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Lot 273
CHRISTIAAN VAN DER KLAAUW, EXCEEDINGLY RARE LIMITED EDITION 14K PINK GOLD ASTRONOMIC 'STAR WATCH', WITH GEOCENTRIC CYCLES OF THE SUN AND MOON AND THE ZODIAC CYCLES, NO. 003
Closed30 May 2024
Estimate
CHF 20,000–40,000
More Information
Specialist note
No. 003 of a very small limited edition, this remarkable, complicated and very attractive astronomic celestial ‘Star’ automatic wristwatch in 14k pink gold was designed by Mauve LaFleur and Marco Biancardi and created by the legendary Dutch watch and clock maker Christiaan van der Klaauw.
A first in the history of watchmaking, this watch represents the revival of the Renaissance’s geocentric perspective on timekeeping - the orbital complexities and harmonies of the cosmic rhythms showing the shifting relationship between sun, moon and stars. After three years of planning and a further year exchanging ideas between the designers and Christiaan van der Klaauw, the prototype ‘Star Watch’ was completed in 1996 and unveiled at Basel ’97 where the designers and maker received the congratulations of the Academie d’Horlogerie des Createurs Independents for their impressive achievement.
The story of the conception and realization of the ‘Star Watch’ is fascinating. The idea germinated when Madame LaFleur was browsing the files of Dr. Marco Biancardi and noticed an ancient oriental meridian chart that indicated specific times for administering treatments that correspond with the movement of the sun, moon and stars which form the basis for Oriental Medicine. The idea for the watch was in order to convey this information in a simpler way and thus they made drawings for a watch that displayed the sun, moon and 12 the constellations around a central Earth.
The finished watch accurately displays some very complex astronomical cycles with ‘Sun’ and ‘Moon’ tipped hands: as seen from the earth, the sun has a 24-hour cycle, the moon’s cycle is approximately 24 hours and 50 minutes, and the 12 zodiacs 23 hours and 56 minutes. Each of the zodiac segments represents a different constellation, the sun taking 365 days to traverse all 12 zodiac signs, the ‘Sun’ hand remaining in each constellation for one month.
Christiaan van der Klaauw Astronomy, time in its purest form is the source of inspiration for the most famous watch atelier in the Netherlands. Christiaan van der Klaauw, an honorary member of the prestigious AHCI, founded the company - Christiaan van der Klaauw Astronomical Watches - in 1974. Christiaan van der Klaauw Astronomical Watches is the only atelier in the world that is completely devoted to the design and the production of exclusive, hand-made astronomical watches.
A first in the history of watchmaking, this watch represents the revival of the Renaissance’s geocentric perspective on timekeeping - the orbital complexities and harmonies of the cosmic rhythms showing the shifting relationship between sun, moon and stars. After three years of planning and a further year exchanging ideas between the designers and Christiaan van der Klaauw, the prototype ‘Star Watch’ was completed in 1996 and unveiled at Basel ’97 where the designers and maker received the congratulations of the Academie d’Horlogerie des Createurs Independents for their impressive achievement.
The story of the conception and realization of the ‘Star Watch’ is fascinating. The idea germinated when Madame LaFleur was browsing the files of Dr. Marco Biancardi and noticed an ancient oriental meridian chart that indicated specific times for administering treatments that correspond with the movement of the sun, moon and stars which form the basis for Oriental Medicine. The idea for the watch was in order to convey this information in a simpler way and thus they made drawings for a watch that displayed the sun, moon and 12 the constellations around a central Earth.
The finished watch accurately displays some very complex astronomical cycles with ‘Sun’ and ‘Moon’ tipped hands: as seen from the earth, the sun has a 24-hour cycle, the moon’s cycle is approximately 24 hours and 50 minutes, and the 12 zodiacs 23 hours and 56 minutes. Each of the zodiac segments represents a different constellation, the sun taking 365 days to traverse all 12 zodiac signs, the ‘Sun’ hand remaining in each constellation for one month.
Christiaan van der Klaauw Astronomy, time in its purest form is the source of inspiration for the most famous watch atelier in the Netherlands. Christiaan van der Klaauw, an honorary member of the prestigious AHCI, founded the company - Christiaan van der Klaauw Astronomical Watches - in 1974. Christiaan van der Klaauw Astronomical Watches is the only atelier in the world that is completely devoted to the design and the production of exclusive, hand-made astronomical watches.