could ask for, of the thing this whole company is built around, that things worth keeping have a way of finding their way back around, if you build them to last long enough to get the chance.
We’re a family owned watch company, hand-assembled and regulated right here in Indiana. Every Hanoverian, every Zeitfahren, every Munchner, every Einheit that leaves our bench carries a little bit of that same idea, that a watch isn’t just a tool for keeping time, it’s a vessel for memory, and it’s only as good as the story it eventually gets to be part of.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ritzi Jewelers still an authorized dealer for Fleddermann von Rieste?
Yes. Ritzi Jewelers in Brookville, Indiana is one of our authorized dealers, carrying the same collection available through our other retail partners.
Why does the Ritzi Jewelers connection matter to the brand?
It’s where the company’s founding story literally began. My great-grandfather bought his watch there generations ago, and that watch became the reason Fleddermann von Rieste exists. Having Ritzi carry our watches today closes that circle in a way I never could have planned for.
Do you have other family stories like this one?
Yes, and I tell one every other Friday in this series. If this is your first one, I’d start with what makes a watch an heirloom, which gets into the idea behind all of these stories more directly.
Where to go from here
If you’re ever in Brookville, stop into Ritzi Jewelers and tell them Adam sent you. And if you want to see the watches carrying this story forward, the Hanoverian is where I’d start.
Or just email me at adam@fvrwatch.com. I like hearing which of these stories people connect with most.
Dr. Adam Fleddermann, Founder & CEO
Dr. Adam Fleddermann founded Fleddermann von Rieste after growing up watching his father care for a watch passed down through generations of the family. He designs every watch and oversees the brand’s global supply chain, operations, and manufacturing, working alongside an AWCI-certified watchmaker and his team who lead the hand-assembly of every timepiece in Indiana.
