WatchTime New York, America’s largest luxury watch show, is a little over a week away! As we continue our countdown to the long-awaited collectors’ event, taking place at Manhattan’s Gotham Hall on October 26-27, we are highlighting timepieces from each brand that guests will have the chance to see. Today, we’re taking a look at the Kerbedanz Maximus.
Kerbedanz made waves in 2017 with the announcement of the Kerbedanz Maximus that contained what the brand claimed was the world’s largest tourbillon housed in a wristwatch. This year, the timepiece returned for a victory lap, taunting standard sized tourbillons with its 27-mm diameter titanium tourbillon cage. Building a tourbillon of this size requires totally reimagining the movement construction. This was in part possible thanks to the use of titanium in the tourbillon cage, which allows the tourbillon to complete its rotation despite its size thanks to the overall lighter weight.
The tourbillon itself makes one full rotation every six minutes and was designed completely in-house by the Kerbedanz R&D team. The movement is made of 415 total components with the tourbillon claiming 73 of those. Its production is only possible thanks to a uniquely-developed balance spring, a rack assembly with fine-tuning screw, and a balance wheel.
The movement itself is called Caliber KRB-08 with a straight-line lever escapement. Its energy is produced by four parallel barrels built around a central wheel mounted on a ball bearing, providing the torque required for powering a tourbillon of this size. The timepiece beats at a frequency of 2.5 Hz, equal to 18,000 vibrations an hour, and its power reserve, which is displayed in a separate indicator, offers a remarkable 54 hours.
The way you tell time is surprisingly traditional. The hour and minute hands extend off of the tourbillon cage and are mounted on geared discs. The rose gold indexes feature a sharp incline into the overall architecture of the watch. Altogether, the Kerbedanz Maximus comes in at a hearty 49 mm and has a pure unadulterated maximalist appeal to it. It’s limited to 99 total pieces and the price is available upon request.
Interested in trying on the Kerbedanz Maximus and experiencing the world’s largest tourbillon for yourself? You can go hands-on with it and hundreds of other timepieces from the other 30 brands at WatchTime New York 2018. Tickets are going fast; order yours now!
