Independents
AndrewD's article offers a captivating glimpse into the world of independent watchmaker Paul Gerber, renowned as the 'master of miniaturization.' This piece is essential for understanding Gerber's unique approach to horology, from his early work on miniature clocks to his innovative P10 and Model 42 watches, showcasing his distinct blend of tradition and ingenuity.
[In this series of vignettes I will highlight a few of the key points that the independent watchmakers made during their presentations on Day 3 (June 1) of the IGOTT. Some are direct quotes that tickled my fancy, and others give you an insight into the watches presented.]
Paul Gerber
Introduced by MTF as: "the master of miniaturisation."
Started working for himself in 1976 making miniature clocks, restoring pieces for auction houses and building watches for friends.
Paul has worked for many companies and on many projects, most of which cannot be openly discussed. The Glashütte Original Flying Tourbillon is an example that can be mentioned.
The P10 watch is based on his ETA Cal. 42. "I thought to myself: what can I make special. I tried to make the dial something different. I engraved the dial with my own design."
"1 of 10" is engraved on the movement. Blued screws. Perlage. Salmon leather strap to match the titanium case. Black superluminova.
"I think it's a watch for everyday."
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Paul, his wife Ruth, and Michel Schmutz, US Importer and long time friend ...
Several PuristS were wearing their Paul Gerber watches at IGOTT2, so these images are a mixture of watches that Paul was displaying, and those already owned. I had the pleasure of trying on several ... The Retro Twin (Ref. 157) was introduced in 2001. It features Pauls' patented double oscillating synchronous platinum rotors and retrograde seconds hand. Contrasting with my 34mm Omega Constellation ... Lovely depth in the movement, and the finish on the plates and rotors, and the blued screws, re
Still can't get over what great pictures you managed to take of these watches so quickly in poor conditions. Thanks again - you don't often see Paul's watches - and it's great to see a moment like this documented! - Greg
The Retro Twin is definitely my favourite. Love the simple and elegant dial. Thanks for the great post, Andrew.
This is a very special watch, but at first glance only the spherical moon (measuring 6mm in diameter) gives it away. Inside beats the Cal. 33 in-house movement with Paul's own unidirectional impulse escapement. There is a large screwed balance wheel, screwed chatons and 18K rose gold gearing. Th Model 33 was introduced in 2004 and was the first to use a spherical moonphase.The moon is made of blue lapis lazuli and half the sphere is covered in (54) diamonds. The moon is visible from the rear of
The 42mm steel-cased Model 41 was on display with switchable, alternating continuous and dead seconds displays controlled by the button at 2 o'clock. This wach has a 100 hour in-house automatic movement with Paul's triple-rotor system. Andrew
Here is a video of the Paul Gerber Model 41 with alternating seconds ...
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