Founding years The company was founded on 5 September 1902 in Nuremberg by Margarete,
née Schmidt (born 25 August 1880 in Nuremberg; †1953), and Heinrich Diehl (born 3 August 1878 in Kölschhausen; †1938 in Nuremberg) as an art forge. In 1906, the business was expanded through the acquisition of the art foundry
Brand. In addition to the foundry and a processing workshop, the production program thus included fittings, door handles and art castings. A trading department for architectural fittings was also established. After relocation in 1907, the company had 30 employees.
World War I and II At the outbreak of
World War I, production was shifted from art casting to the casting of brass bars. These were forged into blanks for ammunition production in the company's own
drop forge, marking the beginning of Diehl's production of semi-finished metal products. Precision engineering production was also resumed after World War II. In addition to manufacturing its own clocks, Diehl received a commission from a domestic appliance manufacturer to combine clock technology with switching mechanisms. Despite its own success in the clock-making sector, Diehl acquired a majority shareholding in
Junghans AG in 1956, which at that time was the largest watch factory in Europe. All watchmaking activities were consolidated at a single site. After the establishment of the
Bundeswehr, Diehl re-entered the defence technology sector and began producing 20- and 40-millimetre ammunition at a specially constructed plant in
Röthenbach an der Pegnitz. In 1975, Diehl acquired a stake in Konstanzer Computertechnik Müller (CTM) to further its activities in the fields of medium-sized data technology and text systems. The
Mega 1, the first radio-controlled wristwatch in the world, was produced in 1990 (larger radio-controlled clocks had already existed before then). The following year, Junghans also launched the world's first radio-controlled wristwatch with
clock hands. In 1998, Thomas Diehl, one of the three sons of Karl Diehl, took over as chairman of the Diehl Group. In order to serve the Chinese market, a slitting and service centre was established in Shenzhen in 1999. One year later, Diehl took over the US company The Miller Company, a producer of copper and copper alloy strips. In 2007, Diehl split its aerospace and defence divisions. The previously combined divisions became independent subsidiaries, operating under the names
Diehl Defence and Diehl Aerosystems (later Diehl Aviation). When Thomas Diehl passed away in April 2017, Wolfgang Weggen, who had long served as Chief Financial Officer and was a close confidant of Thomas Diehl, temporarily assumed the position of chairman. Shortly before the annual press conference in July 2017, the family appointed Markus Diehl, the youngest son of Thomas Diehl, to represent the interests of his siblings Alexander and Stephanie on the supervisory board. == Company structure ==