Robert Pfaff
Robert Pfaff co-founded the watch brand Henzi & Pfaff in Pforzheim, Germany, in 1946 with Robert Henzi. The company is today known as Hercules.
- Brand
- Hercules
The story of Robert Pfaff
Robert Pfaff was a watch entrepreneur and the second half of the partnership behind Henzi & Pfaff. In 1946 he founded the company in Pforzheim, Germany, together with Robert Henzi. Pforzheim was a major centre of German watchmaking and jewellery, and the new company started there shortly after the war. Its watches were sold under the Hercules name.
In 1953, the Austrian mountaineer Hermann Buhl wore a Hercules timepiece during the first successful solo ascent of Nanga Parbat. The brand still relies on this association with mountaineering.
The company became dormant during the quartz crisis of the 1970s. In 2022, Adriaan Trampe revived the brand as a Swiss independent, keeping the Henzi & Pfaff origin story at the centre of Hercules‘ modern “Luxury Alpinism” identity.
Adriaan Trampe
Adriaan Trampe is a Swiss watchmaker of Dutch origin, former owner of EZA Watches, who revived the Hercules brand in 2022.
Hermann Buhl
Hermann Buhl was an Austrian mountaineer who wore a Hercules timepiece during the first successful solo ascent of Nanga Parbat in 1953.
Robert Henzi
Robert Henzi co-founded the watch brand Henzi & Pfaff in Pforzheim, Germany, in 1946 with Robert Pfaff. The company is today known as Hercules.
Richard Mille
Richard Mille is a French entrepreneur who founded his luxury watch brand in 2001. He is known for using F1-grade materials to create high-performance timepieces.
Find the watch that carries their story.
Watch Explorer lists every watch on Watcheers with its full spec sheet. Filter by brand, size, material and budget.