Our Take

Nestled in the watchmaking town of Glashütte, Moritz Grossmann has established its reputation as an independent amongst its neighbors – some of the industry’s largest players from A. Lange to Nomos to Glashütte Original. One of the timepieces that gathered critical acclaim from the collector community was the HAMATIC – a bold revitalization of the historical pendulum-style rotor found on early fine timepieces in the 18th century.

The Germans are renowned for their engraving work. Whether it’s on the movement or dial side of high end timepieces, it’s considered one of the more prominent characteristics of German watchmaking. With the Tremblage, engraving sits front and center. Using a historical method, tremblage, the engraving occurs through a trembling process. This is what creates such a unique texture, akin to hand-hammering. Fascinating about the process is that the Arabic numbers, minute and small second tracks on the dial are not applied after the engraving process is concluded. These are carved out in deep relief, and then only after relief engraving work is completed is the tremblage texture added to the dial. It is a painstaking process with a magnificent outcome.

Turning the watch over, this timepiece’s movement bears all of the classic German watchmaking elements. Calibre 100.1 is a ⅔ plate, German silver movement with in-house balance cock. Exquisite engraving work is also shown on the movement as well, including the floral motif on the balance cock and escape wheel as well as the cursive script on the plate. While the dial is certain to draw the most attention, the Benu Heritage Tremblage’s movement meets the quality of the dial to create an overall wonderful timepiece.

The Details

Moritz Grossmann Benu Heritage Tremblage Steel

Movement: Manufacture calibre 100.1, manually wound, adjusted in five positions

Special Features: Dial tremblage, Grossmann balance; hand setting override and start of movement with lateral pusher; space-saving modified Glashütte stopwork with backlash; adjustment with Grossmann micrometer screw on cantilevered balance cock; movement with 2/3 plate and pillars made of untreated German silver; 2/3 plate, balance cock and escape-wheel cock hand-engraved; grained train bridge; 3-band snailing on the ratchet wheel; raised gold chatons with pan-head screws; separately removable clutch winding mechanism; stop seconds for hand setting

Functions: Hours and minutes, subsidiary seconds with stop seconds, Grossmann winder with pusher

No. of jewels: 20 jewels, 3 of which in screwed gold chatons

Oscillator: Shock-absorbed Grossmann balance with 4 inertia and 2 poising screws, Nivarox 1 balance spring with No. 80 Breguet terminal curve, Gerstenberger geometry

Power reserve: 42 hours when fully wound

Case dimensions: Diameter: 41.0 mm, height: 11.35 mm

Case: Three-part, stainless steel

Hands: Manually crafted, steel, annealed to a brown-violet or blue hue

Strap: Hand-stitched alligator leather with prong buckle in stainless steel

No. of parts: 198

Escapement: Lever escapement

Balance: Diameter 14.2 mm, frequency 18,000 semi-oscillations per hour

Operating elements: Crown in 750/000 gold/stainless steel to wind the watch and set the time, pusher in 750/000

Movement dimensions: Diameter: 36.4 mm, height: 5.0 mm

Dial: German silver, tremblage

Crystal / display back: Sapphire crystal, antireflection-coated on one side