iW Magazine Spring 2019 | Page 118

Discovery BY PAVEL PAVLOVSKY RETURN TO ZERO Bernhard Zwinz talks about his revival of Joseph Thaddeus Winnerl, the legendary 19th century watchmaker who invented the return-to-zero mechanism. Observatory interior Marine chronometer by Joseph Thaddeus Winnerl, France, circa 1850 OR MORE THAN TWENTY YEARS I HAVE KNOWN BERNHARD ZWINZ as a horological ‘man behind the scenes’ in the Vallée du Joux, well known among insiders for his work on complex movements (assembly, finishing as well as design) for the most prestigious companies and independents in Switzerland and beyond. Introverted, and not often prone to smiling, Bernhard takes watchmaking very seriously indeed; therefore when he contacted me to discuss a special watch project close to his heart, I was all ears, and visited his atelier to learn more and interview him about his project. after his arrival there in 1829. Already by 1832 he had started his own business in Paris producing marine chronometers, precision pocketwatches and clocks. He was so renowned that in 1835 Ferdinand Adolph Lange took up learning French in order to live to Paris and apprentice with him. Lange ended up staying at his shop for a period of five years; this is how the ¾ plate, as extensively used by Winnerl, would wind its way into the world of watchmaking in Saxony and become a trademark of Glashütte’s watchmaking tradition. Later, Winnerl was appointed as watchmaker to the Paris Observatory during the same period. Some of the most important scientific research was being achieved there, such as the accurate calculation of the speed of light, research into magnetism, celestial mechanics and proof of the Earth’s rotation. Last and not least, his chronometers would guide the French Navy across the globe, right up until the 1970s, and his first experiments with electric timekeeping were instrumental for establishing public timekeeping in Europe. F BACKGROUND HISTORY The name Joseph Thaddeus Winnerl will only be recognized by the most erudite of watch nerds, so don’t be surprised if you have never have heard of him before. Names ending in ‘L’ like this are typically Austrian in origin. Although born in Austria, Winnerl left home at a very young age to study watchmaking as an apprentice, serving among others, Georg Schmidt Fidel in Graz, Urban Jürgensen in Copenhagen and the famed watchmaker Breguet in Paris 118 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | SPRING 2019