Description
Moritz Grossmann CENTRAL SECOND Purple
Model: MG-003297
CENTRAL SECOND – uniqueness meets precision
More than five millennia ago, people in the Near East started to take an interest in measuring time. Priests analysed the cycle of the moon and planets and predicted the most favourable time to cultivate crops. Trade and warehouse management gave rise not only to writing but also to the art of arithmetic. The development of the sciences and the flourishing of cities and trade meant that people had an increasing need for much more precise ways of measuring time. And so over the course of the 13th century, the mechanical clock was developed in Europe. The individual planning of time was born.
Since the middle of the 20th century, the thought of our modern life without the accuracy of time down to the second has become inconceivable. With the CENTRAL SECOND, Moritz Grossmann pays tribute to the social and technological significance of this precise unit of time. Conventionally, the small second hand is placed in the six o’clock position in the bottom third of the dial on Grossmann watches, however, the Centre Second collection positions a large-scale second hand in the centre of the highly refined dial. CENTRAL SECOND combines a case made from polished steel with a charmingly elegant feel and superb functionality. Schönstes deutsches Handwerk made in Germany that unites the highest degree of craftsmanship with a mechanism that simply functions perfectly. In doing so, the manufactory once again recalls the spirit of its namesake and grandmaster of the Glashuette art of watchmaking, Moritz Grossmann. In his treatise written back in the 19th century, the exceptional watchmaker and founder of the German School of Watchmaking (1878) described how to construct a simple but mechanically perfect watch.
With its Centre Second collection, Moritz Grossmann places the spotlight on the second as a unit of time. This collection fuses sporty elegance in a stainless steel case with a radiant dial finish that luminesces in any light.
Other highlights of the collection include:
• Centrally-positioned, defined, large-scale second hand
• Beautifully polished stainless steel case
• Highly legible, HyCeram Luminex luminescent hands
Each piece in this collection retains Moritz Grossmann’s signature aesthetic, underscored by elegant, understated lines and fine finishes. The in-house calibre is a highlight of the Centre Second collection and it can be viewed in full via a generous exhibition, sapphire case back.
Calibre 100.11
Grossmann’s designers used the calibre 100.1 to devise the new calibre 100.11 for the CENTRAL SECOND.
To keep the second hand rotating in the centre of the dial, the force of the mainspring is transferred from the third wheel to the new central second wheel via an additional intermediate wheel in the centre of the movement.
To ensure that the overall look is harmonious and also homogeneous, all the components of the train bridge are aligned on one level. For this purpose, both the train bridge and ratchet wheel were extended in height.
Further evidence of the highest standards of craftsmanship can be seen in the tooth flanks of the ratchet wheel, which are liberally chamfered at the top and polished to a high gloss sheen. Furthermore, the ratchet wheel is finished with a delicate sunburst decoration.
In contrast to other Grossmann movements, the crown wheel on CENTRAL SECOND is covered by the train bridge. Alongside the ratchet wheel, the new magnificently adorned intermediate wheel, which is also very striking in terms of its size, and central second wheel also draw admiring eyes. The wheel legs of the intermediate wheel are hand chamfered and polished.
The Grossmann manual winder with pusher
The in-house, Manual windingmechanism with pusher contains a perfected hand setting mechanism, which eliminates two potential problem areas: avoiding the ingress of foreign particles during the adjustment process and altering the hands unintentionally when pushing the crown back into place.
After a short pull on the winding crown, the mechanism switches to hand setting and simultaneously stops the movement. The crown immediately returns to its original position, allowing the hands to be adjusted precisely. The movement is then restarted using the pusher below the winding crown without having to move the crown again. At the same time, the mechanism is reset to winding mode.
Purple dial with HyCeram Luminex hands
The striking purple dial of this limited edition CENTRAL SECOND demonstrates the surprising effect that colour can have. An intense purple gives the dial with its central second hand an expressive aura, enhancing the sophisticated air of understatement that stems from the perfect relation of proportions in every detail. Thanks to a delicate sunray finish, the spectacular hue on the dial transitions through a range of fine shades, depending on the light and the angle at which it is viewed. It forms a striking backdrop for the pristine white numerals, the white hour and minute hands, and the slim stainless steel bezel which is also highly polished. Filled with HyCeram Luminex, these features also make it easy for the wearer to read the time, even in the dark. This hybrid ceramic comprises powerful luminescent pigments that glow in the dark intensively, are long-lasting and produce a beautiful bright green colour that complements the overall dial tone.
This Centre Second will appeal to lovers of fine watchmaking and superb craftsmanship who also seek something a little unique in terms of design and artistic expression.
Technical data
Movement: calibre 100.11, manual winding, regulated in five positions
No. of parts: 198
No. of jewels: 22 jewels, of which one in a pressed gold chaton
Escapement: Lever escapement
Oscillator: Shock-absorbed Grossmann balance with 4 inertia screws and 2 poising screws, Nivarox 1 balance spring with No. 80 Breguet terminal curve, Gustav Gerstenberger geometry
Balance: 14.2 mm, frequency: 18,000 semi-oscillations/hour
Power reserve: 42 hours when fully wound
Functions: Hours, minutes and seconds, central second with stop second, Grossmann manual winder with pusher
Operating elements: Crowns in stainless steel to wind the watch and set the time, pusher in stainless steel to start the movement
Case dimensions: Diameter: 41.0 mm, height: 12.00 mm
Movement dimensions: Diameter: 36.4 mm, height: 5.30 mm
Case: Three-part, polished stainless steel
Dial: Solid silver, purple with sunray finish
Hands: Manually crafted, steel, hour and minute polished steel with HyCeram Luminex filling
Crystal/display back: Sapphire crystal, antireflective coating on one side
Strap: Hand-stitched Kudu leather with prong buckle in stainless steel
Special features: Grossmann balance; lateral pusher for disabling the handsetting mode and starting the movement; space saving and modified Glashütte stopwork with backlash; adjustment with Grossmann micrometer screw on a cantilevered balance cock; Pillar movement with 2/3 plate and frame pillars in untreated German silver; 2/3 plate, balance cock, and escape-wheel cock engraved by hand; broad horizontal Glashütte ribbing; 3-band snailing on the ratchet wheel; raised gold chatons with pan-head screws; separately removable clutch winder; stop seconds for handsetting
