Grieb & Benzinger Piece Unique

'marital debts' force this very very sad sale of a much treasured and unique piece.

the watch in question is the Grieb and Benzinger piece Unique #10 ;Agassiz' which i purchased new from the only authorised dealer in the world approx 18 months ago.

as a bit of history Herman Greib and Jochen Benzinger occasionally work together under the above brand name. they only ever make 1 example of each watch making it a piece unique. Greib chooses an historical movement from one of the top brands, completely strips it and rebuilds it with modern additions such as a swan neck micro regulater so it is 'as new'. he then passes it onto Benzinger who hand engraves the whole movement using the antique tools he is famous for. it is then cased in a German steel case, put in a lovely presentation box complete with hand written letter and passed onto the AD. some of their watches have cost in excess of $90k and this one was certainly not cheap.

the movement is one by Agassiz dating from approx 1925, it has a Geneva Seal which shows what a quality movement it is. Agassiz are a company which specialised in high end movements even after the formation of Longines by the Agassiz brothers. these high end movements were supplied to only the top brands and retailers so this is a true piece of history.

the finish is sublime. there are so many engraved and polished edges that it is virtually impossible to photograph well so i have used some of my own and some from the original retailer.

the watch is approx 40mm diameter and 10mm deep. the lugs are screw and pin fit, it has a sapphire crystal front and rear. the hands are beautifully blued with the sub second at 9. the nice sized onion crown winds well and the power reserve is approximately 40 hours although i havent personally tested it. it is currently on a mid brown croc strap with steel butterfly deployment clasp, but the virtually unworn original strap and buckle are included with it as are all the boxes and papers.

the watch is in near mint condition with just a couple of minor marks from a strap change. these could easily be removed and arent noticable unless you look closely. it has been worn sparingly and with extreme care.

the price is negotiable within reason, remember this is a total 1 off. payment can be made by bank wire, paypal if you add 3% or cash on collection. i cannot travel abroad at this stage.

i will let the pictures tell the rest of the story.