Not all images were able to load for printing. Please close the print window and try again. The Mesmerizing New Versions of the Henri Grandjean Magician
The mysterious 3D tourbillon now offered in a sapphire crystal or ornately engraved rose gold case.
At the start of the year, an illustrious historic name returned to the world of watchmaking: Henri Grandjean. Once renowned for its highly precise chronometers and intricate pocket watches, Henri Grandjean was a master watchmaker from Le Locle, Switzerland. His work is on display in some of the best watchmaking museums around the world, including the Patek Philippe Museum and the Musée d’Horlogerie du Locle – Chateau des Monts, which even has a section dedicated to his work. Complications were no rarity in Grandjean’s watches, and the revived name certainly doesn’t disappoint. On the contrary, even as it pushes a well-known complication into a new and quite frankly magical dimension: the triple-axis tourbillon! A rarity in itself, the aptly named Magician suspends the spherical whirlwind in mid-air, with no connection between it and the rest of the movement. Or so it seems…
The return of the Henri Grandjean name was made with a watch called The Magician, which seems like a perfect way to describe it. And where normally we would now start detailing the case, materials, dimensions and so on, you’ll have to be patient on that as we’ll first take a look at The Magician’s party-piece, its biggest act of mystery and illusion: the floating triple-axis tourbillon!
A tourbillon in itself is already a mesmerising thing to witness, and it’s of course invented to counteract the effect of gravity on an escapement. A double, and even more so a triple-axis tourbillon, ups the ante even more by also balancing out gravitational forces on a second and third axis. So instead of an escapement mounted in one cage that rotates around its own axis, it is now suspended in three cages that rotate on varying axes and at various speeds.
That’s already quite a feat, but the tourbillon in the Henri Grandjean Magician takes things one step further. Its unique feature is that it seems like there is no mechanical connection between the triple-axis tourbillon and the rest of the movement. No gears, no wheels, nothing. In fact, the Magician uses a set of superimposed transparent discs to create a trompe-l‘oeil effect, an optical illusion and set its hypnotic floating tourbillon in motion. One transmits the motion from the gear train while the other incorporates the fixed toothing. This stationary ring gear interacts with a pinion on the rotating tourbillon cage to set it in motion. As the cage rotates, it rolls along the fixed gear, keeping its rotation rate controlled.
The three cages of The Magician’s tourbillon escapement rotate at the speeds of 10 seconds, 18 seconds and 60 seconds respectively. And not only that, but the construction also differs from conventional multi-axis tourbillons, if ever there is such a thing as a conventional multi-axis tourbillon, by its materials. The first, second and third cages are constructed out of magnesium, titanium and a mix of titanium and steel. The entire movement, with the classic exceptions of jewels and main- and hairspring, is machined in-house in the brand’s atelier in Noiraigue, near Neuchâtel. Traditional decorations include Geneva stripes, bevelled edges, polished screws, plated wheels and hands and so on.
But, there’s also a far more decorative route to travel, as the case, as well as the mainplate and bridges, can be fully engraved upon request. With the spherical sorcery dominating the left side of the case, the watch’s time-telling functionality is pushed to the right. The offset dial can come in a range of materials yet again, with the first examples using rose gold, black onyx, aventurine and so on. A multi-part gear in the centre of this dial features a white index on one of the spokes of the 31-tooth date wheel to indicate the date. Last but not least, just above the dial, there’s a poetic day-night indicator, with a decorated sun or moon showing you if you’re in the AMs or PMs as you go along your day.
This impressive assembly is housed in a 45mm-wide, 16mm-thick case, available in a variety of materials and enhanced by an array of decorative finishes. At the debut of The Magician, Henri Grandjean introduced it in titanium, rose gold, and fully engraved rose gold—yet it felt only a matter of time before the brand expanded on these initial interpretations. Now that we’ve covered the essentials of the mechanics and functions, let’s turn to the novelties.
The Magician Patiala
As mentioned, the initial launch of The Magician came in titanium or rose gold. The Magician’s realm is now expanded with the Patiala. This uses a full rose gold case with an ornate engraving depicting a Bengal tiger set in dense foliage, and architectural decorations inspired by the gates of the famous Taj Mahal in India.
The inspiration comes from a minute repeater watch Henri Grandjean once made for the Maharaja of Patiala, which was to be gifted to King Edward the seventh. This special edition comes with a black onyx ring for the dial, a mainplate decorated with a floral pattern and a black alligator leather strap with a rose gold pin buckle. The Magician Patiala retails for CHF 580,000.
Sapphire cases with the Magician AtriVm
To make things even more special, Henri Grandjean further explores the realm of transparency with the new Atrivm available in blue or transparent Sapphire. As its name suggests, it comes with a sapphire crystal case that reveals even more of The Magician’s intricacy than the original editions already did. With virtually nothing obstructing your view of the mysterious triple-axis tourbillon system and the rest of the movement, it’s an even more beguiling take on the concept. In sapphire watches, the profile often reveals little more than a stacked view of the mainplate, bridges, and various components. Here, however, things are different, with a rather captivating three-dimensional perspective.
The name Atrivm stems from architecture and refers to a large open volume in a building, often covered by a skylight. A common feature in ancient Roman construction, an atrivm provides a touch of airiness and ventilation to a space, visual or otherwise, by letting in natural light. For the Magician Atrivm, this is translated to a striking blue or transparent sapphire crystal exterior. The Atrivm’s movement is decorated with a more classical mix of techniques and is worn on an alligator leather strap. The price for the Magician Atrivm is set at CHF 900,000, and production is highly limited, as you can imagine!
For more information, please visit Henri-Grandjean.com.
1 response
As with a lot, if not most, of the swiss watch industry and their brands, new and old, the appeal to jump onto the bandwagon, so to speak, for what seems like a gold mine for an avaricious money making grab on the backs of consumers, and the increasingly narrowing niche to only the wealthy, has brought all sorts of those looking for an easy money making scheme so they can buy themselves palatial estates. With the chinese increasingly upping the quality of their work and manufacturing capabilities, their watch industry may begin to offer an alternative to the corrupt and broken swiss watch industry, if countries don’t take on a protectionist stance by inhibiting a “free market” function with outrageous tariffs that have been enacted on other chinese industry manufacturers, such as their automakers. While I haven’t considered myself a propagandist for chinese products in the past, the swiss watch industry deserves the competition, given their avarice and arrogance towards consumers, including enthusiasts and collectors.