Koen Simon is a 26-year-old watch collector from The Netherlands. A daily reader of Quill & Pad, he’s a fan of high-end watchmaking. He not too long ago despatched me this story so as to add to our “Why I Purchased It” collection about his one-of-two Orion timepiece by Christiaan van der Klaauw.
Koen writes:
My watch accumulating journey began in 2008 and to this point has led me to focus totally on classic IWC and classic Vacheron Constantin. Nevertheless, generally a watch crosses your path that you simply instantly fall in love with. And when that watch doesn’t match your regular style, it turns into all of the extra thrilling. Right now I’ll elaborate on why I purchased a two-tone Christiaan van der Klaauw Orion, one among solely two examples made.
Christiaan van der Klaauw Orion two-tone (picture courtesy Koen Simon)
A fascination for house
I’ve been fascinated by house ever since I used to be a baby. One among my favourite youngsters’s books my father would learn to me once I was about 4 or 5 was about just a little bear who was afraid of the darkish and couldn’t go to sleep. To consolation him, father bear introduced just a little lantern. He continued to convey bigger and bigger lanterns till he lastly confirmed the little bear the moon as a lantern they usually each fell asleep underneath the celebs.
After I was in highschool, I might often cycle to extra remoted, neighboring villages late at evening to go stargazing. I dwell near the De Hoge Veluwe nationwide park, which is understood for having little or no mild air pollution. A pleasant reminiscence is packing my backpack with a picnic blanket, snacks, and drinks and heading over there. I nonetheless often go stargazing.
How I met my Christiaan van der Klaauw Orion
After I was an adolescent, I repeatedly visited our native high-end jeweler, Van Hell. Mr. Van Hell at all times allowed me to come back in and have a look at his particular watches, even giving me catalogues. One of many manufacturers he carried was Christiaan van der Klaauw, all of whose watches have an astronomical complication of some kind. Given my fascination for the celebs, I instantly favored these watches.
A few years in the past, I swung by the shop once more, and he confirmed me one thing actually superb: the Christiaan van der Klaauw Orion in two-tone execution. This specific watch was a Van Hell customized order. I completely love the two-tone parts; these give quite a lot of life to the watch and symbolize a throwback to earlier bespoke distinctive items. The truth that solely two have been ever made may be very interesting to me.
The primary second I laid my eyes on this watch I fell in love with it. And after a short time I used to be within the monetary place to accumulate this pretty timepiece. I really like having a watch that hyperlinks to my childhood fascination. To have the ability to take that sentiment with me all over the place I’m going is significant to me.
Christiaan van der Klaauw
Christiaan van der Klaauw is a Dutch unbiased watchmaker with a really particular historical past.
Mr. van der Klaauw was initially a clockmaker who made particular conventional Frisian-style clocks: the so-called “Friese stoelklok.” These clocks home astronomical problems and are richly embellished.
A Friese stoelklok (Frisian-style clock) by Christiaan van der Klaauw from 1976
It’s fascinating to hint the technical growth of the corporate via the growth of van der Klaauw’s clocks, the earliest of which solely provided a moon part. Comparatively rapidly thereafter the so-called Actual Moon was launched in his clocks, a three-dimensional globe representing the earth’s largest satellite tv for pc.
Christiaan van der Klaauw’s Planeto Astrolabium of 1989
Van der Klaauw began his clockmaking firm in 1974. In 1989 – 14 years after founding it – he made the masterpiece that granted him entry to the A.H.C.I. (Academy of Impartial Inventive Horologists) as a member. This desk clock, the Planeto Astrolabium, included a three-dimensional planetarium, an astrolabe, and a planisphere for each the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. It took him two years to finish, and it stays essentially the most sophisticated clock ever made in The Netherlands.
Seven years later, in 1996, van der Klaauw started establishing wristwatches, making him one of many early unbiased watchmakers. From the start he centered on astronomical watches, constructing on his clockmaking expertise.
