Moritz Grossmann presented the BENU Tourbillon Tremblage, featuring a dial created using a decoration technique known as tremblage. Price: €235,000
German watchmaker Moritz Grossmann presented the BENU Tourbillon Tremblage, a new interpretation of its flying tourbillon model, initially introduced in 2013 (you can read our introductory article here). This rendition is elevated by a dial created using a traditional decoration technique that showcases excellent craftsmanship.
Housed in a 44.5 mm x 13.9 mm case, the BENU Tourbillon Tremblage is offered in two exclusive 8-piece editions, available either in rose gold or in white gold.
Its dial, a multi-part construction fashioned from German silver, features a symmetrical design and an inner part that showcases the revival of a historical technique known as tremblage. Through meticulous hand engraving with various burins, the metal comes to life with a trembling motion—a name derived from the French 'tremblant,' translating to 'to tremble' in English.
All the dial parts are subsequently galvanised in ‘black-or’ – an expressive anthracite colour. The processing of the dial, from the engraving to the finishing, requires several days to complete.
At the heart of the dial visually is the tourbillon, which is flanked by the off-centre hour display at 3 o’clock and a second display at 9 o’clock.
The hands are manually crafted from 750/000 gold in the rose 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 stouter in design. They guarantee reliable time reading.
The fine tip of the minute hand sweeps past the minute scale around the dial’s outer perimeter.
The tourbillon aperture at 6 o’clock interrupts the rail-track from 25 to 35 minutes but the exact time can be easily read thanks to a rearward extension of the minute hand that sweeps a 10-minute scale on the opposite side.
The tourbillon is particularly eye-catching with its unusually large diameter of 16 mm and reduced aesthetics. 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. Noteworthy features include the delicate filigree cage atop just two pillars and the patented V-shaped balance bridge.
Adjacent to the crown, a conical push-button unveils an ingenious hand-setting mechanism: the Grossmann winder with pusher. A brief tug on the crown activates the hand-setting mode and halts the movement simultaneously. The crown promptly returns to its initial position, allowing the adjustment of the hands. The push-button restarts the movement.
To ensure a gentle and trouble-free stop of the balance, the stop-seconds mechanism employs a patented system featuring a fine-tipped brush made of human hair.
Rich of innovative solutions, the BENU Tourbillon prevents arbor and seconds-hand backlash thanks to a special brake ring of the fourth-wheel arbor made of Guaiacum wood, a very oily wood with the highest degree of hardness.
Operating at a frequency of 18,000 vibrations per hour (2.5 Hz), the manufactory Calibre 103.0 offers a power reserve of 72 hours when fully wound.
The 2/3 plate is beautifully enhanced by hand-made decorations and engravings. The white sapphire bearing jewels are set in prominent gold chatons. The polished screws are set in gold chatons and the jewels are white sapphire.
Paired with a black or brown hand-stitched alligator strap with butterfly clasp in gold, the Moritz Grossmann BENU Tourbillon Tremblage has a price of Euro 235,600 in white gold (ref. MG-003616) or Euro 237,400 in rose gold (ref. MG-003617). grossmann-uhren.com
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