- Presentation of the Moritz Grossmann Power Reserve Vintage and the new product video as part of the final highlight of the international Moritz Grossmann Roadshow 2019 in London on 11 July
- Calibre 100.2 with power reserve indicator in blue and white
- Vintage dial featuring historical original logo lettering of the Grossmann watches of the 19th century
- Finest, handcrafted hands with a diameter of up to 0.1 mm or 1/20 mm
- Available in rose gold and white gold
Presenting the first model of the newly founded independent Glashütte watch manufactory Moritz Grossmann in 2010, Christine Hutter saw a 125-year-old dream come true. The dream of manufacturing mechanical watches to the highest standards of craftsmanship in the spirit of the visionary and watchmaking genius Moritz Grossmann in Glashütte again.
To mark the occasion, the manufactory’s designers devised a new logo – two straight lines at the bottom and a semicircle segment at the top framing the Moritz Grossmann i/Sa lettering. These lines precisely indicate the shape of the lower edge of the characteristic Grossmann two-thirds plate, typically used by Moritz Grossmann in his pocket watches and which, thanks to recesses in the movement, allow a view of the balance.
To commemorate the revival of the brand and pay tribute to the inventor, visionary and master craftsman Moritz Grossmann, a traditional version of this wristwatch is now being released. The POWER RESERVE Vintage features a historic dial in argenté echoing Moritz Grossmann’s classic pocket watches.
Finely crafted Roman numerals in black and the original logo featuring the ‘M. GROSSMANN’ typography from 1875 grace the dial paying tribute to the master, as he was respectfully called in Glashütte.
THE HANDS
The hands of the new model also take their inspiration from the 19th-century examples of Moritz Grossmann’s pocket watches. The pear-shaped tip of the hour hand forms a beautiful contrast to the wafer-thin, needle-like shape of the minute hand, measuring a mere 0.1 millimetre at its narrowest point. Only the second hand with a twentieth of a millimetre diameter at its peak surpasses the filigree appearance.
As with all Grossmann hands, these display instruments are also handcrafted in the manufactory and manually annealed over an open flame. Kept in blue, the hands harmonise with the blue/white power reserve indicator.
Moritz Grossmann was not just a master horologist; besides establishing a prestigious watchmaking business, Grossmann became engaged, both politically and socially, founding the German School of Watchmaking in 1878.
His dedication and generous nature made Grossmann extremely popular. It was therefore a matter of great concern to him that the next generation of watchmakers should have everything they needed. Precision measuring instruments were sadly expensive. Young watchmakers could often hardly afford them, so Grossmann ordered the individual parts cheaply and had them made and improved himself. In an advert for his essay ‘The Free Anchor Escapement for Watches’ – awarded a prize by the renowned British Horological Institute in London – and always self-published, he ensured fair prices by offering:
‘I have learned that, particularly in the United States, and entirely against my intentions, my aforementioned prize essay is being sold at an unjustifiably high price. As I must wish to make the same available to every worker at a moderate price, I declare myself willing to send this book to everyone under volume postage paid by immediate mail who will send me the above retail price plus 1 Mark for postage by Post-Office Money Order, i.e. 8 Mark for the German, 9 Mark for the French and 10 Mark for the English edition (…) M. Grossmann.’
CALIBRE 100.2 WITH POWER RESERVE INDICATOR
The calibre 100.2 of the POWER RESERVE Vintage uses Grossmann’s manual winding with a pusher, a cantilevered balance cock with Grossmann micrometre screw, a separately removable winding module and the mass optimised Grossmann balance. The calibre 100.2 is an extension of the calibre 100.1. It includes an additional gearbox to indicate the power reserve.
A segment mounted in the centre of the calibre drives the output of the gearbox, creating a two-coloured bar display below the logo to indicate the remaining power reserve. This shows the watch’s remaining running time. When the mainspring is fully wound, the bar is completely white and turns increasingly blue as the power reserve decreases. The bar complements the dial with its slim, filigree style. A sapphire crystal back on the reverse of the watch reveals the intricately finished parts in the POWER RESERVE Vintage, showcasing the finest German craftsmanship from the Moritz Grossmann manufactory.
Moritz Grossmann Power Reserve Vintage Technical Specifications
Movement
Manufacture calibre 100.2, manually wound, adjusted in five positions
Special features
Grossmann balance; hand setting override and start of movement with lateral pusher; bar-shaped power-reserve indicator with two-coloured display segment driven by a differential wheel train; space-saving modified Glashütte stopwork with backlash; adjustment with Grossmann micrometer screw on a cantilevered balance cock; pillar movement with 2/3 plate and frame pillars in untreated German silver, 2/3 plate, balance cock and escape-wheel cock hand-engraved; broad horizontal Glashütte ribbing, 3-band snailing on the ratchet wheel, raised gold chatons with pan-head screws; separately removable clutch winder; stop seconds for hand setting
Functions
Hours and minutes, subsidiary seconds with stop seconds, Grossmann winder with pusher, power-reserve indicator
No. of parts
227
No. of jewels
26 jewels, 3 of which in screwed gold chatons
Escapement
Lever escapement
Oscillator
Shock-absorbed Grossmann balance with 4 inertia and 2 poising screws, Nivarox 1 balance spring with No. 80 Breguet terminal curve, Gustav Gerstenberger geometry
Balance
Diameter: 14.2 mm, frequency: 18,000 semi-oscillations per hour
Power reserve
42 hours when fully wound
Operating elements
Crown in 750/000 gold to wind the watch and set the time, pusher in 750/000 gold to start the movement
Case dimensions
Diameter: 41.0 mm, height: 11.65 mm
Movement dimensions
Diameter: 36.4 mm, height: 5.4 mm
Case
Three-part, precious metal
Dial
Solid silver, argenté, with Roman numerals
Hands
Manually crafted, steel, annealed to a blue hue
Crystal and display back
Sapphire crystal, anti-reflective coating on one side
Strap
Hand-stitched alligator strap with prong buckle in precious metal
