History & Heritage

Johannes Franz Hirsch founded the company in 1765 as a master leather craftsman in Neunkirchen, Lower Austria. 1935 saw the invention and patenting of the Hirsch vacuum belt for the emerging automotive industry. In 1955, Hirsch invented a process for joining upper and lining leather without joints.

It was included in the Handbook of Leather and Bag Masters as the Hirsch Rembordé technique and has been the standard of the watch bracelet industry ever since. This was followed in 1961 by the invention of the Hirsch vending machine for watch straps. The design of the vending machines has been influenced by architects and designers over the years. The vending machine developed by Hans Hollein is on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Under Hans Hirsch’s son and successor, Hermann Hirsch, the products were refined and exported for the first time.