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Pre-Baselworld 2010: Glashutte Original Pocket Watch No. 1
Nov 25, 2009
Although Baselworld 2010 is still more than three months away, the world's finest luxury watch manufacturers are already revealing some tantalizing glimpses of next year's desirable creations. One such preview comes from the esteemed German house Glashutte Original in the form of a quarter-hour repeating pocket watch in 18-karat rose gold. This timepiece, dubbed the Pocket Watch No. 1, effectively recalls the grand era of 19th century Saxon fine watchmaking and the towering horological legacy of Julius Assmann, one of Glashutte's illustrious horological founding fathers.
Aesthetically, the Glashutte Original Pocket Watch No. 1 reflects unspoiled classicism and impeccable understated elegance. The savonette-styled case, with winding crown perpendicular to the axis of the small seconds subdial, is a full hunter and features two hinged coverlids which snap closed precisely over the sapphire crystals. The pristine dial in white enamel presents a series of twelve slender Roman numeral figures, upon which hours, minutes, and small seconds are marked off with "Poire" hands which have been perfectly blued using traditional techniques. Connoisseurs will immediately note the elongated slide piece on the side of the case, which provides immediate confirmation that the mechanism offers some form of repeater--a cherished complication able to spell out the time via a coordinated pattern of chimes. When the slide is pulled, the mainspring tightens, and a signal mechanism is put into play that is controlled by a governor device. This action influences a pair of hammers which strike two gongs arranged around the movement. During this operation, the watch peals the hour in a low chime, and then the nearest quarter hours via a treble note; this latter tone is struck once, twice, or three times according to how many quarter hours have elapsed since the last hour.
As with all Glashutte Original timepieces, the Pocket Watch No. 1 will be animated by a movement that is engineered, manufactured, and hand-decorated in the Glashutte manufacture. From a decorative standpoint, the Calibre 84-01 reflects all the hallowed traditions of Saxon high watchmaking, including jewels set in gold chatons, sunburst-patterned winding wheels, a three-quarter plate with a shimmering ribbed finish, and a balance cock entirely engraved by hand. Other visual delights include a large balance wheel with adjustable gold screws, and a shapely swan neck fine adjustment which gleams as a result of the painstaking efforts of a dedicated artisan equipped only with perfect dexterity, and a piece of polishing tin. Despite this exceptional workmanship, the Glashutte Original Calibre 84-01 is more than a mere showpiece for decorative nuances: when the crown is operated to adjust the watch, the balance wheel stops and the second hand instantly resets itself to zero. Precise setting of the time is therefore extremely simple, as well as pleasingly exact. At 36 hours, the movement power reserve is within the traditional parameters of classical pocket watches.
According to Glashutte Original, only 25 pieces of the Pocket Watch No. 1 will be produced. Each timepiece is accompanied by a matching rose gold chain, and bears its engraved individual number on the inside of the back coverlid. Glashutte Original will begin taking orders for the timepiece after its formal unveiling at the 2010 Baselworld show in late March.
More about Glashutte Original:
Glashutte Original brand & timepiece collection
Glashutte Original news
Glashutte Original product blogs
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