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Just in: Christian van der Klaauw Satellite du Monde

 

I just opened a FedEx box from Bonhams auction house containing this lovely watch. Its my first AHCI piece. I am a sucker for a world timer! It was the first Klaauw complication back in 1996 though this one is from a later reissue series.



The case is incredibly heavy even compared to my other 18k watches. But it is quite comfortable to wear thanks to the scroll lugs and the strap is in perfect condition. The case reminds me quite a lot of a Speake-Marin: I wonder if Klaauw sourced it from the same supplier!



This unusual complication shows the position of the moon as well as day and night. As you would expect, the sun rotates once every 24 hours, but the moon “chases” the sun around the dial, moving relative to its position in the sky! It appears that it was even calibrated to my time zone (US East Coast).



I’m going to have to send it off for service soon, since I don’t know the last time it was looked at. Also, you can see that one of the screws is missing from the back which makes me wonder about that last service! And I think that there is supposed to be some kind of quickset for the moon position since second crown position doesn’t appear to do anything. I am planning to send it to RGM since I trust their work.



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