111st Auction
2024/11/16
Lot 408
Christiaan van der KlaauwEclipse
A very rare, unusual, astronomical wristwatch with date, month, sun and moon position, and solar and moon eclipse indication
This very rare and unusual astronomical wristwatch was created by Dutch watchmaker Christiaan van der Klaauw, an honorary member of the independent watchmaking academy AHCI. Van der Klaauw founded his company in 1974.
This example is one of Christiaan van der Klaauw's most complex designs, combining the display of the movement of the Sun and Moon across the sky with the indication of where on Earth a solar or lunar eclipse is taking place at any given time.
Christiaan van der Klaauw is a remarkable and influential figure in watchmaking, whose contributions to the design of astronomical timepieces are of outstanding importance. His work is characterised by innovative and complex creations, including the present model and the "Planetarium" wristwatch, which he first presented in 1992. Christiaan van der Klaauw's timepieces are characterised by limited editions and meticulous craftsmanship in production and assembly.
In 1974, Christiaan van der Klaauw established his own atelier, unveiling his first clock adorned with astronomical complications. He received in 1989 an honorable membership of the Swiss Académie Horlogère des Créateurs Indépendants (AHCI), whose members include watchmaking greats such as Vincent Calabrese, George Daniels, François-Paul Journe and Franck Muller. His innovative prowess shone in 1992 when his Pendule Variable clock claimed the prize for the most innovative watch design in Basel, Switzerland.Two years later he started with his first wrist watch, the CVDK Satellite du Monde which he presented in 1996. The watch showed the time, day and date, as well as the moon phase, day and night indicator and the place on earth where it is exactly noon at the time you are looking at your watch. In 1999 he presented the masterpiece CVDK Planetarium, equipped with the smallest mechanical planetarium in the world. He retired in 2009.
Source: www.klaauw.com