Taking a Closer Look at the Superb Moritz Grossmann Universalzeit

Today we’ll be looking at the latest creation of a high-end watchmaker from Germany, Moritz Grossmann. This watch, the all-new and rather stunning Universalzeit, is a watch that we’ve already explained to you in a written story here. But the Moritz Grossmann Universalzeit is also a fairly complex model, a watch that is all about Universal Time functions and mixes it with proper high-end watchmaking and bold design. There’s no hiding the Universalzeit’s intentions, as both the name and the dial reveal what it’s all about. It is the first model coming from Moritz Grossmann entirely dedicated to travelling across multiple time zones, and one with a clever display and practicality. And since it’s not the easiest watch to understand, without seeing it in action, we decided that a video review would be the best option in order for you to get all the details about the Universalzeit.

The Moritz Grossmann Universalzeit isn’t your typical traveller’s watch. It doesn’t qualify as a traditional GMT watch, since it doesn’t feature the classic additional 24h hand in the middle of its dial. As per the world time qualification, we could say the same, as it doesn’t come with a classic world map framed by a city ring either. Moritz Grossmann went its own way and delivers a watch that is nothing else on the market. Atypical, rather bold looking, superbly finished (as you can expect from MG) and with a display that is unique.

In addition to the details we gave in the written article here, we thought that, due to the pretty special display of the Universalzeit, a video would be helpful to understand how this watch works. There are indeed multiple things that aren’t traditional on this watch, starting with the typical Moritz Grossmann crown/pusher. In the crown’s natural position, you can wind the movement but not set it. To do that, you simply pull out and release the crown, which immediately returns to its normal position. In doing so, you disengage the winding system and engage the setting system. You can now set the time accordingly, and release the movement by pressing on the little pusher. This system keeps unwanted dust or water out of the case.

Then comes the display itself and the traveller’s function, starting with the crown at 10 o’clock. This is used to independently move the central hour hand in one-hour increments, forward or backward depending on how you rotate the crown. Then is the dial, with landmasses and white meridians, as well as apertures, from left to right, where you can see the hour in Phoenix, Rio de Janeiro, Cape Town, Dubai, Singapore and Tokyo. Central, or local time, is indicated with hand-made hour, minute and seconds hands. The way the watch is set is first to change it to the exact hour of a specific time zone and then adjust the central hour hand accordingly. Then, through the pusher at 10  o’clock, you adjust the hour hand to whatever is needed. Now, the two will be aligned. If you cross over a meridian into another time zone, you can again use the pusher to correct for local time, in both directions.

The caseback reveals the superb in-house Calibre 100.7, a hand-wound movement finished with great care. But more than words, we invite you to take a look at the video on top of this article, as it not only gives some details on the functionalities of the Moritz Grossmann Universalzeit but also will provide a deeper look at every single detail of this watch.

For more details and orders, please visit the brand’s online boutique here.