The Exclusive Launch of Mühle-Glashütte’s New Manufacture Line
“R. Mühle & Sohn” – The Anniversary Edition 1869-2014
This year, the watch brand Mühle-Glashütte has plenty of reason to celebrate, with 2014 not only marking 145 years since the company was founded by Robert Mühle, but also the 20th anniversary of the re-establishment of the family business by Hans-Jürgen Mühle. The traditional brand from the German town of Glashütte has therefore decided to celebrate this double anniversary by producing an exclusive special edition range consisting of three models featuring calibres manufactured by the company itself. This special edition range, which is named after the company’s founder, represents the launch of its new manufacturing line “R. Mühle & Sohn”.
Many of the details of the three special edition models, the Robert Mühle Auf/Ab GOLD, Robert Mühle Auf/Ab and Robert Mühle Kleine Sekunde, bear witness to the eventful history of the family business. After being founded by Robert Mühle in the German town of Glashütte in 1869, the company initially manufactured precise measuring devices for the local clock and watch industry and the German School of Watchmaking. Despite all of the challenges it has had to face throughout its history, the company has always remained true to its tradition of precise measurement, even through a difficult economic crisis, two expropriations and 45 years of socialism. Mühle-Glashütte has been manufacturing high-quality wristwatches and nautical instruments at its premises in Alterberger Strasse 35 in Glashütte ever since it was re-established in 1994. By introducing its three special edition Robert Mühle models, the company is now writing yet another chapter in its 145 years of history. This new development is above all thanks to the movements in the “R. Mühle & Sohn” manufacture line: the Robert Mühle calibres RMK 01 and RMK 02. The hand-wound movement used in the Robert Mühle Kleine Sekunde and the movements of the two other special edition models, which feature an additional up/down module, were all designed by the watchmakers at Mühle-Glashütte in the spirit of classic Glashütte watchmaking. As a result, these Mühle movements are the first to include an engraved balance cock and screwed gold chatons. The company’s manufactory-made calibres also explore new realms when it comes to their fine regulation and cover plate. As is the case with all Mühle watches, the calibres use the company’s particularly shockproof and patented woodpecker neck regulation. They also feature a cover plate that has been designed as a three-fifth plate with a separate escape wheel cock. These details clearly show the depth of the company’s connection to its own tradition and to its family home in Glashütte.
The Robert Mühle Auf/Ab GOLD – 20 Exclusive Watches for the Company’s Double Anniversary
The classic and elegant design of the Robert Mühle Auf/Ab GOLD will transport its wearers back to the period in which the company was first founded. The exquisite case made of 18 carat red gold and with a diameter of 44 millimetres acts as an elegant frame for this exciting journey through time. The traditional design of the dial harks back to the era of Glashütte pocket watches with its red minute and second markers surrounding the minute track and its Roman numerals. This effect is also emphasised by the fact that the dial is coated in several layers of varnish. This special treatment gives it more depth and a traditional enamel appearance. The watch’s homage to Robert Mühle and the family tradition is topped off by its hands, which match its elegant red gold case. On top of all this, the power reserve display at the 12 o’clock position and the small second display at the 6 o’clock position add the finishing touch to the harmonious appearance of this particularly exquisite special edition model.
The Robert Mühle Auf/Ab GOLD honours the entrepreneurial spirit of the Mühle family, which has held on to its tradition of precision measurement in a multitude of historical circumstances and right through to the present day. This time measuring instrument also draws attention to a very special quality, namely the fact that the family company is the only watch manufacturer in the German town of Glashütte that is still owned by a long- established local family. The design of this special edition model bears witness to the traditions passed down through the family by featuring elements from all stages of the company’s history. Both the appearance and the technical properties of the RMK 01 calibre contain a number of traditional elements representing Glashütte tradition, for example its parallels with the design used in classic pocket watches, its up/down complication at the 12 o’clock position and the selection of a rare version of the cover plates produced in Glashütte, the three-fifth plate. The case with its finely notched bezel and the large off-centred small second display are additionally reminiscent of the marine chronometers that have been produced by Mühle-Glashütte since 1994. The fact that a limited number of 20 units of this model are available is also a symbol of the second anniversary being celebrated at the company this year, namely 20 years of Nautische Instrumente Mühle-Glashütte.
The Robert Mühle Auf/Ab – A New Interpretation of a Classic Glashütte Complication
This special edition model not only uses its fine design characteristics to draw attention to the company’s eventful history, but also represents a huge step into the future of the family business from a technical point of view. The company’s RMK 01 movement, a self- developed manufactory-made movement, represents the introduction of a new complication to the Mühle collection in the form of its newly designed up/down display. The round scale of the up/down display, which is open at the top, is located at the 12 o’clock position on the dial. This display shows the watch’s power reserve, namely the amount of time left before it stops. The Robert Mühle calibre has a power reserve of 56 hours when fully wound and the up/down display reliably shows wearers when they need to rewind the movement. The name of the up/down display comes from the labels at the two ends of the 300° scale, with “up” ("auf") indicating that the movement is fully wound and “down” ("ab") informing wearers that the movement has fully run down.
