Moritz Grossmann Atum Pure M: The “Sneak Preview” Watch
I had the pleasure to visit the Moritz Grossmann during BaselWorld. There were several interesting novelties from this relatively young brand (2008) from the praised small German watchmaking village Glashütte. There is one particular model that grabbed our attention: the Atum Pure M. It has several remarkable technical and visual properties which I’d like to point out.
Atum Pure M in stainless steel with jade green accents
Second Collection
The Atum is definitely one of the cornerstones since 2013 and this year the watch brand is expanding the collection of the model. It is the second collection of Moritz Grossman and named after the mythological god of creation: Atum. We have been told that there was a high demand on a power reserve indicator for this model, so Moritz Grossmann added a power reserve to the Atum model. Besides this, there is a second newcomer in the Atum-series: Pure Classic. An Atum Pure with a tough three-part stainless steel case to add a more affordable model to the range. The third addition is the most prominent one: Atum Pure M. The first watch with a see-through dial…
The dial with the mesh part
Ultimate Sneak Peak
The most unorthodox part of the Atum Pure M is made out of 6 parts and made completely in-house: the dial. The ‘M’ in Atum Pure M stands for the mesh, located in the center of the dial. A steel and light-weight fabric which almost looks like the ‘grille’ of this watch. It creates a subtle see-through effect and exposes a glance of the movement. This mysterious curtain makes the viewer curious about the movement and leaves a bit of fantasy left to think about the movement. I would put it right between a closed dial and a skeletonized watch. A hybrid for watch lovers who love to see technique, but don’t want to ‘get lost’ on the front side of the watch. Although the mesh is pretty awesome already, mister Grossmann told us that they are still experimenting with the thickness and density of the mesh-strings, to create the ultimate ‘sneak peak’.
Black DLC ‘Dianoir’ version
Aesthetics – Breakdown of the Atum Pure M
The watch will be released in two versions: a stainless steel version and a black oxidised steel version. The black oxidized version makes the watch even more mysterious and creates a more stealthy look with its DLC topping in ‘dianoir’.
The stainless steel version is a bit more colorful with its jade green accents on the non-numerical hour markers and lance shaped hands. The stainless steel hands are manually made, mirror polished and have smooth edges. True craftsmanship. To create contrast the hands and numerical markers are filled with HyCeram.
As said, the dial is made out of six different parts. For example, the raised sub-seconds dial adds nice depth to the dial, as the outer ring does. All the track components are satin brushed with a circular pattern. The picked typeface for the cardinal points adds a contemporary look to the face and fits the overall concept. The 41mm mirror polished case is elegant and is flanked by the crown and pusher where Moritz Grossman is known for. More on that later on. On the back of the watch we find a big exhibition case back and an elegant movement with what Moritz Grossmann likes to call the ‘Classic pure finish’. No over-the-top decorations, but pure looks with premium materials and precise technique. The watch comes with a hand-stitched alligator strap with prong buckle (stainless steel).
Calibre 201.0 Movement
The in-house pillar movement beats at 18.000 vph. It is a manual wound movement and adjusted in 5 different positions. When fully wound, the watch has a power reserve of 42 hours. With the small lateral pusher below the crown you can manually stop and start the seconds, providing a more accurate time adjustment. When pulling out the crown it will stop the movement and go into handsetting. The crown will go back in original position to prevent particles from penetrating into the case. When finished you can start the movement again by pressing on the small pusher again and the movement will go in winding modus.
On the back of the watch the 2/3rd plate covers quite a bit of the movement, but you have a sight on the vital parts like the balance wheel, the lever escapement and the barrel. The movement can be adjusted very precisely by the Moritz Grossman micrometer screw on the cantilevered balance cock.
Verdict
This watch creates a new area for Moritz Grossmann and also encourages other watch brands to experiment with see-through dials. I like the exploring mindset very much and hope that Moritz Grossmann and other brands will keep on experimenting. This way we keep creating and inventing new watches and provide alternatives besides the evergreens.
The Atum M will be a limited edition by the way. Both versions are limited to 50 pieces. More information can be found on www.grossmann-uhren.com or via [email protected]
Below I’ve included a gallery of some of the other Atum models which were introduced during Baselworld 2016:
