The Grnefeld 1941 Remontoire, in many ways, is the embodiment of artisanal, independent watchmaking. Designed by the Grnefeld brothers in the Netherlands, they took inspiration from a remontoire clock their grandfather, and father, used to maintain. This example features a distinctive salmon dial that provides a contrast against the white gold case an excellent addition to the collection of any collector interested in the modern advancements of traditional timekeeping.

The inspiration for the 1941 Remontoire harkens back to the Grnefeld brothers childhood, and the memories of the clock their grandfather and father used to maintain. The clock in question belonged to a nearby church and dated back to 1240. It features a seldom seen, and highly technical form of power distribution: a remontoire. Providing a more constant delivery of energy to the escapement, in theory, a remontoire should offer greater precision. In tribute to their father, the brothers commemorated his date of birth in the name of the 1941 Remontoire.

From a technical perspective, the watch features an eight-second remontoire, which serves to deliver a constant amount of power to the escapement using a secondary wheel, visible through the dial at 9 oclock. Consisting of 258 individual components, the calibre features over a dozen different finishing techniques, from snailing to frosting. The bridges, shaped like the bell gable roofs of Dutch houses, are fashioned out of steel, which is much more difficult and costly to work with than brass or silver.

The case measures at 39.5mm across and just 10.5mm thick and is made from a special white gold and palladium alloy. Its sculpted profile is executed with a specially shaped cutter, to create its characteristic hollowed, concave recesses and convex surfaces.

Further to this, the salmon dial is a vibrant addition that has grown in popularity over the years. According to the Grnefeld brothers, when they first created their limited edition parallax tourbillon, they made five pieces in platinum with a salmon dial. They noticed that the response was amazing, so we already saw that there was a growing appetite for these, quite early on in the current trend of salmon dials, back in 2014. As such, they decided to integrate it into their flagship 1941 Remontoire, which they made available with rhodium, black and salmon dials at the launch.

Closer look

This Grnefeld 1941 Remontoire is in excellent overall condition. Faint superficial marks can be seen throughout the case, consistent with minimal wear. On the caseback the hallmarks and engravings are crisp and well defined.

The watch comes with a two-year warranty from A Collected Man, alongside a lifetime guarantee of authenticity.