Zeitwinkel: German Name, Swiss Heart

KIH · 2014-12-04T07:30:50Z

Explore Zeitwinkel's Swiss-made identity, proprietary movements, and unique watchmaking philosophy. This article details the brand's in-house production and commitment to reliability.

KIH

WPS member · Horological Meandering forum

15 replies5990 views0 photos

KIH's insightful post delves into Zeitwinkel, a brand often mistaken for German due to its name, revealing its true Swiss-made identity and unique philosophy. This article explores the brand's commitment to reliability, durability, and functionality, highlighting its distinct approach to watchmaking that prioritizes substance over fleeting trends. KIH's report from a special reception in Japan sheds light on Zeitwinkel's meticulous in-house production and assembly process.

ZEITWINKEL - sounds like Germany and many of you must have heard of the brand name. I, too, had known the brand only by name and also thought that it was (yet) another new small German Brand. Boy was I wrong.

There was a small reception of the brand where the "truth" about ZEITWINKEL was discussed (first time for many there) and the impression, perception of the brand completely changed.

First of all, although many already know, let me briefly touch on the summary of the brand:

- Founded in 2006, by Ivica Maksimovic and Peter Nikolaus.

- Philosophy: "Watch for Life" - all come down to reliability, durability, and functionality. Won't rely on the "glamourous" ads and one after another similar "novelties". "Sincere" watchmaking by those two founders aim to be the watch brand with timeless and high quality models.

- Real Swiss Made: Components made in Switzerland except for the case, which is made in Germany. Movement and watch 100% assembled at the ZEITWINKEL atelier in St. Imie at the Swiss Jura.

- Watch design: By Jean Francois Ruchonnet, a Geneva local en.wikipedia.org t

- Movement design and R&D: Collaboration between the highest quality engineers and well reputed designer.

- Prototype: Made and tested at the Atelier

- Components: All the parts are made in Switzerland (except for the case, which is made in Germany)

- Hands and dial: Made by one of the suppliers based on the ZEITWINKEL construction data exclusively for ZEITWINKEL

- Assembly and Quality Control: Conducted all at the Atelier.

- The head of ZEITWINKEL branch office - Japan is employed by ZEITWINKEL head office in Swiss and not seconded to "Japan subsidiary". And, of course, in order to operate globally, the local service center is needed as well. They have entered into the contract with one of the well known independent watch servicing companies and now they have it. Almost all can be done locally and that is very assuring, in comparison to having your beloved watch shipped to Swiss and miss it for 6 months.

Now on to the event report and the watches.

Held at one of the oldest retailer in Japan (135 years old) in Ginza - Tenshodo.

On the left is Mr. Suzuki, Chronos Japan, and on the right is Mr. Fukushima, head of branch office - ZEITWINKEL Japan.

Was showing the video made by ZEITWINKEL.

The actual video (ENG version) is here:

What "ZEITWINKEL" means and represents.

Design - by Jean Francois Ruchonnet: Based on German Style.

AND! Uses GERMAN SILVER for the chamfered base plate as well as the bridges.

Gear material is "Copper Beryllium" for its hardness and anti-magnetic character.

Also cote de Geneve.

They don't short cut - perlage everywhere, of course including where people can't see.

Interesting movement design here is - the regulator pin is located beneath the bridge for the balance wheel.

Details of the movement of ZW0102/0103, small second version.

ZW0102 - Perlage under the dial, too.

ZW0103 Patented Large Date mechanism.

Mr. Sato, from the ZEITWINKEL Japan service center.

... showing the process of dessembling. Here, showing one of the bridge, surface side.

... and the other side which we cannot see, has (my apologies for poor quality photo) full of perlage.

Here is another shot of the "hidden" perlage.

The 3/4 plate, which is typical for German watches.

ZEITWINKEL 312", caliber ZW0102

42mm

But, they have 39mm version, too (ZEITWINKEL 081")

ZEITWINKEL 273", cal. ZW0103

42.5mm

One of the owner's actual one.... very nice....

I am not sure how much I could convey about how good watches they make, at very reasonable prices. At this time of inflation in the whole industry, this is really "bang for the buck" brand, which most importantly intends to make the "watch for life" and servicing system is local.

A great find, I believe, and I will keep an eye on this brand going forward.

Thank you:

Mr. Fukushima, head of ZEITWINKEL Japan

Mr. Suzuki, for moderation

.. and Tenshodo for the venue and hospitality of the staff.

Best,

Ken

This message has been edited by KIH on 2014-12-04 07:28:58 This message has been edited by KIH on 2014-12-04 07:36:36

Key Points from the Discussion

Zeitwinkel exclusively uses proprietary movements made from German Silver, not based on or sourced from other manufacturers like ETA. They design and produce their components and assemble them in their atelier.
The brand's focus on in-house movement design and manufacturing is a key differentiator, with all parts (except the German-made case) produced in Switzerland and assembled at their St. Imier atelier.
A collector expressed curiosity about whether Zeitwinkel builds calibers from base movements or ebauches, or if they assemble components ground-up from non-ETA vendors.
The ZW081, a 39mm model, is particularly favored for its simplicity, with its case and lugs drawing a resemblance to Girard-Perregaux designs.
While the watches offer significant value with high movement and finishing quality, some find their aesthetic a bit 'cold' despite appreciating the craftsmanship.
Zeitwinkel has a dedicated following in Asia, and there's hope for the brand to establish a stronger presence in markets like the UK.

The Discussion

rnaden

Dec 4, 2014

And I've had the opporunity to try them on more than once...that said, to me personally, they do come across as a little cold, but I can fully understand and agree on the value that they provide, with the movement and finishing higher than many brands which are priced 2-3 times higher even.

Sandgroper

Dec 4, 2014

Thank you Ken for this report. My favourite is definitely the ZW081, simple, 39mm. I have to say that the case and especially the lugs strikes me for the resemblance with Girard Perregaux. Very nice. Cheers Francois

chintu

Dec 5, 2014

Curious to know if Zeitwinkel orders separate components from non ETA vendors and assembles them ground-up? Or do they buy ebauches, dis-assemble them and modify them or add additional modules on top for their requirements? If they use ebauches, then which would be the supplier- ETA/ Sellita/ Others? Regds

KIH

Dec 5, 2014

I, too, hope to see more variations in the design, but it is good as-is, and let's hope they add more designs over time. Thanks for reading, Richard! Ken

KIH

Dec 5, 2014

... yup, simple is the best. They pour so much energy into the inside of the watch. Case resemblance, I was not paying attention, but interesting observation. Thanks, Francois! Ken

KIH

Dec 5, 2014

... they did not mention anything about buying anything including ebauches from ETA or other major movement companies. They design and make the parts and assembly at their own atelier. I take it at the face value.... Any reason why you wonder whether they buy ebauche or parts from ETA? Sure, many brands claims - in house - when they actually buy many parts of even ebauche from movement companies like ETA. But I did not sense that from the presentation..... Ken

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