Family Fridays: Old Fashioned Horsepower
October 9, 2026
Written by Dr. Adam Fleddermann, Founder & CEO of Fleddermann von Rieste, who designs every watch and oversees manufacturing and operations.
Happy Family Friday. This one starts on a farm, not a workbench, but stick with me, because it’s the same story either way.
Happy Friday, friends.
Before tractors came along, the heavy work on our family’s farm in St. Mary’s, Indiana, was done by horses. My great-grandfather, Bernard Fleddermann, took real pride in his Belgian draft horses. If you’ve never stood next to one, they’re something. Big, powerful, beautiful animals, working the same ground Bernard and my great-grandmother Cecilia bought back in 1918.
Here’s the part of the story that has always stuck with me. Bernard didn’t buy the cheapest horses he could find. He invested in good ones. To him, those horses weren’t just tools for getting a job done. They were partners in the work, and he treated them that way.
I think about that a lot these days, running a small family owned watch company. There’s always a cheaper way to do something. A cheaper part, a faster shortcut, a step you could skip and most folks would never notice. Bernard’s horses are a good reminder that the cheap option usually isn’t the one that lasts.
That’s a big part of why we build heirloom watches the way we do. Every watch is hand assembled in Kokomo by Adam Parrish and his apprentice, Tanner, who regulate each movement until it’s right, not just close enough. It’s slower. It costs more. But it’s the Bernard way of doing things, and I’d like to think he’d approve.
It’s also why, when it came time to name our everyday sport watch, a horse name felt right. The Hanoverian is our little nod to Bernard, the animals he was so proud of, and the Kingdom his ancestors came from.
I don’t have a fancy lesson to wrap this up with. Just this: buy the good version once, take care of it, and treat the things that work alongside you like partners. It worked on the farm. I’m betting it works for watches, too.
If your family has a story like this, a grandpa who wouldn’t buy the cheap version of anything, or an old farm animal everybody still talks about, I’d love to hear it. Just send me a note on our socials.
Have a good weekend,
Adam
We may not be your grandfather’s watch, but with time, we hope to be your grandson’s.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Hoosier Homestead Award?
It’s a designation given by the state of Indiana to farms that have remained in continuous family ownership for 100 years or more. The Fleddermann family farm holds this award, and it’s part of the family history that shaped the values behind Fleddermann von Rieste.
Why does Fleddermann von Rieste grow slowly instead of scaling quickly?
Because deliberate, patient growth is core to the company’s values, not a limitation. Every watch is hand-assembled and regulated in Indiana, and retail partnerships are added carefully rather than rushed, in the same spirit as a family farm that’s been worked honestly for generations rather than pushed for short-term gain.
Is this story related to the company’s watchmaking philosophy?
Yes. The same patience that earned the family farm its Hoosier Homestead Award is the philosophy behind how every watch is built, hand-assembled rather than mass-produced, and how the company itself grows, one honest relationship at a time.
Where to go from here
If this story resonates, I’d point you toward where the watch came from, another piece of the family history that shaped this company. And if you want to see what that patience actually looks like in a watch, the Hanoverian is where I’d start.
Or email me at adam@fvrwatch.com. I like hearing what part of this story lands with people.
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.
