Description
Moritz Grossmann TEFNUT 36 Silver-Plated by Friction Turquoise Blue
Reference: MG-004153
Created to mark the 200th anniversary of Moritz Grossmann’s birth, the TEFNUT 36 Silver-Plated by Friction Turquoise Blue brings together two ideas that defined the great watchmaker himself – respect for traditional craftsmanship and an enduring fascination with progress. Limited to just 12 pieces worldwide, this exceptional anniversary edition takes one of the manufacture’s most classical designs and gives it an unexpectedly contemporary presence through a remarkable turquoise-blue dial.
At the centre of the watch is a dial produced using the traditional 19th-century technique of silver-plating by friction, sometimes known as silver-plating by grit. Revived within Moritz Grossmann’s own Glashütte workshops, the process requires silver powder, salt, tartar and water to be repeatedly worked into the dial surface by hand using a small brush. The result is not the uniform surface of a conventional painted dial, but an extraordinarily fine, velvety grain with genuine visual depth.
For this special edition, that traditionally silvered surface is transformed with a turquoise-blue colour carrying subtle green undertones. The microscopic texture left by the friction-silvering process causes the colour to react constantly with its surroundings. At one angle it can appear rich and saturated, while at another it becomes softer, cooler or more reflective. Gloss, matt texture, light and shadow continually shift across the dial, making its appearance remarkably difficult to capture in a single photograph.
Fine engraved typography gives structure to the colour. Roman numerals are lacquered in blue, while the historic 1875 ‘M. Grossmann’ signature, minute track, subsidiary seconds scale and ‘Made in Germany’ inscription are rendered in black. Moritz Grossmann’s extraordinarily slender hands provide the finishing touch. Made within the manufacture, each steel hand is shaped and refined by hand before being traditionally heat-annealed to achieve its distinctive blue hue.
The proportions are equally considered. Its three-part stainless steel case measures just 36 mm in diameter and 8.5 mm in height, giving the TEFNUT an elegant, slim profile suited to a remarkably wide range of wrists. The distinctive cross-grooved crown, fine lugs and hand-stitched grey kudu leather strap reinforce the restrained character of the design without competing with the dial.
Visible through the sapphire crystal display back is Moritz Grossmann’s hand-wound manufacture calibre 102.1. Measuring only 3.45 mm high, the 188-part movement features the traditional three-fifths plate architecture associated with Glashütte watchmaking, raised gold chatons, a Grossmann micrometer screw and beautifully finished components throughout. The barrel bridge carries Glashütte ribbing and hand engraving, while the balance cock is decorated by hand with a delicate floral motif and a special ‘1826’ anniversary engraving. With only 12 examples produced, the TEFNUT 36 Silver-Plated by Friction Turquoise Blue is as much a showcase of surviving Glashütte craft as it is a celebration of colour.
Technical Specifications
- Reference: MG-004153
- Limited Edition: 12 pieces
- Collection: TEFNUT / CLASSIC
- Case: Three-part stainless steel
- Case Diameter: 36.0 mm
- Case Height: 8.5 mm
- Dial: German silver, engraved, lacquered in black and blue, hand silver-plated by friction and finished in turquoise blue
- Hands: Manually crafted steel, traditionally annealed to a blue hue
- Crystal: Sapphire crystal with antireflective coating on one side
- Caseback: Sapphire crystal display back
- Strap: Hand-stitched grey kudu leather
- Buckle: Stainless steel prong buckle
- Movement: Moritz Grossmann manufacture calibre 102.1
- Winding: Manual
- Regulation: Regulated in five positions
- Functions: Hours and minutes
- Movement Diameter: 26.0 mm
- Movement Height: 3.45 mm
- Number of Parts: 188
- Jewels: 22, including three in screwed gold chatons
- Escapement: Lever escapement with proprietary 18-tooth escape wheel
- Balance: Shock-resistant Grossmann balance with four inertia screws and two poising screws
- Balance Diameter: 10.0 mm
- Frequency: 21,600 semi-oscillations per hour
- Balance Spring: Nivarox 1 flat balance spring
- Power Reserve: Approximately 48 hours when fully wound
- Winding System: Separately removable clutch winding mechanism
- Regulation System: Grossmann micrometer screw
- Train Wheels: ARCAP
- Movement Architecture: Pillar movement with three-fifths plate
- Additional Movement Features: Raised gold chatons with pan-head screws, remodified Glashütte stopwork with backlash, bilateral jewel bearings for the mainspring barrel, integrated safety roller and impulse pin integrated into the balance rim
- Anniversary Detail: Special ‘1826’ engraving on the hand-engraved balance cock
