iW Magazine Winter 2017/18 | Page 29

Boutique MORITZ GROSSMAN Recently, watchmaking has seen a trend for creations where faster is not fast enough. The frenetic pace of a 36,000 beat oscillator is old, slow news. And while some brands enlist new materials and engineering possibilities in an effort to mechanically slice each second into even finer units, Moritz Grossman watches have taken a different approach. Over-used terms like classical and traditional only begin to extol the virtues of the absolutely exquisite rarities that carry the Moritz Grossman brand. Re-born at the hand of the founder Christine Hutter, Moritz Grossman watches have reached an amazing pinnacle with an impeccable regulateur with flying tourbillon. An over-size balance slowly beats away at 18,000 bph while ensconced in a tourbillon cage rotating on its axis at an almost leisurely pace of once every three minutes. These watches are exclusively available at Cellini Jewelers (New York) and Oster Jewelers (Denver) in North America. Retail price hovers around the $200,000 range. IW RATING Design: 8 (out of 10) Overall a very well-balanced look that features subtle touches on the complimenting the mechanics on parade. Innovation: 7 A pull of the crown stops the over-size balance via a miniature brush crafted with human hair and places the crown in time-setting mode. A push of the button below the crown kick starts balance and re-sets the crown to its default winding mode. Finissage: 10 Hand engraving, bevels and frost finishes that exemplify the highest order of metal finishing applied to German Silver and steel on par with the best we have ever seen. Legibility: 9 Disparate shapes for the hour and seconds hand as well as an added mini arc to show the minutes where displaced by the oversize balance make this classic easy to read. Rarity: 9 Only 50 will be made. Value: 9 At the moment production is small enough to avoid downward pressure from oversaturation. Overall iW rating: 52 (out of 60) 30 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | WINTER 2018