Montres Karsten Fräßdorf unveils the Spirograph, an innovative, oversized tourbillon fit for daily wear and tested to resist shocks of up to 5000g.
After working behind the scenes for several brands, Master watchmaker Karsten Fräßdorf has set out on a journey to create his own brand of wristwatches. With the Spirograph Tourbillon, the German watchmaker has designed and manufactured an oversized tourbillon with superb chronometry tested to withstand shocks of up to 5000g and magnetic fields of 1000 Gauss.
For his first opus, Karsten Fräßdorf opted for the architecture of a classic pillar movement, like those employed in marine chronometers. Its one-minute tourbillon regulator features a Swiss anchor escapement, but the novelty here is the patented balance, which comprises two axes. The first one is equipped with a heavy weight on either side ensuring an impressive inertia of no less than 64 gr/mm2. The other axis features two sets of screws, large ones for classification and small ones for fine adjustment. A slow runner, the hand-wound calibre 360 operates at 18,000 vibrations per hour creating a superb visual impact.
Pinned to a Geneva stud, the hairspring is made from an anti-magnetic Straumann alloy, resistant to fields of up to 1000 Gauss. Chronometry is a major focus for Karsten Fräßdorf and he has designed a hairspring with an inner and an outer curve. The inner curve is a corrected Grossmann curve and the outer is a Phillips curve. Both allow optimal breathing of the balance and improve the isochronism of the movement.
The main spring stores energy for 70 hours. However, for chronometric purposes the power reserve is reduced to 42 hours with the aid of a gear mechanism known as a “Geneva stop work”. This ensures that the power delivered to the regulator remains stable for improved isochronism. The winding mechanism is designed for shock resistance and against heavy impacts on the crown and the watch has been tested to withstand impacts of 5000g!
Karsten Fräßdorf’s calibre 360 is cased in a round steel case. Measuring 45mm in diameter, it features straight flanks and short, highly-curved lugs for optimal comfort. The large crown allows for userfriendly operations. The press-in case back is adorned with vibrant hand-guilloché décor.
The superbly crafted dial is made of a white gold base plate. It is offered with a choice of different finishes including handguilloché or translucent enamel. The dial features applied Arabic numerals at 3, 9 and 12 o’clock, while at 6 o’clock the large tourbillon performs its mesmerising ballet. The applied baton hour markers are paired with a rail track minuterie. The alternating finishing of the facetted alpha-type hands allow for exceptional legibility, even in dim light.
A limited edition of 25 pieces only, the Spirograph Tourbillon is worn on an alligator strap secured with a triple folding clasp.