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Opening pages: The limited edition Extreme Dubai 2 – Sands of Time This page: The Benu Tourbillon in white gold (with its 25 to 35 minute mid-dial marker); the Atum GMT, new for 2019 Opposite: The Tefnut 1001 Nights
Across these collections, deft touches enhance heritage-aura timepieces – and each incorporates sumptuous surprises to be admired. For instance, the intuitive 24hour scale, with its own hand, that circles the dial of the newly released GMT; an intricate tourbillon on the Benu Tourbillon, which obscures the 25-35-minute marks – so the brand placed a mid-dial indicator in order to accurately chart that 10-minute span; the Tefnut Twist, where the mainspring is innovatively wound with a smooth turn of the watch strap. At a more micro level, all engraving is done by hand, not machine; the brand polishes between the teeth of the movement wheels (an industry rarity); for jewels, it uses white sapphires instead of rubies; even the screws are treated under the flame, to achieve a signature brown-violet colour. Then there’s the hands – an oftadmired detail among connoisseurs, and indicative of the brand’s attentive in-house craftsmanship. “In 80 percent of watches in the market, the hands are too short,” Hutter observes. Her company’s antidote to the issue (to the relief of more fastidious collectors) are perfectly shaped slivers that dip just above the minute increments, are heat-treated to achieve distinctive hues like cobalt blue and violet, then expertly polished. The latter alone is a six to eight hour process for one person, the CEO urges. Suffice to say, Moritz Grossmann focuses on perfecting its vocation, not high-volume production – and this process allows for passion projects. Its latest special edition, the commissioned Extreme Dubai 2, is far from being the brand’s first foray into the avant garde (or even into Arabesque aesthetics): the asymmetric Tefnut 1001 Nights deploys an artistic motif of a nocturnal sand dune landscape, with a moon shining above it – made from the finest mother-of-pearl, no less. 36
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Our classic line is imbued with heritage, while pieces like the Extreme Dubai represent our ‘haute couture’ abilities
The ‘2’ is an encore to 2018’s Extreme Dubai. Both were developed in partnership with the Sediqqi family – “a really nice relationship that comes from the heart”, enthuses Hutter. The second edition, limited to 18 pieces, has swept into an entirely different direction. Sand (the gritty, diametric enemy of delicate mechanics) was procured from all seven of the nation’s emirates, and each measure adds its own tint to the watchcase-confetti. “The Middle East region is really important for us,” explains Hutter – and when Moritz Grossmann embarked on its 2019 world tour (to unveil its newest additions at cosy, invite-only gatherings) they started not in London or Asia but in Dubai, with an afternoon at Cipriani. “Ladies watches have good traction here, and in general, watch aficionados in Dubai are adventurous with their purchases – which enables us to push the
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boat out with some more crazy pieces, and from here we get personalisation requests to put little insignias on the dial, for instance,” she elaborates. The company appeals to both audiences: its classic line is imbued with heritage, and then the Extreme Dubai 2 represents what Hutter deems “the haute couture abilities of Moritz Grossmann – stylistically venturing out from the normal lines to show what we are capable of.” To accompany its hardware, the company has also rolled out a new tagline: Schönstes Deutsches Handwerk. Translated, this means ‘the most beautiful German crafts’ – and in an era when the demands of time are more complicated than ever, the brand is evidence of the technicality that can be accomplished at a slower, more deliberate pace. As Grossmann himself might have said, simple yet mechanically perfect.