Independents

Is there any owner of a Moritz Grossman e.g. Benu gang reserve or Atum in the forum? If yes I would appreciate some comments and if possible photos!

I attended an event they held in NYC a few months ago and took a close look at their watches and asked them some tough technical questions and I left deeply impressed. They are genuinely dedicated to making the finest, traditionally crafted timepieces possible and employ some wonderfully distinctive/labor-intense techniques and design choices that pay homage to Saxon watchmaking heritage. Good stuff.

_john

Well worth investigating.

christianch,

Moritz Grossmann is the revived brand name whose new company founder and CEO is Christine Hutter, with the help of some rich investors..

Christine Hutter

1826: Moritz Grossmann is born in Dresden on 27 March 1826.

1842 - 1847: During his 5-year apprenticeship with Gottfried Friedrich Kumme, Sr., in Dresden, Moritz Grossmann establishes first contacts with Ferdinand Adolph Lange.

1854: Returning to Glashütte, he starts the Moritz Grossmann watchmaking company., making pocket watches, one-second pendulum clocks, tell-tale clocks, measuring instruments, lathes, tools, and escapement models.

1885  On 23 January 1885, Moritz Grossmann dies suddenly and unexpectedly on a lecture trip in Leipzig. After his death, the Moritz Grossmann watchmaking company is liquidated.

2008: Grossmann International Uhren AG is founded on 4 November 2008.
On 11 November 2008, Grossmann Uhren GmbH is incorporated and Christine Hutter is appointed CEO.

Benu Gangreserve White Gold

MG100-2 movement in the Benu Gangreserve watch

Gangreserve disc

Grossmann 'blued' hands are a different brown colour

Atum White Gold

MG100-1 Movement in the Atum watch

New Moritz Grossmann Factory Building

Regards,

MTF

This message has been edited by MTF on 2015-02-22 12:09:36

Many thanks for the photos. I really like their history and the factory is gorgeous too ! It takes a lot of courage to come out with a new watch and movement and, after seeing it in person, I can really say that the watches are of the highest finish and quality. The movement is just a beauty to look at and it has a very distinct style.

I am considering getting the Atum in rosegold but I will probably wait a bit to be sure that is not a temporary infatuation

Christian

christianch,

I think that the selling point for Moritz Grossman watches (benu/atum) is really a very high quality movement mostly hand made and being "different" by having a watch that you won't see that often around.

I have had the opportunity to see the watches in person in Dubai where the company has appointed Authorized Dealers. The watches by themselves are good and the calibers well finished.

The positives as I see are;

1. Young and motivated independent company that is  taking the tougher way of going about building a vertically integrated operation. So augurs well for the long-term.

2. A nice set of  4 initial in-house manual wind calibers that can power future complications . Yes, they have a tourbillon already ( Benu Tourbillon costing USD 250K; with a human-hair brush to pause the balance wheel when the crown is pulled..)

The negatives are IMHO as follows;

1. The watches are very steeply priced compared to the features and hence  do not offer a value proposition. The entry level Benu, three handed watch itself costs well over USD 32K.

2. A very new brand; though the name Moritz Grossman has simply been dusted off the shelves . I am not sure as to what the current management wants to convey, as any implication of continued existence or links to the past since 1826/ 1878 can at best be termed misleading.

3. No service centers presently that I know of except retailer in Dubai and China and I am not sure how the service costs will be either.

What they offer in the upcoming Basel World 2015 will perhaps make the brand receive more awareness and appreciation; but the company will have to get its feet planted solidly on the ground in terms of revisiting their pricing strategy. Sustainable operations are the key to the brand's continuity and it cannot be achieved unless production numbers are adequate ; and that can only be driven by reasonable prices to generate buyer interest. At the present levels the company has stated that it produced 200 watches in 2014 with a goal to ramp up to 1000 by 2020 . If service support and distribution are not reasonably priced and robust , then Moritz's offering will be a nice watch to admire but one that I would not risk owning..

Lastly I have refrained from commenting about holding value. Collectors that purchase a Morirz Grossman will be those that will not be unduly worried  about any resale market for this brand at its present stage of life.

Regds,

Narsi

Thanks for sharing your views. You raise some very valid points. I know that they have just opened a boutique in Japan so the business is expanding.  Here are some photos of the movement (that is truly gorgeous) and the benu:

Benu power reserve platinum

Benu power reserve platinum

The first benu in White gold

Benu power reserve Rose gold

Benu power reserve Rose gold

I did try the Atum too but I don't have any good photo - that is also a very nice looking watch.  I didn't get one (yet) as indeed the pricing is on the high side. I love their time setting pusher idea and the movement too.  The finishing is au pair or even more manually visible (e.g. the engravings) than Lange and hence the similar prices.

I think that the Moritz Grossmann watches do present some value as it would still come at a lower pricepoint than a similar lange. I also like the size of 41mm that is indeed very contemporary.  I would say that nowadays very few watches can be considered investment pieces and to hold some resell value (I would say Patek, Rolex but this is it).

So certainly this would be no different and it is not an investment piece but a gorgeous watch. My only experience with independent makers is with Moser & Cie. They were also backed by a very wealthy investor but ownership has changed.

As of now I am more drawn to the Atum but I will wait and see if it would be really something that I would wear regularly.