Friends, Some of you may have realized that my main collection
focus is JLC, followed with some distance by Rolex, then GP.
But after some years I have developed a rising interest in some Independents.
and several times new avenues have been opened.
This time here I just wanted to share the little story of my newest baby, which happens
to be a single watch product, just focusing on the essentials of a watch and n a
reductionist approach.
A watch that is truly very eclectic, almost puristic, yet also renders two complications,
a yearly innovative calendar, plus a Chronograph.
- It is the so called MIH - watch. For those of you deeper interested here the web-lnk
(http://www.mih-watch.ch). For those only interested in the watch pucs, pls see below !
How did it happen
?
When I was looking around for a cool, unobtrusive calendar watch,
exploring some brands, I soon was attracted by this pretty unusual watch,
not coming out of a manufacture but being the result of a unique cooperation
of a visionary developer, a designer and a Master watchmaker, whose atelier and
workplace did prototyping but also does all production still currently.
The developer is Ludwig Oechslin, genial watch guru, curator
of the International Horological Museum ( in La Chaux-de-Fonds),
secondly the Swiss designer Christoph Gafner and the Swiss Master watchmaker
Paul Gerber in Zurich, marketed by the Lucerne juweller & watch store Embassy.
Thus, several weeks ago, by last week in June It could be picked
directly in Switzerland; important to note, that in fact one can only order it
through either the MIH or the jeweller & exclusive watch AD of Embassy,
with stores either in Luzern or in St Moritz.
Thus, the timepiece, I am referring to, is the MIH (Musèe International d’Horlogerie).
It is a watch stripped to a really cool minimum : a two-handed black dial,
with white hands, for maximum contrast, featuring a yearly calendar with
indications of weekday, date and month. (One of the main design features
is the fact that the movement only consists of 9 parts).
The special additional feature is a monopusher Chronograph, moving a red
tipped hand, indicated by one seconds hand, whereby the minute 30 mins counter is
displayed through a backside small bullseye window, which also lets one see the
minirotor of the automatic watch.
Thus the eye would not see the Chrono minute-counter, when wearing the watch; hence
a feature hidden to the exclusive sight & pleasure of the connoisseur owner..
A final but important feature is the very reduced, puristic case, all in brushed Titanium and a
dimension & appeal that is a bit bold, but with lots of cool charm, and a screwed in, 12-edged crown.
The watch comes on a great rubber strap, rendering also a solid Titanium pin buckle, with backside
engravings of Meridian & latitude of the Museè MIH.
So now, some shots:
- first of the pickup in St Moritz, in its „box“, which is nothing more,
than an issue of the Neue Zuercher newspaper, again sort of minimalistic.
then some early shots from the first weeks of use.
A which I enjoyed from the first moment on; simply loving the under-the radar
and in a way puristic appeal. Also the lume ( Superluminova) at night is great & very well legible.
Just picked it up in the Ober-Engadin
A very special "treasure- wrap" - The Neue Zuercher of the very day
And now here some more:
Puristic coolness
Titanium case, Monopusher profile
The backside with Chrono counter & rotor
Titanium bckle with meridian & latitude
Final collage - Welcome to my stable, dear MIH !
Hope you liked a bit this puristic gear for a Purist !
I do.. a lot !!
Cheers, hs
