2_1_DiscoverGermany_March2014_Issue12:Scan Magazine 1
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Discover Germany | Special Theme | Made in Austria
Timeless timepieces made in Austria Watches are not only instruments to measure the time but also complex constructions – especially when they work with mechanic clockworks. Tiny gear wheels which fit into one another with minute precision are the motor of these watches – quartz or electronic components are nowhere in sight. Montre Exacte, situated in Austria, manufactures classic clockwork for watches with a modern style. TEXT: JESSICA HOLZHAUSEN | PHOTOS: PRESS IMAGES
cation at the technical college for clockand watchmakers in Karlstein. Upon graduating, he worked in Switzerland for the high-end watch manufacturer Audemars Piquet in Le Brassus.
Christian Umscheid founded Montre Exacte in 2011 to manufacture precise watches for the Haute Horlogerie, mechanic timepieces combining elegant vintage glamour with a classic and contemporary design. As they manufacture exactly according to clients wishes, Montre Exacte develops, manufactures and montages clockwork and watchcases. Founded in Herrenbaumgarten, the company recently moved to Poysdorf where Umscheid took over an old post office building.
Umscheid’s atelier today is akin to a high security laboratory. The well-lit room must be free of any dust when the small pieces that constitute the clockwork are put together: miniature screws, spirals as thin as human hair, pinions and bridges bring a watch to life.
Becoming a watchmaker and opening his own atelier was a dream come true for Christian Umscheid. Even as a little boy he had been fascinated by the whys and hows of clocks. He soon began dismantling clocks and watches, so it came as no surprise to his parents that he decided to become a watchmaker, completing his edu-
In May 2014 the first original Montre Exacte watches, having only existed as digital drafts until now, will come onto the market for the first time.The company’s aim for the future is to manufacture about 100 watches a year – a small and exclusive number for everyone who likes special and handmade timepieces.
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The first series contains six watch designs and has a special clue: They are called Vierteluhr or quarter-watches and have a small extra time scale that measures the hour circle in quarters, every 15 seconds the small clock-hand moves forward.The watches are modelled after a traditional Lower Austrian Stadltor and use typical material from the wine region such as Gradlstoff, a heavy cotton cloth used for a vintner’s apron. www.montre-exacte.at