Zeitwinkel 181° Automatic watch with Small Seconds and Date

Zeitwinkel 181° features a modified classic three hand configuration, and is reminiscent of pocket watch designs. A hand for the hour and minute respectively, are complimented by a large, small-second display and a date display at the 3 o’ clock position.

This Zeitwinkel model is powered with a manufacture movement caliber Zeitwinkel ZW 0102. The movement perfectly fits the diameter of the watch, and made possible to install a perfectly positioned small-second and a far off-center, large date display. 72 hour running time (power reserve) and high precision time measurement ensure that a Zeitwinkel watch owner rarely needs to touch the winding crown.

With its small-second display, the Zeitwinkel 181° features a modified classic three-hand configuration. One hand each for the hours and the minutes gives you a quick view of the current time.

The large small-second allows the measurement of shorter periods. The length of the hands was coordinated precisely to the minute markers and the indices that are located at intervals of five minutes. The edges of both the two large hands and the indices always break incident light in such a manner that there is a high contrast with the dial, so that the time can be read clearly.

The display of the seconds self-assuredly takes its place at the “6” position without distracting the owner of the Zeitwinkel 181° from reading the time. Due to the large size of the ZW 0102 manufacture movement, the smaller variant of the date display can also be read well at any time. It reliably moves to the next day at exactly midnight; the date display only needs to be corrected in months with fewer than 31 days.

The crown of the Zeitwinkel 181° can be pulled out in several steps. Due to its easy-to-grip surface structure and the ample dimensions, the watch can be wound and the time can be set precisely. The date display is changed easily using a quick adjustment in the second position.

The Zeitwinkel ZW 0102 caliber is a mechanical manufacture movement with automatic winding. Developed by Zeitwinkel especially for watches from the first series, it is manufactured in small-quantity lots in Jura (Switzerland) with high precision machinery and the meticulous diligence. It is robust, accurate and versatile basic mechanism that can be equipped either with a sweep or a small-second and has a relatively large date display. The running time is 72 hours.

The movement has the formidable diameter of 30.4 mm, 30 bearing jewels and a total of 257 components, a frequency of 28,800 oscillations, a Glucydur balance and a robust three-quarter plate that plays a significant role in the mechanical stability of the movement. All plates and bridges are made of German silver.

This material is noticeably harder than the brass that is usually used and requires the greatest precision in its manufacture and ornamentation.ZW 0102 caliber is chamfered and hand-decorated. After thorough quality inspection and five-stage calibration, it is installed in-house and subjected to a running test that lasts several days.

Only when the measured accuracy lies within a strict tolerance range is the caliber ZW 0102 sent on its journey to a new owner together with its Zeitwinkel watch.

The case for the Zeitwinkel 181° was developed in precise accordance with the Zeitwinkel ZW 0102 caliber movement over a period of 14 months. It is constructed of 1.4435 steel alloy which, due to its high resistance to intercrystalline corrosion and non-oxidized acids, protects the valuable manufacture movement especially well. In addition, this alloy is especially well suited for products that are in continuous contact with the skin.

To attain interplay between polished surfaces and those with a matte structure, the casings are prefabricated using precision machinery at a traditional business in Germany and construction is then completed, primarily by hand. In this process, 26 parts are assembled in more than 80 individual steps for each case. The casing is water resistant up to a tested pressure of five bar due to the back cover, which is attached with six screws.

Despite a diameter of 42.5 mm and a height of 10.97 mm, the Zeitwinkel casing displays an elegant and well-proportioned appearance. The case’s unique design becomes immediately apparent the very first time you take a glance at the side of the watch.

In particular, the interplay of polished surfaces with strikingly structured, precisely worked areas provides a Zeitwinkel watch with its distinctive appearance. This clear-cut design is continued on the back, with its large window showing the movement, as well as in the design of the crown.

Sapphire crystal is used on both the front and back sides of the timepieces. Sapphire is extremely hard and scratch-resistant; as a result it is ideally suited for use in high-quality timepieces.

