The new Moritz Grossmann Tourbillon Tremblage brings the innovations of outstanding watchmaking both historical and modern with the very best decorating techniques executed in Glashütte, the watchmaking town in Saxony. In typical fashion of this high-end luxury brand, all parts of this grand complication timepiece are finished to highest standards, showcasing technical and artistic craftsmanship. The watch is offered in pink and white gold, of which each are limited to eight pieces.
A masterpiece of balanced design and handcraft, the dial brings to life the ancient technique of tremblage, which was originally used to increase the readability of the dial. The surface of the inner part is manually engraved by using a variety of burins that are moved across the metal in a trembling motion.
The challenge is to achieve an even look, creating a texturized effect which is both rough and matte at the same time. Subsequently, it is galvanized in ‘black-or’ – a Moritz Grossmann signature color with an anthracite hue.
The processing of the dial–from the engraving to the finishing–requires several days to complete for the skilled master craftsmen and serves as beautiful background for the flying tourbillon which takes center stage at 6 o’clock.
This filigree yet powerful mechanism which has an unusually large diameter of 16mm is flanked by the off-center hour display at 3 o’clock and a second display at 9 o’clock. The hands are manually crafted from gold in the pink gold version and from polished steel in the white gold version. The shapes of the handcrafted hands hint at their functions: the small second hand is more delicate, while the hour hand is bolder in design.
The fine tip of the minute hand sweeps past the minute scale around the dial’s outer perimeter. As the minute display is interrupted by the aperture for the tourbillon in the lower half of the dial, the minute hand has been extended beyond the centre. This counterpart now precisely presents minutes 25 to 35 on a scale. This twofold minute display is likewise a special Moritz Grossmann feature and is patented.
With its Arabic numerals in white and the very delicately tapered hands crafted at the company’s own manufactory, the Tourbillon Tremblage showcases the clean aesthetics of the Glashütte precision measuring instruments of the 19th century.
Moritz Grossmann unveiled the first caliber with a tourbillon more than ten years ago. It showcases the brand’s vision to create modern versions of traditional mechanics. This involves handed-down techniques being completely reimagined, such as the construction of the tourbillon in the hand-wound caliber 103.0. What was created here was a generously sized oscillator which, influenced by the inventor of the flying tourbillon, Alfred Helwig, is only mounted on one side. It additionally boasts a longer cycle time: whereas traditional tourbillons generally turn on their axis once a minute, the Moritz Grossmann construction takes a full three minutes to perform a rotation. Other features include the filigree cage top resting on just two pillars and the characteristic V-shaped balance bridge, which is protected as a registered design.
The cage’s elaborate design with two triangular pillars is the prerequisite for another special construction feature. According to the Grossmann watchmakers’ understanding, the precise mechanics of a tourbillon first call for exact time setting.
To halt the balance uninterrupted, this stop device needs to avoid the frame pillars. An elastic brush made of human hair can easily glide past the triangular pillar and gently slow the balance down at the rim perimeter. The patented stop solution rounds out the mechanism in keeping with a Grossmann precision timepiece.
The devotion with which timepieces are constructed and manufactured at Moritz Grossmann is also seen at the highest level at the decoration stage: each and every component is individually finished by hand. The plates and the tourbillon cock are finished with hand-engraved Glashütte ribbing, while edges which are beveled by hand and three-band snailing on the ratchet wheel are especially aesthetic. The polished screws are set in gold chatons and the jewels are white sapphire.
The pink gold edition of the Moritz Grossmann Tourbillon Tremblage is worn on a brown alligator leather strap, while the white gold version is combined with a black alligator leather strap. Both executions are priced at approximately $254,000 when converted to USD.
To learn more, visit Moritz Grossmann, here.