Ornatus-Mundi
[Zenith]
7136
The Academia Collection...
NOVELTIES:
- Academia Mirabilis
- Academia Tourbillon Impérial
Academia Mirabilis
The Academia Mirabilis might appear as one of the many watches with (partly) open-worked dials.
However, on the second view it reveals all its magic:
“The Academia Mirabilis reveals a part of its secrets at the end of the day when the noise and stress give way to silence and peace. Like a night flower that opens at dusk, the subtly designed open-work between 7 and 12 draws the eye into the heart of this watch. The delicacy of the gears, the finely sanded surface of the bottom plate and the hand-finished details all evoke a bed of vibrant, fragile flowers.” (Press Kit)
It has a very philosophical approach to watch design. Precisely telling the time when it is needed, revealing its vivid (-> escapement window!) and more relaxed facets in respect to chronometry once the work day has come to a close:
The movement is a new Concepto calibre finished with a grey frosted treatment and a signature gold rotor with DeWitt logo. Its power reserve is 48h.
This is a very beautiful watch, it looks good (24h/7days – office or beach) on a connoisseurs wrist. It is subtle and bold, special but not too extroverted … all at the same time. Those watch “sucks” you in, because you start to look at the details of the case, the dial and the hands … until your view catches the “whole”. Now you want to look inside … ☺ Especially when the regular business day is over, there is no need for the exact time and so you can enjoy the view inside – kind of romance comes to mind.
The combination of red gold and Neotitanium fits just perfect. It is 44mm, but not very heavy. It fits under a (business) shirt and looks good even on smaller wrists like Oliver’s:
Academia Tourbillon Impérial
This is what other manufactures would proudly present as ‘Grande Complication’, a tourbillon with split-seconds chronograph and a calendar complication, in this case date and moon phase.
The watch follows Mr de Witt’s romantic idea of placing the passing of time side by side to the counting, the one is perpetual and out of reach and not to be influenced; the other being at your mercy and only waiting to be suspended at will.
The bottom part of the dial is reserved for the chronograph counters, the moon phase and the date, …
… whereas the top is designed for the residence of the ‘guiding light’, a tourbillon set into a sapphire disk engraved with sun rays. This pattern given an additional radiating effect to the tourbillon’s movements:
On the backside you see a movement almost entirely crafted in gold (black gold for the movement and rose gold for the balance and the wheels). It’s again driven by a Concepto movement constructed after a well-known historical masterpiece. Please take note, that the engraving shown is not the final one – prototype only. It will be much more 3D!
It is surprisingly easy to wear:
