The Goldpfeil collection

Hi,

The information below covering the AHCI works commissioned by Goldpfeil and shown at Basel 2001 is taken from articles in Europa Star and TradeBizz.pl.

By the way, Goldpfeil is a German manufacturer of fashion leather goods. Since 1998 Goldpfeil has been owned by EganaGoldpfeil, a Hong Kong-based luxury products distributor and manufacturer. EganaGoldpfeil sells watches under their brands Dugena, Goldpfeil, Carrera, Pierre Cardin, and Pr?tina and through the licenced brandnames Bulova, Barracuda, Cerruti 1881, Esprit, Paolo, Field & Stream, Outdoor Adventures, MEXX Time, and, in Germany, Raymond Weil. Last year EganaGoldpfeil purchased Junghans Uhren from the Diehl Group in Germany.

Best regards,

Stephen Sugiyama

"Carte Blanche" for seven one-of-a-kind creations destined for auction

Europa Star Online

Goldpfeil gave the watchmakers "carte blanche" to create seven exceptional watches that will never be reproduced. Each drew from the depths of his creative world, blending the aesthetic and technical skills so closely entwined with the watchmaking art. Engraving, architecture and other stylistic compositions highlight the ingenuity of the movements covering a palette of fascinating complications.

After their presentation at Basel 2001, the World Watch and Jewellery Show, these creations will embark on a year-long world tour, displayed at the finest specialised stores around the world. Upon returning to Basel 2002, they will be placed under the skilled hammer of the prestigious Christie's auctioneering house.

The Academy of Independent Watchmakers and Goldpfeil

TradeBizz.pl

The Academy of Independent and Active Watchmakers, AHCI, was founded in 1985 and its aim is to promote creative and traditional watch making industry. The Academy's main premise is to support its members in creating watches, which are unique in their esthetics as well as the technology used. Their works are exhibited in Geneva and at all important watch fairs around the world. At present, the association has 26 members from 10 countries. The majority of them are watches' fans, although there are experts from pendulum clocks as well. Apart from making watches signed with their own names, many of them work on new mechanisms for bigger producers.

The Academy's seven members managed to convince Goldpfeil that they were able to create the first watches by this brand. In this way, 7 single watches, which will be sold in the Chriestie's auction house next year, and 7 models of watches, which will appear on the market this year under the name of Goldpfeil, have been created. These seven watchmakers are: Svend Andersen, Thomas Baumgartner, Vincent Calabrese, Vianney Halter, Frank Jutzi, Bernhard Lederer and Antonio Preziuso. While creating the watches, Goldpfeil gave the independent watchmakers a free hand. Each of them had a chance to realize their own ideas and use their knowledge without limits on the part of the commissioner. The effects were surprising...

Svend Andersen

Mythos 7

The dial one of its kind - manually engraved and revolving, decorated with portraits of mythological gods, which are assigned to every weekday. The diamond, place on the height of 12, indicates the proper day. The dial was made from pink gold, while the envelope and the belt's fastening - from white gold, the inner part of the ring - from blue gold. The mechanism, Frederic Piguet, is very thin.

"Pupitre"

On the dial, there are big Arabic digits, which indicate hours, and the golden Goldpfeil arrow is an hour hand. On the height of 6, there is a calendar. On the inner side of the dial, there is a minute index. The mechanism is automatic, created on the base of the ETA-24-hour caliber and it is visible through a glass.

Thomas Baumgartner

Amphiscala

A few years ago, Thomas Baumgartner rediscovered a mechanism of the Italian pendulum clock from the 17th century, invented by Campanus. The clock shows hours of the day and night. Transparent digits, lighted from the back, moved one after another in a semicircle on the angle of 180 degrees. This system inspired Baumgartner, who interpreted this idea in many ways. In the model designed for Goldpfeil, hours show in an oval window, every digit moves in 60 minutes from left to right, while the minute hand is below the hour window and is divided into five and fifteen minute parts. The model was created in the cooperation with Martin Frei and Felix Baumgartner and was cut from one piece of gold and decorated manually. The mechanism is automatic.

Chronometer with the reserve of string

The characteristic feature of this watch is an interesting design, according to the idea of Felix and Thomas Baumgartners' friend and partner, Martin Frei. Inside, there is the Geneve mechanism, which is richly decorated and mechanical. The watch has the COSC chronometer certificate.

Vincent Calabrese

Jumping hour hand in the middle

The hour is shown in the window placed in the middle of the dial and minutes show on the envelope's circumference. After 60 minutes, the hand in the form of the Goldpfeil arrow, disappears and the hour changes. The mechanism is automatic and visible through a glass.

Jumping hour hand

On the envelope, on the height of 12, there is the hour indication (jumping hour). Opposite, on the height of 6, there is a date and minutes indicated by the Goldpfeil arrow, are shown in the middle of the dial. The engraving and moving rotor can be visible through a sapphire glass.

Vianney Halter

Phases of the Moon and thermometer

This watchmaker used one of the variants of his "Antiqua" idea, which is characterized by placing many independent dials in one watch. Here, he used three of them. According to the expectations, the biggest one shows hours, while two others do not follow any conventions. One of them shoes the phases of the Moon by using geometrical forms, the other one has a very unique function as for a watch. It shows temperature. The envelope was made from platinum. The mechanism is automatic and was made by Vianney and based on one of the Lemania mechanisms.

Jumping hour and phases of the Moon

Here, Vianney Halter plays with forms, colors and materials and in this way he managed to gain three independent indicators. Hours jump in a triangle, minutes and seconds are shown in a square, while phases of the Moon follow in a circle, where they are presented in an unconventional way as geometrical figures.

Frank Jutzi

Tourbillon

Tourbillon belongs to the noblest complications. In this model, its precision was increased. A moving cage, the piece of art in itself, was made from the polished steel. The dial was made from silver, digits and Goldpfeil logo - from gold. One of the driving wheels is visible through an opening in the shape of a half-moon. Frank Jutzi made this mechanism by himself, basing it on the old one.

Phases of the Moon

This model is kept in the convention of old regulators with one central minute hand. A small hour dial is located between 1 and 2, and the second one - on the height of 6. The third dial is between 10 and 11 and shows phases of the Moon. The dial was made from silver. The mechanism, which can be seen through a glass, was based on the ETA caliber.

Bernhard Lederer

Almost without hands

In this model, there are no traditional hands, digits and indexes. The hour can be read in the place where handmade lines of a huge rotating dial made from silver come together. Minutes are indicated by the arrow on a small and rotating dial. The golden arrow in the form of the brand's logo, decorated with 9 diamonds and a sapphire, moves on the silvered background, which is matched with the envelope made from white gold. The manually decorated mechanism with the AHCI and Goldpfeil logos engraved in it, is visible through a sapphire glass. Exceptionally big rotor is visible only in a small part.

The Second Zone

Also Bernhard Lederer was inspired by the characteristic dial of the regulator. Hours are indicated in two ways: as the local time and in the second time zone. On the height of 6, there is a date, and slightly above there is a weekday. The envelope was made from gold, and the dial is silver. The glass enables watching the characteristic Goldpfeil arrow and the Geneva Stamp.

Antoine Preziuso

The Second Time Zone

This watch surprises by unusual designing of the envelope. The mechanism occupies the central part of the watch. The time of the second time zone is shown on a small dial on the height of 6. It shows both hours and minutes The mechanism is automatic and visible through a glass.

"The leather watch"

This watch was made in leather and the envelope, indexes and hands are made from gold. The mechanism is automatic and can be seen through a glass.