Germany based custom watch brand GRIEB & BENZINGER presents The Blue Sensation, a new unique piece in solid platinum based on a historical Patek Philippe split-seconds chronograph movement.
Hermann Grieb, watchmaking genius and one of the three partners of GRIEB & BENZINGER, has opened his horological treasure chest to charm out a valuable, historical, rare chronograph movement made in 1889 by Patek Philippe and delivered in 1890 to Tiffany.
The intense workmanship associated with the skeletonization and guilloché as well as the technical modifications of plates and bridges of this split-seconds chronograph took much more time and intense attention than all the minute repeaters worked on before it, however. Countless hours of detailed restoration, hand-skeletonization, hand-engraving, and guilloché were invested.
The fine guilloché work of the plates and bridges necessitated moving original drilled holes by less than one-twentieth of a millimeter, and the movement needed to be continuously reassembled, adjusted, disassembled, and reassembled in order to guarantee full functioning of the great number of levers and wheels despite their elaborate treatment.
The movement was disassembled more than 20 times before being reassembled in order to guarantee all functions, even those applying to the additional modifications.
A skeletonized dial with a rare Breguet frosted finish with overlapping displays in the characteristic GRIEB & BENZINGER style unequivocally shows the connoisseur the technical prowess needed to turn such a masterpiece into a regulator—a style for which the workshop is known. Additionally, it allows a view of the blue platinum coated base plate, a signature element of GRIEB & BENZINGER.
With The Blue Sensation, GRIEB & BENZINGER sensationally offers the only split-seconds skeletonized regulator chronograph on the market. This unique watch has a retail price of 197,500 euros (plus VAT).
With its 49 mm diameter, this unique timepiece is not only a design statement on the wrist, with a full weight of more than 150 grams, it is once again the heaviest platinum watch in the world.
Technical details
Model: The Blue Sensation by GRIEB & BENZINGER
Case
Solid platinum, approx 165 gr. platinum
Anti-reflective domed sapphire crystal
Pusher and crown made of solid platinum
Guilloché on top of button & crown
Screw-in sapphire crystal case back and bezel
Diameter: 49 mm
Strap
Blue alligator strap with Platinum buckle
Movement
Based on a Patek Philippe caliber from 1889 and sold to Tiffany New York in 1890. The movement was completely disassembled and restored.
Base plate: Hand-skeletonized before being guilloche and coated with blue platinum
Three-quarter plate: Hand-skeletonized and modified to change shape. Also guilloché and coated with rhodium and rose gold
Winding: Mechanical with manual winding
Bridges and cocks: Every single bridge and cock was skeletonized to change shape, guilloché and rhodium-plated, the hand-engraved balance cock, rhodium-plated and rose gold-plated Guilloché wheels , Flame blued steel screws
Barrel: Visible guilloché on spring barrel
Chronograph: Split-seconds chronograph
Balance: Compensation screw balance with blued Breguet spring , 18,000 semi-oscillations per hour
Escapement: Swiss club-tooth lever with compensation weight
Jewels: 26 jewels
Power reserve: Approx. 30 hours of power reserve
Functions
Hours & minutes, sweep chronograph minutes, regulator display, hours at 3 o´clock, sweep split-seconds hand
Subsidiary seconds (permanently running) at 9 o’clock
Hands
Steel hour, minute and second hands
Rose gold-plated split-seconds hand
Subsidiary seconds (permanently running) at 9 o’clock
Dial
Hand-skeletonized Sterling silver with original (!) Breguet frosted finish
Price
€197,500 Export without VAT / €235,000 incl. German VAT
