Grieb & Benzinger new The Blue Sensation

[Airangel]

The Blue Sensation, a unique masterpiece, based on a historic PATEK PHILIPPE for TIFFANY movement

Hermann Grieb, watchmaking genius and one of the three partners of GRIEB & BENZINGER, has yet again 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. GRIEB & BENZINGER is specialized in complications such as minute repeaters, however due to the high demand for special chronographs, the German workshop specialized in high-end collector's pieces has created a new unique piece in solid platinum based on a historical Patek Philippe split-seconds chronograph movement.

 

GRIEB & BENZINGER presents The Blue Sensation, another unique masterpiece based on a historic PATEK PHILIPPE for TIFFANY movement

GRIEB & BENZINGER is used to doing restoration and modification on minute repeaters that are generally considered horological masterpieces. 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—a unique piece sure to soon find a home on the wrist of a connoisseur who is only too happy to pay the 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.
GRIEB & BENZINGER Unique Timepiece

 

The Blue Sensation : a Split-Seconds Skeleton Regulator Chronograph in Solid Platinum.

 

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

 

Movement 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

 

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

 

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 VA T

[Airangel]

[Airangel]

[Andrea 65]

Il retro è stupefacente, l'avanti un po' incasinato...pero' 49 mm è quasi una padella!!!

[fabri5.5]

sempre lavori potenti questa piccola realtà.
il diametro è molto grande perchè il movimento è per un orologio da tasca,
è loro abitudine riesumare calibri veramente antichi e alloggiarli in orologi da polso.

[topdown]

concordo con andrea. il retro è proprio bello ma il quadrante scheletrato è molto incasinato...x non parlare delle dimensioni un po esagerate...

[Patrizio]

per me è un po' piccolo...

[fabri5.5]

l'orologio è si grosso ma non è dovuto come spesso accade
per far moda,
qui il calibro è veramente grande,
l'unica alternativa era reincassarlo in un orologio da tasca.

[Airangel]

poi è un pezzo unico.....