Huger
The German company Huger (Huger Barometer GmbH) was founded immediately after World War II—in 1945—by engineer Wilhelm Huger in the town of Villingen-Schwenningen, located in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Originally, it was a small workshop on Bertholdstrasse 9, where Huger began working in precision mechanics in the tradition of the Black Forest. From the very beginning, the company specialized in the production of meteorological instruments—its range included mechanical barometers, as well as thermometers and hygrometers for both domestic and professional use.
Development progressed successfully: within just a few years, Huger had established serial production of precision instruments for measuring atmospheric pressure, temperature, and humidity. However, at the end of 1949, the company suffered a catastrophe—a fire completely destroyed the production facility. Despite this, Huger did not allow the business to stall: operations were temporarily moved to improvised premises in order to maintain clients and orders. In 1952, three years after the fire, a new modern workshop was built at Rietheimerstrasse 53. From that moment, the company launched its key product—aneroid barometers for accurate home weather forecasting.
After moving into the new building, Huger entered a period of rapid growth. Under the leadership of Wilhelm Huger and with the support of production director Fritz Keller, the company expanded its line of meteorological instruments and increased its production volumes. Wall-mounted and tabletop home weather stations—combined instruments incorporating a barometer, thermometer, and hygrometer—gained particular popularity. Their high quality and accuracy quickly won the trust of customers in Germany and abroad. By the early 1960s, business was booming: the company had about 120 employees, and to meet growing demand, it relied on home-based workers from the Villingen area. In 1963, Huger built another facility at Niederwiesenstrasse 28 to house an assembly line and sales department, which entered operation that autumn.
By the mid-1960s, Huger had become Germany’s leading manufacturer of barometers. According to the company’s 1964/65 internal report, it was regarded as the national market leader and exported its products to 35 countries worldwide. One of the most iconic products of this period was the so-called “Sputnik” weather station—a desktop barometer shaped like a transparent sphere, with integrated thermometer and hygrometer, mounted on a brass base. This futuristic device, released in the late 1950s, was inspired by the launch of the first Soviet satellite in 1957. Huger’s “Sputnik” captured the spirit of the space age and is now a sought-after vintage item among collectors.
During its peak, Huger offered a wide range of meteorological devices. Thanks to the impeccable quality of its mechanisms and elegant design, Huger instruments achieved international recognition throughout the 1950s and 1960s.
Huger not only maintained tradition but also pursued technical improvements. It is known that the company’s engineers developed systems for displaying pressure trends (rising or falling). In 1974, Huger Barometer GmbH patented a special device based on an aneroid capsule that electrically indicated the direction of atmospheric pressure changes. The core of the invention was a central contact node without return springs, which followed the pointer’s movement via a friction mechanism and closed different circuits depending on whether pressure was rising or falling. This patent illustrates the company’s desire to perfect its barometers and combine mechanical precision with ease of interpretation. In addition, Huger actively protected its brand: the trademark “HUGER” was registered back in the 1980s for the class of scientific instruments (barometers, hygrometers, thermometers, clocks, and combinations thereof) and remains in force under a new rights holder.
The company’s rapid rise was followed by difficulties. The unexpected premature death of founder Wilhelm Huger put the firm under serious strain. It became apparent that the promised employee pensions had not been financially secured—funds had been reinvested in production development, and after Huger’s death, the company faced a deficit. The new leadership had to take urgent restructuring measures: technical director Manfred Klais developed a recovery plan in cooperation with Deutsche Bank. To avoid bankruptcy, the company even had to sell off some land assets belonging to the factory. These measures bought time and allowed operations to continue.
Nevertheless, by the late 1970s and into the 1980s, the market situation deteriorated. New competitors from Asia began offering electronic digital home weather stations, and customer interest began to shift away from traditional analog barometers. Huger, remaining loyal to mechanical instruments, faced a growing wave of cheap imported electronics. In an effort to attract investment and new technologies, the company brought in a foreign partner from Hong Kong—Mr. Chang. By the end of the 1980s, a Czech-Chinese (or likely Hong Kong-based) investor had acquired approximately 50% of Huger’s shares. Around this time, the company underwent rebranding under the name “Filbor,” although the new identity failed to reverse its fortunes. Mounting debt (reportedly around 4 million Deutsche Marks) and declining demand continued to weigh on the business.