The miniature planetarium of Christiaan van der Klaauw
One such actually monumental piece, now thought-about his signature complication, is the planetarium: it is a phenomenal timepiece in that van der Klaauw managed to miniaturize a whole planetarium to a diameter of simply 12 mm. He launched this in 1999.
Van der Klaauw retired in 2009, passing his baton alongside to Daniël and Maria Reintjes, who at the moment are answerable for the world’s solely watch model utterly devoted to astronomical watches.
Christiaan van der Klaauw Planetarium Eise Eisinga
The Christiaan van der Klaauw Planetarium Eise Eisinga Restricted Version, which incorporates this miniaturized planetarium complication, was awarded the prize within the Calendar and Astronomy class of the 2021 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. That watch to me is without doubt one of the most vital wristwatches ever made in The Netherlands. It’s the most excellent abstract of the model’s core capabilities, reflecting its authentic inspiration.
Eise Eisinga’s planetarium on the ceiling of his home in Franeker in The Netherlands
The dial of the van der Klaauw Planetarium Eise Eisinga Restricted Version simulates the look of the ceiling planks of the Eise Eisinga planetarium. Eisinga was a Dutch astronomer who constructed a planetarium on the ceiling of his front room. Accomplished between 1774 and 1781, that is the oldest still-functional planetarium on the planet. And it was the direct inspiration for Christiaan van der Klaauw to make clocks and later watches.
Christiaan van der Klaauw Planetarium Eise Eisinga in chrome steel
Each his clocks and his wristwatches mirrored Christaan van der Klaauw’s want to push technical boundaries and categorical his private fascination for the Eisinga planetarium.
On high of that, there are occasional collaborations with the perfect craftspeople on the planet. To me that makes Christiaan van der Klaauw among the many greatest unbiased watchmaking manufacturers on the planet.
My Orion and what it means to me
My Christiaan van der Klaauw Orion contains a planisphere that makes one full rotation in 23 hours and 56 minutes, displaying the proper place of the Northern Hemisphere’s stars and constellations, and is executed in two-tone metals comprising chrome steel and pink gold.
Christiaan van der Klaauw Orion in one-of-two two-tone execution (picture courtesy Koen Simon)
The bezel, crown, and lug screws are executed in 18-karat pink gold. This makes it nearly distinctive because it was by no means within the catalogue because of being a customized order of simply two examples for Van Hell jewelers.
Again of the Christiaan van der Klaauw Orion two-tone (picture courtesy Koen Simon)
In a manner, this watch to me embodies two particular private relationships: one with Christiaan van der Klaauw via our shared fascination with house and planetariums. And one with Mr. Van Hell, who performed a key function in growing my data and style in accumulating watches.
Look intently on the planisphere: Christiaan van der Klaauw Orion in two-tone (picture courtesy Koen Simon)
I completely like to put on this watch, which symbolizes private relationships in a world of impersonal on-line retail and model boutiques. It encourages me me to replicate on what the universe has deliberate for me.
For extra info on the usual fashions, please go to www.klaauw.com/eng/cvdk-orion.
Fast Details Christiaan van der Klaauw Orion two-tone
Case: 40 x 15 mm, pink gold and chrome steel
Motion: automated Caliber CVDK1072 (primarily based on Soprod A-10 with in-house planisphere module) and customized rotor, 42-hour energy reserve, 4 Hz/28,800 vph frequency
Features: hours, minutes, seconds; rotating celestial map (planisphere) with present Zodiac signal indicator
Limitation: 2 items (offered out)
Value: €18,950 (all chrome steel mannequin) / €38,450 (all pink gold mannequin), each nonetheless accessible
Comment: three-year guarantee
You may additionally take pleasure in:
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Astronomical Design: Speaking To Daniel Reintjes, CEO Of Christiaan Van Der Klaauw
Christiaan Van Der Klaauw Actual Moon Joure Horizon: An Imagined Horizon
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