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Gravalance
Gravalance is the work of master engraver-watchmaker Hannelore Gleich. We see the presentation of her first watch here. The dial is blackened steel with inlaid and engraved gold decoration. Note that even the logo is inlaid gold. It is not printed. The movement is also engraved and decorated in the same style.
Who is Hannelore Gleich? Hannelore did her apprenticeship as a watchmaker at Sinn Spezialuhren in Frankfurt. There she admired the work of a colleague who was skeletonizing and engraving movements for Sinn and after completing her watchmaking studies decided to continue her education in engraving. So it came to be that she studied engraving for 2.5 years at the Staatliche Zeichenakademie in Hanau, one of Europe’s oldest, founded in 1772, and best known engraving and jewelry-making schools.
Fascinated by Vianney Halters milestone watch the Antiqua, Hannelore did several internships at his shop in Sainte-Croix during her studies and after finishing her degree in engraving came to work for Vianney as an engraver for 4 years. The engraving on most of the Vianney Halter watches made during that time was her work. At the end of the year 2008 she founded her own engraving atelier in Ste.-Croix to expand her field of work from the limits of engraving watch dials. Her order book now includes watches, firearms, knives and other objects and she is making a name for her work that is inlaid and engraved. She has been using this technique not only on the watch dial in these pictures but also in firearms and presentation boxes (precious metal engraved inlays in hardwood such as ebony).
This summer Hannelore finished her studies as a Master Engraver and this watch is her “Master Piece”, the piece to show all her ability to the examiners. It shows her abilities as an artist, as a craftsman and a person able to find unique solutions to well known problems. As an artist: the plants, flowers, stems… are directly from her imagination, there is no plant like this. As a craftsman: you really need to get out your loupe to appreciate this 3D engraving work. As a problem solver: Hannelore Gleich “ I can’t wear a big watch with lugs that extend out even further with my thin arms. So I found another solution”. She wanted a big watch that she can wear comfortably and found a solution to attaching the bracelet by going a direction that no one else has gone. And my test says (being a small wristed person myself), although unusual it is comfortable, and the lugs don’t hang out and catch on everything you walk by.
Of course she passed her final exam with flying colors.
An armada of gravers waiting for work.
Firearms and knives are also a common support for hand engraving.
You have seen this before, on the Vianney Halter Janvier.
Of course engraving also has a long tradition as illustrations and prints. Here one of Hannelores prints.
The view from the Gravalance shop in Ste.-Croix with the trains just pulling in.
Who will be the first to order their own one-of-a-kind custom watch from Gravalance? As both watchmaker and master engraver, Hannelore has all the knowledge, experience and ideas one could possibly need to make incredible new pieces.
Don
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Gravalance
The new independent brand Gravalance presents their first watch. Gravalance is the work of master engraver-watchmaker Hannelore Gleich. We see the presentation of her first watch here. The dial is blackened steel with inlaid and engraved gold decoration. ...