A decisive turning point came with the acquisition by the Hong Kong-based multinational IDT International—a prominent producer of consumer electronics and owner of the Oregon Scientific brand. In 1990, IDT acquired a 60% stake in Huger Barometer GmbH. The investor’s goal was to gain access to a European manufacturing base and meteorological expertise. IDT’s engineers were impressed by Huger’s accumulated knowledge—during a factory visit, the Huger team reportedly shared their “secret formulas” for converting pressure fluctuations into weather forecasts. The deal gave IDT mechanical barometer technology and provided Huger with vital capital and access to the development of electronic meteorological systems.
Over the next few years, Huger was integrated into the structure of IDT. In 1994, the Hong Kong-based investor purchased the remaining shares, bringing its ownership to 100%. The company effectively ceased to be independent and became the European branch of IDT for manufacturing and distributing meteorological devices. Its legal name was changed to Huger Electronics GmbH, reflecting a strategic shift toward electronic products. IDT began producing the world’s first commercially successful LCD barometers at Huger’s facilities. In the mid-1990s, leadership of the German subsidiary was handed to Swiss national Jack W. Heuer (former head of the Heuer-Leonidas watch company), who served as CEO of Huger Electronics GmbH for several years starting in 1995. IDT moved its European headquarters from Switzerland to the city of Bern but later, in 1996, closed the Bern office during structural optimization and focused management through branches in Italy, the UK, and other countries—leaving Heuer at the helm of Huger in Germany.
By joining a large international group, Huger gained access to global distribution networks and new markets. In 1997, IDT consolidated the Oregon Scientific brand, becoming its full owner. As a result, products bearing the Huger and Oregon Scientific names became part of a unified portfolio. On the German market, for example, products were distributed through Oregon Scientific Deutschland GmbH, while Huger Electronics in Villingen handled assembly and distribution of electronic weather stations and other consumer devices made by IDT. At the time, official documents listed Huger Electronics as a company with a capital of 3.5 million Deutsche Marks, engaged in “the marketing and distribution of electronic consumer goods.”
Despite all efforts, by the early 2000s it became clear that domestic production of analog instruments in Germany was no longer economically viable. Key customers stopped placing orders, ceding the market to cheaper electronic gadgets from Asia. The burden of accumulated debt persisted. In 2004, operations at the historic Huger factory in Villingen-Schwenningen were permanently shut down—the company underwent a process of compulsory liquidation. Thus, nearly 60 years of German instrument-making history came to an end.
However, the “Huger” brand did not disappear. IDT International retained the rights to the trademark and continued using it in its portfolio. According to patent office records, ownership of the brand was transferred to IDT Holdings in Singapore, which repeatedly renewed the registration of the “HUGER” trademark for barometers and related instruments. The Huger name remained visible thanks to products by Oregon Scientific: some digital weather stations and accessories were sold under the joint label Oregon Scientific/Huger Electronics GmbH. For example, the German Oregon Scientific website featured a Huger section (under the domain huger.de), and contact information for Huger Electronics pointed to the same headquarters as Oregon Scientific in Germany. The brand continued to “live another life”—as part of an international company specializing in modern electronic gadgets for weather monitoring.
In the years that followed, IDT and Oregon Scientific underwent structural changes, but the Huger trademark remained active. As of 2013, it was still valid and registered under IDT. Although there is no longer independent manufacturing under the Huger name, the company’s legacy endures in the form of high-quality vintage instruments valued by collectors, as well as in the foundational knowledge Huger contributed to the development of home weather stations. Huger evolved from a small postwar workshop into a global leader in analog barometers, weathered an era of technological change, and etched its name into the history of precision instrumentation. The brand, though transformed, still exists—in the memory of exquisite barometers from the last century and in modern digital devices that carry the spirit of Huger’s precision.