The convex lunette glass has a diameter of 35.4 mm. It has multiple anti-reflection coatings on the inside so that the hands do not reflect on the interior surface, and because a coating on the outside of the glass could wear down. The case back glass is flat and has an anti-reflection coating on the inside as well. As a result, the time can always be easily read, even under extreme lighting conditions.

Both crystal and back plate glass are tightly inserted into the casing of the Zeitwinkel watch using a complex sealing system, ensuring that the watch is sealed up to a pressure of 5 bar.

On the back, there is extraordinarily large (30.9 mm) window to match the manufacture movement, which also has the extraordinarily diameter of 30.4 mm. This allows you to admire the details of the hand decorated inner workings of your Zeitwinkel watch, instead of an industrial retainer ring.

Due to its 12 grooves and large diameter, the crown is very easy to grip. With its easy pull, the crown allows you to set all the functions of your watch and then disappears into a precisely sunken, space-saving notch.

Screwed-down crowns are often difficult to handle and must always be wound completely to ensure that the watch remains sealed. Zeitwinkel uses a multi-stage sealing system with dual O-rings, so that even if the crown is raised, water cannot enter the valuable inner workings of your Zeitwinkel watch.

Dial of Zeitwinkel 181° is a modification of the classic three-hand configuration, with hour and minute hands and a decentral, small-second hand. Instead of a sweep second hand, Zeitwinkel has milled out a so-called “small-second” in a finely structured area at the 6 o’ clock position.

Additionally, there is an integrated a date display at the 3 o’ clock position. The indexes set every five minutes and supplementing the minute markers, have the classic arrow shape and are coordinated precisely to the length of the hands.

With their beveled edges, they always form a strong contrast to the dial, and are thus easily visible in all lighting conditions. As with all Zeitwinkel watches, the model 181° is available with a choice of a black or silver-faced dial.

Hands are carefully balanced and produced in one of the best specialized manufactures in Switzerland, silver hour and minute hands and a blued second hand make their rounds.

Precisely coordinated to the indexes and the minute markers, they always make the time easy to read. Large hands are diamond cut to ensure the easy reading in varying lighting conditions. In turn, the second hand provides this contrast by utilizing a starkly different color than the background.

The second hand is fashioned to fit the especially large, small-second cutout in the face. In the black dial version, the second hand is silver. However the coating of any fluorescent compound on hands has omitted.

Technical details

Model: Zeitwinkel 181°

Functions
Displays hour, minute, small second & date

Case
Material: Stainless steel 316 L
Height: 11.7 mm
Diameter: 42.5 mm
Glass: Sapphire, convex & with anti-reflection on interior
Case back: Sapphire with anti-reflection on interior
Water resistance: 5 atm
Crown: Diam. 6.70 mm, bi-O-ring seal, 12 grooves

Dial
Galvanic black, Zeitwinkel logo background
Galvanic silver, Zeitwinkel logo background
Appliqués: facetted & diamond-worked
Hands: Facetted & diamond-worked

Movement
Caliber ZW0102
Manufacturer: Zeitwinkel Montres S.A., CH St-Imier
Functions: Automatic, Small second, Balance stop, Quick date setting
Diameter: 13½ lines, 30.40 mm
Height: 5.70 mm
Winding: Rotor, bidirectional winding
Running autonomy: >72 h
Bridge and plate material: German silver
Bearing: jewels 28
Balance: Glucydur
-Spiral: Straumann
-Frequency: (4Hz) 28,800 alternations/hour
-Impact resistance: Incabloc
Adjustment: Regulated in five stages

Decoration
-Screws chamfered and polished
-¾ plate and balance cock with Geneva stripes (Côtes de Genève)
-Pearlage on interior surfaces of plates and bridges
-Lining on wheel bridge and rotor
-Edges of ¾ plate and bridges
-Chamfered and polished

Strap
Brown or black leather hand-sewn calfskin leather strap with flawless Louisiana alligator structure
Real Louisiana alligator full cut if desired
Black rubber strap
Width: 20 mm

Clasp
Leather strap: Folding clasp with Zeitwinkel engraving
Rubber strap: Folding clasp with applied logo