By John Galt
Recently I reviewed the Zeitwinkel 273° Saphir Fumé the smoked beauty. Now we go hands-on with their 273° with white dial, still as beautiful but with a more dressy appeal.
The stainless steel case measures 42.5mm and wears exceptionally well, with highly polished case edges and matte insert creates excellent contrast in detail.
The curved lugs sitting slightly low on the case create a hugging feel when on wrist. The grooved crown with the Zeitwinkel logo engraved into it, I feel, would have have been better if it were slightly smaller but that’s just me nit picking.
The large patented date window of the Zeitwinkel 273° is found at the 11 O’clock position. The large, easily readable date display shows the day of the month in two windows with Zeitwinkel’s own font used and click over effortlessly at 12 O’clock using two separate date wheels.
The dial is a clean crisp white which reflects the light wonderfully giving an exquisite feel to the piece. Zeitwinkel have milled the sub dials into the main dial giving a gorgeous depth to it. The power reserve dial is placed between 1 & 2 O’clock showing a reserve of 72 hours with a blued thin hand. Small seconds are shown on a dial placed at the usual 6 O’clock position again with a beautiful thin blue hand stretching right to outer edge with silver indices placed every 15 seconds so as not to clutter it up. Zeitwinkel have diamond-cut the large minute and hour hands, meaning they are equipped with two flat surfaces that are angled to one another over almost the entire length of the hand. This ensures that one side of the hand always reflects the light in such a way that there is always a strong contrast to the dial.
Turning the piece over shows the marvellous ZeitWinkel calibre ZW0103 in-house movement through a full sapphire exhibition case back.
The case was designed in unison with the movement so no spacers or gaps are present, just a perfect fit. All the plates and bridges of the mechanism, as well as the semi-integrated complication, are made of German silver, chamfered and hand-decorated. German silver is noticeably harder than the brass that is usually used and requires the greatest precision in its manufacture and engraving. Not too much of the movement is on show but the parts that are include rotor, balance wheel and a few parts of the gear train which in my opinion put more emphasis on the beautiful silver plates that Zeitwinkel want to show off and gives a perfect contrast to the stainless steel case.
Finishing off this piece as an alternative to their leather strap, a high-quality and durable caoutchouc rubber strap with a stainless steel folding clasp designed to be secure but also able to be closed and opened one-handed is provided.
Conclusion
What is there not to like about this Zeitwinkel from its vintage classic dress looks to the modern feel coupled with impeccable German design and engineering. This is a piece that would look just at home with a suit or more casual attire. My only decision to make would be which version to have crisp white or the smoked dial beauty.
For more info, please visit zeitwinkel.ch
JOHN GALT – CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
John Galt caught thehorology bug back in 2010 on his first visit to a London watch show and has snowballed since; John has become an avid writer and blogger of timepieces of all kinds, from everyday timepieces to modern Luxury HauteHorology, his favorite brands being HYT and GreubelForsey that push the boundaries of modern watch-making. John keeps a keen interest in the UK watch scene with their many emerging brands and timepiece’s. John Galt currently contributes watch related articles for online publications in the UK and USA. You can follow John on Twitter @johng73 Read his articles here.
