Wempe
Chronometerwerke
CW3
Wempe Chronometerwerke CW1
CHRONOMETERS
power reserve.
The company’s other, and perhaps main, source of pride, however, is its In contrast to the Zeitmeisters, the wearer of watch from this collection can
second line of watches, which is titled Wempe Chronometerwerke, a name that look through a sapphire crystal case back to admire a host of quintessential
actually goes back to old company history, when Wempe became involved in Glashütte features, like the three-quarter plate with the famous ribbing,
manufacturing chronometers for ships. This explains the ship chronometers one decorated balance cock, the swan-neck fine regulation system and a spangling of
finds as decoration in Wempe boutiques. gold chatons.
The timepieces in this family are technically more complex and strong
evidence of the Wempe’s readiness to get into the race with the best. Step one TOURBILLON
was achieving a measure of industrial independence by manufacturing its own The CW1 was followed by an in-house tourbillon caliber, the CW2, custom-made
calibers, which are artlessly referred to as “CWxx,” with xx standing for the for another tonneau-shaped case large enough (51 x 40.9 x 13.7 millimeters)
number in sequence. to allow for long, salivating gazes at the large tourbillon at 6 o’clock. As for the
CW1, which was made in collaboration with Nomos, which provided its CW3 movement, it took five years to develop and build. It hailed a new line of
manually-wound Theta caliber as a basis. The new caliber was designed to fit round watches, the first of which were in homage to a chronometer designed
into an imposing tonneau-shaped watch with seconds in a subdial at 6 o’clock: in collaboration with A. Lange & Söhne and manufactured as of 1942, hence the
in other words, a classic, no-nonsense piece of horology, in a fairly thin (11.1 seriously retro look.
millimeters) case that housed two barrel springs delivering about 80 hours of This superb caliber, with, again, all the Glashütte bells and whistles, including
52 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | WINTER 2018