IWC Kurt Klass perpetual

[cheng]

Any thoughts regarding this?

been thinking of it since i saw it....

[decksurgeon]

it is spelt Kurt Klaus.

wonderful perpetual invented and conceived by the former technnical director of IWC. Kurt is now retired but remains an Icon for the brand.
he has worked at IWC for almost his entire life.

it is the 1st 4 year date display on a perpetual mechanism.
when Kurt first mooted the idea of this perpetual back in the early days - everyone laughed at him and told him it was crazy, impossible and could never be done.

but the then CEO of IWC (Günter Blümlein) backed his idea. today >20 yrs later, this perpetual mechanism (for 7750 base and 5001 base) is still the icon of IWC watches.

DaVinci platinum piece 01 is on the hand of Mr Klaus himself.
was privileged enough to view this amazing mechanical piece over lunch with Kurt. his knowledge and insight could never be replicated and I have great respect for the man that is the technical force behind what IWC is today.

the Davinci case is not the most popular case variation in singapore/asia.
but the construction and machining is extremely complex and employs 5axis machines for the job. the "not popular" rarity makes it a very good proposition. also the stainless steel version is priced very competitively against the other brand in the market.

i'd say go for it if you like the DaVinci perpetual calendar.

[cheng]

txs for the insight sir,

i like the fact that it has a unique shape that fits my wrist pretty well...and not so common too...

will ponder abt it again...

[alex168lim]

Hi decksurgeon,

As usual, thanks for the insightful information.

Have always been amazed at the complexities that goes into designing a perpetual calendar mechanism that is entirely mechanical.

Wonder which is the first company that launched a perpetual calendar watch and who is the pioneer ?

Thanks

[decksurgeon]

if memory serves me right i think 1868 or 1870.
it was patek that pioneered the perpetual calendar wristwatch.

in a pocket watch or perpetual clock the history goes even further back...i dont think any one maker can lay claim....?lost records/no documentation?

the basis of complication is not that difficult actually, it relies on a stepped wheel with 48 teeth (4 years, 1 tooth per month), the differnet length of the 'teeth' tell the calender if the month has 28, or 30 or 31 days. that's how the watch knows.

have look at youtube and the animation of the IWC portuguese perpetual calender. the video shows this clearly. all the watches that are perpetual today have this 'toothed wheel' inside them.

[cheng]

Went to check out the da vinci kurt klaus pertpetual at the boutique over the weekend... saw the white gold piece with grey dial. very nice indeed.
the rose gold with balck dial version is not in yet though.

one thing i like about this watch is one can set all the functions via just the crown instead of having to "poke" various tiny buttons to the individual functions. However, am wondering is 7750 movement behind it is too high a price to pay for it?

any thots?

cheers
cheng

[decksurgeon]

there are no pushpin correctors on the IWC perpetual watches, this includes the 7750 base and the 7day cal5000 perpetuals.
all the calender functions are controlled from a single crown and totally synchonised - thefore if you wind the date too far fwd, you have to wait for the watch power to die down or pull the crown to stop it.

if you wind it too far fwd like months or years...only the factory can reset it by taking it apart.

the discussion of ETA base 7750 vs in house is always a hot topic on any forum.
what i would say is that - in essence it is not important if it is inhouse or not.
as long as it comes from the house of IWC. you can be assued that a 7750 is not the normal 7750 and substatial modification and high QC checks have been applied to it.

same as a patek 5070P chrono - the movement is not patek inhouse. someone else's chrono base, but the finish, modification and QC are to patek standards. collectors still buy them without blinking.

if inhouse is a must - have a look at the new davinci digital display perpetual calender with the big digital display modules. this is total inhouse and very complex with a secondary power reserve. it will be priced more that the regular KK perp cal davinci as appropriate.

hope this helps

[Watcha]

My 2 cents

Thanks for the detailed info.

My 2 cents:

1. Perpetuals = better buy winders if not worn frequently.

2. Winders better can fit in safe as mostly not cheap.

3. Servicing cost and time concern.

Anyone who owns a perpetual can share servicing cost?

[Watcha]

To add:

Inhouse may not be as reliable as tried n tested movements.

ETA movements, at the highest grade, is already reliable work horses to begin with. Design been working for years, time tested. Especially important for complicated watches. They also bring the cost down by economy of scale. Cheaper for the houses to do finishing.

For eg if you compare a regular 6497 to PAM finished 6497.

The other 2 cents.

[cheng]

i hv never thot of the point of winding it too far ahead, which can only be un-done by factory.....(a potential negative point?)

I hv a DB17 perpetual, dont dare to imagine the cost to send for servicing...since its still keeping accurate time, will panic when the d-day approach.....

cheers
cheng

[Watcha]

i hv never thot of the point of winding it too far ahead, which can only be un-done by factory.....(a potential negative point?)

I hv a DB17 perpetual, dont dare to imagine the cost to send for servicing...since its still keeping accurate time, will panic when the d-day approach.....

cheers
cheng

Can share when the day you get quotation for service

Let there be light

[cheng]

sure will do.....provided i hv not fainted there

[feilong108]

sure will do.....provided i hv not fainted there

well...the price to pay for owning complicated watches...hehehe...i tink can buy a datejust with the servicing charges...imho