By including this up/down display, the special edition model makes use of a classic Glashütte complication and integrates it into the RMK 01 movement in its own special way. The display features a retrograde mechanism containing 25 components in both the Robert Mühle Auf/Ab and the Robert Mühle Auf/Ab GOLD and is mounted as an independent module on the plate of the movement containing the dial. This complication represents the family company’s unchanging commitment to innovation and also pays homage to the fact that it has now been based in Glashütte for 145 years, as is also underlined by the limited run of 145 units of the Robert Mühle Auf/Ab.
The Robert Mühle Kleine Sekunde – Marking a New Era
This special edition model shows exactly what makes time measuring instruments from Mühle-Glashütte so special. The Robert Mühle Kleine Sekunde presents itself as a watch that has an elegant appearance and straightforward design and is extremely precise, right down to the finest detail. Its clear Arabic numerals, minute track and extensive small- second display at the 6 o’clock position all enable wearers to read the exact time at a glance. The watch’s blued hands circle its silver-coloured dial and its elegant case made of brushed and polished stainless steel features the same finely notched bezel as the other special edition models and is worn on an elegant crocodile leather strap.
It’s not just the model’s design that clearly indicates that this is a time measuring instrument from Mühle-Glashütte. A look inside the Robert Mühle Kleine Sekunde reveals the hand-wound movement RMK 02, the second of the two calibres designed by the company itself and included in the special edition models. Both calibres contain Mühle- Glashütte’s well-known further development of the swan neck fine regulation, the shockproof and patented woodpecker neck regulation, which ensures that they remain reliable and accurate in all conditions. These two self-designed and manufactory-made movements also represent the start of a new era for the family business, with the Robert Mühle 01 and 02 calibres launching the company’s very own manufacture line “R. Mühle & Sohn”. Both calibres are strongly rooted in the tradition of Glashütte watchmaking, as is shown by the fact that these Mühle movements are the first to include an engraved balance cock and screwed gold chatons, as well as a rare three-fifth plate. Alongside the famous three-quarter plate, companies in Glashütte also use other types of cover plates on a regular basis. These alternatives include the virtually unheard-of three-fifth plate, which is used in combination with a separate escape wheel cock in the special edition range. This newly designed cover plate is an enrichment to movement technology in the town of Glashütte and is reminiscent of yet another aspect of Glashütte’s watchmaking history.
Limited edition: 20 pieces
Movement:
- RMK 01, gold-plated and hand-wound. Ø 36.6 mm; H 8.35 mm
- 145 components
- 29 jewels, three of which are set in screwed gold chatons
- Glucydur balance with a Nivarox 1 spring, 21,600 A/h.
- Stop-second, 56-hr power reserve with up/down display.
- Engraved balance cock with woodpecker neck fine regulation.
- Three-fifth plate with Glashütte long-slot click
Case:
- 18 carat brushed/polished red gold
- Ø 44.0 mm; H 13 mm
- Water-resistant to 10 bars
- Anti-glare sapphire crystal
- Transparent case back made of sapphire crystal
Strap:
- crocodile leather strap with an 18 carat red gold pin buckle
Dial:
- white
- Enamel finish with multiple layers of varnish
- Gold-plated hands
Limited edition: 145 pieces
Movement:
- RMK 01, hand-wound. Ø 36.6 mm; H 8.35 mm
- 145 components
- 29 jewels, three of which are set in screwed gold chatons
- Glucydur balance with a Nivarox 1 spring, 21,600 A/h.
- Stop-second, 56-hr power reserve with up/down display
- Engraved balance cock with woodpecker neck fine regulation
- Three-fifth plate with Glashütte long-slot click
Case:
- brushed/polished stainless steel
- Ø 44.0 mm; H 13 mm
- Water-resistant to 10 bars
- Anti-glare sapphire crystal
- Transparent case back made of sapphire crystal
- Crocodile leather strap with a stainless steel folding clasp
Dial:
- silver
- Blued hands
Limited edition: 145 pieces
Movement:
- RMK 02, hand-wound. Ø 36.6 mm; H 6.65 mm
- 120 components
- 18 jewels, three of which are set in screwed gold chatons
- Glucydur balance with a Nivarox 1 spring, 21,600 A/h.
- Stop-second, 56-hr power reserve
- Engraved balance cock with woodpecker neck fine regulation
- Three-fifth plate with Glashütte long-slot click
Case:
- brushed/polished stainless steel
- Ø 44.0 mm; H 11.8 mm
- Water-resistant to 10 bars
- Anti-glare sapphire crystal
- Transparent case back made of sapphire crystal
- Crocodile leather strap with a stainless steel folding clasp
Dial:
- silver
- Blued hands