de Grisogono launches the Otturatore watch

de Grisogono launches the Otturatore watch

November 18, 2011: Combining a dynamic display and improved legibility, de Grisogono's Otturatore raises the art of horological complications to a new level of inventive excellence.

Radiating a contemporary baroque design expressed through superlative technical features, useful functions, subtle detailing and eye-catching displays, Otturatore's stylish lines conceal an unusually complex and resolutely world-first sequential rotating dial mechanism. The dial rotates 18 times faster than the blink of an eye (16/1000ths of a second compared with 3/10ths of a second) and the acceleration energy required (9G) is greater than that of a jet plane (8G).

Along with the hour and minute hands at the center, the watch displays on demand the seconds, the date, the phases of the moon and the movement's power reserve. Its greatest originality lies in the selective display of each of these separate indications.

The patented mobile clockwise-rotated dial is operated simply by pressing a mechanical pushpiece. A slight pressure on a pushpiece – whose travel is of the order of one millimeter – is enough to harness enough power to drive the mobile dial by 90° instantly. In a standard mechanical construction, a finger pressing a pushpiece for a brief instant exerts insufficient force to set in motion mechanical components with strong inertial resistance.

de Grisogono's exclusive sequential display module comprises over 300 components. It includes its own mainspring and barrel providing the necessary reserve power and manually wound by pressing a mechanical pushpiece. A second, more traditional mainspring-and-barrel unit gives the movement a 42-hour power reserve.

The case's very contemporary character contrasts elegantly with a cobbled "Clous de Paris" pattern in the grand tradition, as do the finely proportioned "dauphine" style hour and minute hands with the strict geometry of the case. The "hidden face" of de Grisogono's new design is protected by a cambered sapphire crystal, revealing a blackened movement and traditional decorative motifs characteristic of complex watchmaking.