CHRISTIAAN VAN DER KLAAUW, PINK GOLD 'ECLIPSE' CASE NO. 5

CIRCA: 2000s
CASE MATERIAL: Pink gold
CASE DIAMETER: 40 mm.
DIAL: Silvered
MOVEMENT: Automatic
FUNCTIONS: Annual calendar, passage of the sun and moon, solar and lunar eclipse
CLASP: Pink gold Christiaan Van Der Klaauw double deployant clasp
BOX: No
PAPERS: No

Lot Essay
Christiaan van der Klaauw is regarded as one of the most important and inventive specialists in astronomical watchmaking. Throughout his career, the Dutch master watchmaker has devoted himself to translating the movements of the heavens into intricate mechanical timepieces, creating an extraordinary range of astronomical complications. Among his best-known creations is the celebrated Planetarium, first introduced as a wristwatch in 1992. Produced in small numbers and crafted with an emphasis on traditional watchmaking, Christiaan van der Klaauw's creations occupy a distinctive position within the world of independent horology.

The present timepiece represents one of Christiaan van der Klaauw's most sophisticated astronomical developments. Its remarkable display follows the passage of both the Sun and Moon across the sky, complemented by an indication of the probability of both solar and lunar eclipses. Complications of this nature are exceptionally rare in modern wristwatch production, requiring the mechanical reproduction of complex astronomical cycles within the confines of a watch movement.

While similarly ambitious astronomical displays are perhaps best known through Ulysse Nardin's celebrated 'Trilogy of Time', Christiaan van der Klaauw approached the subject through his own distinctive technical philosophy. The present timepiece incorporates an astronomical mechanism developed according to his own design, further reinforcing its importance within his oeuvre. Combining mechanical ingenuity with Van der Klaauw's lifelong fascination with celestial phenomena, the present timepiece is a fascinating expression of one of independent watchmaking's great astronomical specialists.