SimplyAbuDhabi IX

lurked in various archives and collections, ripe for refurb, Grieb & Benzinger style. It is here where Grieb’s incredible skills as a fine watchmaker and restorer become as crucial as those of Benzinger, because these movements were entirely handmade in the first place. “Imagine, about 100 years ago,” says Bartkowiak, “master watchmakers were able to produce a chiming minute-repeater movement without the help of any modern computer- controlled machine. The tourbillon mechanism was invented by Breguet over 200 years ago, when electric light was not even invented! And yet these complications are still the benchmark for high-end watchmaking.” “It’s hard to imagine how they even made some of the components,” Grieb says. “The screws are so tiny and delicate, yet they had no wirecutting or computerised machines. It was all cut out and filed by hand. It’s astonishing.” No more than 10 Platinum pieces are made by Grieb & Benzinger every year, owing to the tremendous number of man-hours required to restore the movement, incorporate extra functions such as a moonphase according to the client’s wishes, then disassemble the whole thing and decorate each and every part. “Using these old techniques on old movements, we do the clockwork justice,” argues Benzinger, “I think Patek Philippe or Vacheron might even be proud to see how we’ve altered their watches.” Their latest magnum opus, ‘Blue Danube’, based on a minute- repeating, split-seconds chronographmade for Tiffany by Patek Philippe in 1890, had 1,000 man hours lavished upon it. Which goes some way to explaining its pricetag of € 350,000/AED1.7 million. 2 4 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I