Erwin Sattler Opus Moon Tourbillon: A large-format watchmaking masterpiece

Posted by lifata on March 11th, 2024

This timepiece is an impressive, puristically designed table clock. The oeuvre measures 35 cm in height. Its width is 25 and depth is 14 centimeters. This means that the impressive timepiece, which weighs 12 kilograms, also fits on a spacious executive desk. It will also be a real feast for the eyes in the living room.

The solid stainless steel frame with highly polished strips supports a container made of mineral glass. The latter protects the hand-wound caliber 1399-5, which was of course manufactured in-house in Gräfelfing near Munich. The elevator is carried out using a key that Erwin Sattler supplies in a separate case. The fully wound mainspring provides power for 15 days of uninterrupted function.

After the torque of the Opus Moon Tourbillon's energy storage device continually decreases over the weeks, the company installs a device for constant power flow. What is meant is the tried and tested system with a screw. Watchmakers used the same thing, for example, in the movements of marine chronometers, which had to keep the time particularly precisely on the high seas. The physical lever laws produce the desired uniform tension spring torque. Longer levers are known to require less effort than shorter ones.

In return, however, the path grows. In clockworks, said leverage comes from a three-dimensional snail. The initially largest spring force acts on the smallest handle. A continuously increasing screw diameter compensates for the decreasing torque. A chain traditionally served as a link between the energy storage and the snail at the beginning of the actual gear train.

However, Erwin Sattler uses a highly resilient steel cable. This ensemble helps ensure that the driving force stored in the opulent barrel for the tourbillon visible on the front remains largely constant.

Speaking of the tourbillon: it is mounted on the fly. This means that no front bearing bridge interferes with observing the rotation. The tourbillon can fully develop its performance in table clocks with a vertically arranged platform. It was invented more than 200 years ago to compensate for the negative influences of gravity on the precision of pocket fake watches, which are usually worn vertically.

As watchmakers learn during their training, the center of gravity of the balance wheel and balance spring should be in the center of the balance shaft. Only in this case gravity cannot have any influence on the gear. This ideal situation can be achieved with a lot of effort. However, the tourbillon counteracts the fact that it only lasts for a limited period of time.

As a rule, the cage rotates around its axis once every minute. As a result, the oscillation and escapement system built into it constantly rotates in circles. This creates a kind of zero-sum game. The watch replicas uk advances by 30 seconds, lags by the same value for another 30 seconds, etc. Of course, the tourbillon is not a panacea. But with this opus by Erwin Sattler, its effect can be seen in the gait performance. It only goes wrong for about five seconds a day.

Apart from that, the entire hand-wound movement is a real eye-catcher. Solid boards, carefully crafted gears, drives and levers speak for themselves. 18 precision ball bearings and eleven functional stones are installed.

The anodized rectangular dial with its applied indices of the Erwin Sattler Open Moon Tourbillon consists of 15 components. The tourbillon (we have presented the different types of tourbillons here on Uhrenkosmos) rotates its pirouettes in the center of a funnel. It has a blue second hand on the front. Twelve small brilliant-cut diamonds serve as indexes.

There is a moon phase indication in the “south” of the dial. The surface of the ball is hand painted. Precision is also very important here. Only after 120 years does this display require manual correction by one day. Here too the funnel carries a dozen diamonds. Both funnels are surrounded by hand-guilloched rings. Hours and minutes represent centrally arranged hands.

Anyone who looks through the glass on the right side at the clockwork. Finally, you will also discover a power reserve display there. It provides information about when it is time to re-tension the mainspring.

Another additional function finally becomes noticeable acoustically. By gently striking a bronze bell positioned at the back, a small hammer discreetly lets you know that a full hour has passed.

The Munich watchmaker offers a total of 66 pieces of the Erwin Sattler Opus Moon Tourbillon in two versions - a purist version and a bicolor version. In the latter, the frames around the dial and rings are gold-plated. Which one you like better is a question of personal taste, which cannot be debated.