Kerbedanz and its two Quintum Répétition Minutes Animation Tourbillon

What a strange custom?!Instead of announcing the pending introduction of new models, hence the opportunity for the fans to acquire one, this watch brand announced a successful sale.  Considering the extreme concentration of watchmaking art that went into the production of these two Quintums, it's a perfectly understandable approach. Furthermore, it allows one to better understand this company, which places beauty in the limelightand has earned its fame for the creation of unique or very limited-edition pieces. The only frustrating point for the webzine Watchonista, was the fact that we could not do our own shooting, since the two watches had already been whisked away to the intimate surroundings of a single buyer.

The Master of Complication, summa cum laude

The minute repeater is, by rights, the mother of all complications. It demands the kind of skill that only few master watchmakers have or can even acquire. They need a monumental amount of knowledge and some real hands-on experience. For a watch brand to add a minute repeater to its portfolio sends a loud and clear message to all collectors and connoisseurs. What it means is that its membership in the highest ranks of the guild of top-notch watchmakers is unequivocal.

Kerbedanz not only demonstrates its mastery of the skill, but it has also managed to endow its unbelievable micromechanical constructions with a special feature originating in the most noble of all Swiss traditions, the science of the automaton. Two of the most sought-after caliber-makers, Concepto and La Fabrique du Temps, which is the R&D company created my Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini and recently purchased by Louis Vuitton, combined their talents and competences for the movement. Together, they manufactured the Caliber KRB-05 for the brand, a manually-wound mechanical movement with 29 rubies, côtes de Genève, a power reserve of up to 100 hours, as well as an escapement wheel and pallet fork made of silicon. And I almost forgot: this caliber also has a tourbillon, the runner up in terms of high-end watch complications.

Kerbedanz Quintum sketch

Intimate dialogues and secrets

This particular feat is noteworthy, because until now, Kerbedanz has made it a habit of communicating other factors relating to its identity.  There is, for example, its tendency to support its creations by borrowing from universal symbols. It has offered its clients – which it calls MIP, or Most Important People,to differentiate them from the overused acronym VIP – some genuine initiation rites replete with cultural, philosophical and historical quotations. As part of this almost hermetic language, a unique reference for a brand, each watch comes with a Book of Birth, a tome chock full of details dedicated to the covert messages revealed by the watch.

The other area this niche brand uses for its communication encompasses the values of a very special, rare heritage. From its home in Switzerland, the name Kerbedanz has been spreading throughout Eastern Europe, Russia and the Middle East, and it is connected to a dynasty that has, for generations, practiced the quintessential ancient arts associated with the tradition of haute joaillerie:engraving, enameling, miniature sculpting,. . .

Focus on ancient Chinese civilization

Notable features of a Kerbedanz watch are the 45-millimeter satin-brushed case and the original positioning of the winding crown to the northeast, that is, at 1:30, which is also symbolic. Another frequent feature – and the two Quintumsare no exception – is the double layer dial in full 18-karat rose gold. It's on that minuscule space that appears a bas relief with a tiny representation on enamel conceived, made, hand-sculpted and decorated by Kerbedanz.

This time, the symbolism was inspired from ancient Chinese civilization with a representation of the Five Elements seen from Earth, omnipresent in Chinese culture as the composition of the sky, the constellations, and astrology:,  Water is in the north, represented by the turtle entwined by a serpent in black; Metal is in the west and is represented by the celestial tiger in white; Fire is in the south, represented by the Chinese phoenix or Vermillion Bird, in red; Wood is in the east and is represented by a dragon in blue-green or turquoise; finally, Earth is in the center and is represented by the unicorn or Qi-Lin, a kind of chimera in yellow.

Kerbedanz Quintum close up

These watches have, above all, a playful spirit owing to the musical ringing out of the hours – this is the main reason for the minute repeater. This complication was enhanced by some surprising movement on the dial, the result of complete mastery of the art of the automaton-maker. One of the paws of the Qi-Lin begins to move, followed by the wings of the Vermillion Bird, while the turtle, entwined by the serpent starts, to move back and forth.  

Alas, due to selfish pleasures perhaps shared with a very close circle of friends and familly, this spectacle can only be viewed now by a single person. A very privileged person, indeed, who will undoubtedly never tire of the phenomenal gift made by some exceptional artisans and provided by a sophisticated web of gearwheels that pushes these timepieces to the cutting edge of watchmaking science.

Ultimately, what Kerbedanz is doing with these Quintums – timeless collectors' items that they are – is broadcasting the messages of its excellence. And it makes us hunger for more, right before the Baselworld 2016 festivities, in the "Palace. "