Grönefeld Unveils the 1941 Quadrivium, The Brother’s new Remontoire Tourbillon Watch

Grönefeld, the Dutch independent watchmaking atelier created by Tim and Bart Grönefled, a.k.a. The Horological Brothers, should need little introduction by now. The duo gained recognition from their peers and collectors with their GTM-06, One Hertz and Parallax Tourbillon models, all celebrated watches that introduced several signature design elements and functions, such as movements with radial steel bridges, jumping seconds and layered dials. A key moment for the Grönefleds was the launch of the 1941 Remontoire, a watch that is still today the foundation for all current watches produced by the Brothers. And now, using this base, Grönefeld presents their most ambitious watch to date, the 1941 Quadrivium, combining a 7.5-second remontoire, a one-minute flying tourbillon, and central jumping seconds in an impressive in-house movement. 

As its name suggests, the 1941 Quadrivium is the newest member of the 1941 family of watches, a success story that started in 2016 with the launch of the 1941 Remontoire. While its design has now become a classic for the Horological Brothers, functions have been added or removed to create several other models: the automatic time-only 1941 Principia, the Decennium Tourbillon, and the 1941 Grönograaf. This design, characterised by its fluid lines and concave bezel and lug profiles, as well as sculpted casebands, is now home to a new movement with several tricks up its sleeve.

Shared with the Remontoire, Principia, Decennium and Grönograaf, the case of the new Grönefeld 1941 Quadrivium is available in two of the densest metals, tantalum and platinum. It measures a reasonable 40mm diameter with an equally modest thickness of 11.30mm, making it sleek on the wrist – but considering the chosen alloys, a certain heft is to be expected. Sapphire crystals are found on both sides, and the polished case is finished with the brand’s classic conical crown.

The dial is a classic of the Brothers’ production, playing on layers and contrasts of materials. The base is a finely frosted main surface, here presented in a soft champagne tone, even though the brand indicates that five different base colours will be available (to be announced later on the brand’s website). All elements of the display and mechanism are separately highlighted by hand-bevelled stainless steel accents. The face of the 1941 Quadrivium includes an off-centred dial for the hours and minutes between 12 and 3 o’clock, paired with polished, multi-faceted white gold hour markers and traditional blued steel hands. Next to it, on the upper left section, is a power reserve indicator, again with a blued steel hand, and two cartouches on the lower part of the dial with the number of the watch and the mention “remontoire tourbillon.”

And this brings us to the three most important elements of the dial. First, the large, slightly raised flying tourbillon at 6 o’clock, with its hand-finished, three-spoke stainless steel cage. The latter is equipped with a smooth tourbillon stop at the 60-second position, acting as a zero-reset function. The 9 o’clock position is home to a familiar element, which was central in the 1941 Remontoire: the exposed governor of the constant force device, which rotates once every 7.5 seconds, visually revealing the operation of the remontoire and how it brings a constant torque to the tourbillon. Finally, at the centre of the dial is a large seconds hand linked to a jumping motion (so-called deadbeat seconds or seconde morte), adding to the chronometric feeling and classical scholarship from which the name Quadrivium originates.

Turning the watch over reveals a movement with familiar decoration, as well as an architecture that has been built upon the foundations of the 1941 Principia and the 1941 Remontoire. This new calibre comprises 49 jewels and 473 components, including concentric twin barrels connected in series, rated for a power reserve of 50 hours, but mostly created to deliver smoother torque to the remontoire and the tourbillon regulator. A small technical reminder: a remontoire is a constant-force mechanism, with a small spring that is charged and subsequently releases its energy to the escapement, always in the same proportions, avoiding the unwanted effect of the decreasing torque of a mainspring. Also, the remontoire is here releasing its energy every 7.5 seconds (very often remontoire do it every second) and is linked to a governor (on the dial side), used to prevent shocks from the remontoire to the gear train when the energy is delivered.

As with most recent movements by the Grönefelds, this calibre is articulated around triangular bridges (mimicking old Dutch houses) at the periphery, with a long transversal bridge in the middle, large rubies inserted in gold chatons and double-spoke wheels. The decoration is both technical, modern and yet traditional, with steel finger-like bridges executed by hand, including dark-coated, micro-blasted recessed parts, bas-relief engravings, polished anglages, black polished steel parts and the undeniable sharpness of the execution that you’d expect from Grönefeld.

Availability & Price

The Grönefeld 1941 Quadrivium Premiere Edition in tantalum, paired with a leather strap and a tantalum buckle, is limited to 28 pieces, with the first deliveries scheduled to commence in 2027. This edition is priced at EUR 280,000 (excl. taxes). A further limited run of 28 pieces in platinum is also scheduled, this time priced at EUR 310,000 (excl. taxes).

For more details, please visit www.gronefeld.com.