AHCI - My new Paul Gerber Model 33

My new Paul Gerber Model 33

Dec 04, 2018,17:21 PM

A few weeks ago I posted on this great forum about finding a gold watch in a particular price range, and received several great suggestions - thank you to Count de Monet, hoseachandra1, pmh6000, maverickmahesh, Watchonthewrist, cazalea, Passionata_george, and trm_tca.

Ultimately, another member reached out to me in private with some intriguing suggestions, and after a few moments of deciding I chose one of them. He is local to me, so we met up in person and had a nice chat before finalizing the deal.

Needless to say I am very, very happy with my decision to dive head first into the deep end of the AHCI pool. I hope you enjoy my little diary below. The watch is quite difficult to photograph in a way that translates its true beauty to the screen, but I tried my best.

A nice, sturdy, and rather heavy box. I wonder what's inside...

First thing: a nice envelope filled with...

A unique way to certify a watch, I think. The picture is of this actual watch - 1 of 20 in this series. I am not sure how many series Paul has made, but I guess no more than 3 (and probably 2).

Inside the cardboard box we find an absolutely gorgeous eucalyptus wood box. It is heavy, rich, and made to a very high standard.

A nice touch to put the name on this part of the box - showing a bit of Paul's humility.

And here we are - the contents of the box: the gorgeous, unique, and wonderful Model 33, Ref. 335 in 18K pink gold.

You can see the moon here - almost a totally new moon. This side is made from Lapislazuli, while the reverse of the moon is made of 54 hand-set diamonds.

Another angle - note how the guilloche changes as it catches light from different angles. The oversized breguet numerals are incredible.

Paul's version of a tang buckle involves making it longer than usual, and applying a beautiful shade of blue enamel to make his name stand out (but on the underside of the watch).

Here she is - the heart of the watch. This movement is special for many reasons: it is shaped for the case; the escapement is a completely new and patented design by Paul; you can see the reverse side of the moon with the diamonds; the anglage is gorgeous and so well done; the Geneve striping is at a 33 degree angle; screwed gold cabochons. Shall I go on?