Moritz Grossman
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Front, Dial, Back, Case mark, Cuvette, Cuvette mark, Movement, Second view of movement, Movement on angle, Second view of movement on angle. Grossman was the author of the prize winning essay on the lever escapement. He was one of the founders of the Glasshutte school along with Lange and Assman. Grossman trained Fred Gruen and designed the escapement in the Gruen watches produced by Assman. Signed examples of Grossman's work are relatively scarce. This is not the very best Grossman work, but it is very close to the top quality. It is 20 or 21 jewels with a gold colored escape wheel. The balance has an alloy arm that is unusually wide, which I have not had the opportunity to research. The setting mechanism, visible in the dial picture, is similar to the Fitch's patent mechanism used on some early Waltham pieces and also used by Kullberg. The condition is also excellent with only a small chip to the dial and a few handling marks on the movement. In 1869, Grossman wrote a second essay on "The construction of a simple but mechanically perfect watch." This essay was translated into English by Richard A. Watkins, of Tasmania in 2001. Richard has made it freely available for republication in whole and it is available for your reading here. In the essay Grossman discusses many of his ideas on how to make a watch and a number of these ideas are seen in this example. In particular the essay may answer the question about the balance material and clarify the material of the escape wheel. It is likely that both of these parts are made of aluminum bronze rather than gold as I originally thought. Also the winding and setting mechanism, and construction of the plates are discussed in the essay in general terms. Although the essay was originally written in 1869, the version used for this translation was revised in 1880. Grossman died in 1885, so this watch likely reflects much of his views as expressed in the essay. You will need to have a pdf view installed to read the essay. |
