Moritz Grossmann Announces the New TOURBILLON Tremblage

The Tourbillon Tremblage marries the legacy and expertise of exceptional artisans from history and today. Produced in rose and white gold, this exclusive model is available in a limited edition of just eight pieces per variant. This timepiece embodies the fusion of historical and modern watchmaking innovations alongside premier finishing and decorative practices upheld at the Glashütte manufactory, a renowned watchmaking hub in Saxony.

Utmost care is given to every watch aspect, including its movement and aesthetic appeal. The dial of the Tourbillon Tremblage stands out for its intricate, symmetric design crafted from German silver, featuring a complex, multi-part structure.

The central section showcases the tremblage technique, a traditional method revived for this piece. Artisans hand-engrave the surface using various burins, creating a unique texture through a controlled, quivering movement inspired by the French word ‘Tremblant,’ which translates to ‘trembling’ in English.

The aim is to produce a uniformly rugged and matte finish. The Tourbillon Tremblage achieves this with remarkable success, as the tremblage effect subtly diffuses light, resulting in a beautifully matte appearance. The remaining dial sections are finished in a matte opaline, enhancing the watch’s elegant aesthetic.

Every dial component undergoes a galvanization process in ‘black-or,’ resulting in a striking anthracite hue. The journey from engraving to the final touches of the dial spans several days, reflecting the intensive labour and precision involved in its creation.

Centrally located on the dial, the tourbillon is the focal point, accompanied by an asymmetric hour display at 3 o’clock and a seconds display at 9 o’clock. The hands are handcrafted from 750/000 gold in the rose gold variant, while the white gold version features hands made from polished steel. The design of these artisanal hands indicates their purpose: the slender second-hand contrasts with the broader hour hand, ensuring accurate timekeeping.

The minute hand’s delicate tip glides along the minute markers encircling the dial’s edge. Due to the tourbillon aperture disrupting the minute track on the dial’s lower half, the minute hand is elongated past the dial’s centre to indicate minutes 25 to 35 on a dedicated scale accurately. This innovative approach to displaying minutes, a distinct characteristic and patented feature of Moritz Grossmann, enhances the watch’s functionality and uniqueness.

Featuring white Arabic numerals and exquisitely slender hands made in its workshops, the Tourbillon Tremblage echoes the refined design of 19th-century precision instruments from Glashütte, highlighting its commitment to clarity and aesthetic precision.

The foundation of this latest breakthrough can be traced back to the distinguished contributions of Moritz Grossmann, Alfred Helwig, and Abraham Louis Breguet. Grossmann, who initiated the German School of Watchmaking in Glashütte in 1878, significantly shaped 19th-century watchmaking and left a substantial legacy in the field. Helwig, an educator at the German School of Watchmaking during the early 20th century, innovated the flying tourbillon with a patent application in 1920. His work, including the publication “Drehganguhren”, focusing on tourbillons, inspires the engineers at the Moritz Grossmann manufactory.

Breguet’s influence began earlier, in Paris during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, revolutionizing future generations in watchmaking with his innovations. Among his most celebrated inventions is the tourbillon mechanism, designed to counteract the effects of gravity on the watch’s escapement by placing it within a rotating cage. This invention has been revered in wristwatches, symbolizing the pinnacle of horological expertise.

The pivotal figures behind the inspiration for this innovation are Moritz Grossmann, Alfred Helwig, and Abraham Louis Breguet. Grossmann, the pioneer behind establishing the German School of Watchmaking in Glashütte in 1878, significantly shaped the watchmaking industry in the 19th century and left a lasting legacy. Helwig, who taught at this school in the early 20th century, made his mark with the patent for the flying tourbillon in 1920 and authored “Drehganguhren,” focusing on tourbillons, continuing to influence Moritz Grossmann’s design engineers.

Earlier still, Breguet’s work in Paris during the late 18th and early 19th centuries set a precedent for future watchmaking innovations. His most famous contribution, the tourbillon, which places the escapement within a rotating cage to neutralize gravitational effects on the watch’s balance, is celebrated as a pinnacle of horological achievement, remarkably esteemed in the domain of wristwatches.

The intricate configuration of the cage, characterized by two triangular supports, sets the stage for a distinctive construction element. In the philosophy of Grossmann’s horologists, the intricate operation of a tourbillon necessitates precise time adjustment initially. The stopping mechanism must navigate around the frame supports to cease the balance’s movement without disruption. A flexible brush, crafted from human hair, is designed to smoothly bypass the triangular support, delicately decelerating the balance at its outer edge. This patented stopping technique complements the mechanism, aligning with the high standards of accuracy expected from a Grossmann timekeeper.

The meticulous craftsmanship and manufacturing of watches at Moritz Grossmann are exemplified in their approach to decoration: every part is hand-finished with exceptional detail. The plates and tourbillon bridge boast hand-engraved Glashütte stripes, and the manual bevelling of edges, along with the three-band snailing on the ratchet wheel, enhance their visual appeal. Moreover, polished screws are mounted in gold chatons, complemented by the use of white sapphire jewels, showcasing the brand’s commitment to elegance and precision in every aspect.

The Tourbillon Tremblage debuts in two variants: encased in either rose or white gold, accompanied by hands crafted from rose gold or steel. The model set in rose gold is paired with a brown alligator leather strap, whereas the white gold model is matched with a black alligator leather strap. Each version is exclusively limited to a production of eight pieces.

Learn more about the Moritz Grossmann Tourbillon Tremblage.